Nervous Conditions

     In Nervous Conditions, when the protagonist arrives at her uncle's house, she gives a long description of her new surroundings. I remember feeling similarly overwhelmed when I transitioned from elementary school to middle school. My elementary school only had sixty kids in a grade (a group of students I had been with for six years). In middle school, five elementary schools were combined to make up almost 300 kids in a grade, totaling nine-hundred kids in one school. I remember being completely overwhelmed by the huge number of people I did not know. On top of the number of people, I also went from being one of the oldest in my school, to one of the youngest. I imagine Tambu felt similarly when she went to Babamukuru's house. Her cousins seemed very different: They had forgotten to speak the language and had come from England. I felt similarly different being so young, and knowing so few people. I soon, however, grew used to my surroundings and eventually came to prefer the large number of students, and existing in a community in which I did not know everyone. Similarly, I believe Tambu will eventually begin to appreciate her surroundings, and come to like Babamukuru's house.