School lunch story 1: A song at lunch

It was about 1 pm when I arrived at the school gate. As I made my way in and walked into the compound, one of the teachers spotted me from a classroom he was sitting. After a brief introduction, I’m escorted to meet the head teacher.

She received me warmly and offered me a seat at her office. We chatted as I explained my public health professional background and intentions for the visit.

Lunch was yet to be served-I was just on time. When the time came, she called me to observe their lunch. The children had washed their hands and were eager to eat the hot githeri.

The children lined up as the lower grades took the lead, and the lunch lady started serving. The teacher who welcomed me stands to watch on with me. ‘You should have come on the Pilau day’. I thought, oh my, Pilau on the lunch menu was rare. I would visit.

‘Watoto wangu weeh.…’ sang the teacher. The children answered back to the rhyme call. Serving continues as two teachers watch on. When the line is done, some pupils started returning plates and spoons. Some were jostling to get clean drinking water provided nearby.

When lunch was done, we headed back to the head teacher’s office. I shortly interviewed her about the school's history and she proudly got into the details of their lunch menu.

This was the first lunch to attend, and as I left the school premise, I wanted to see more lunches and my mind was plotting my next stop. More so, I was grateful this experience shifted my ideas about school lunches in unimaginable ways.