Growing Yams in London by Sophia Acheampong

familiar.
Makdiva:
Don’t laugh.
PartyBharti:
I promise.
Makdiva:
His nan.
PartyBharti:
Oh OK, that’s really cute.
Makdiva:
What no LOL! Or ha haaaaa??
PartyBharti:
It’s not that funny, besides I promised. Er, how old is she?
Makdiva:
70.
PartyBharti:
Ha haa­aaa­aaaaa­aaaa­aaaaa­aaa­aaaa­aaaa­aaaaa aaaaa­aaaaaa­aaaa!
Makdiva:
You promised!
PartyBharti:
I had my fingers crossed!
Makdiva:
How’s the diet going?
PartyBharti:
Fine, except I fainted yesterday.
Makdiva:
Whaaaaaat? Are you OK?
PartyBharti:
Yeah, my body obviously couldn’t take to that one.
Makdiva:
How many times were you eating?
PartyBharti:
Um, one full meal, plus breakfast and some fruit.
Makdiva:
That’s crazy!
PartyBharti:
Yeah, but I lost three pounds in a week!
Makdiva:
U R CRAZY GIRL! Bet you were starving all the time – I would be!
PartyBharti:
Of course I was starving! They took me to hospital and this nutritionist had a go at me. So on top of my family she was the fifth person to shout at me.
Makdiva:
Not surprised.
PartyBharti:
I know, I know. It was a stupid diet! It’s just that I heard that Amazonian Anoushka did it.
    Amazonian Anoushka was the prettiest and tallest girl in our school. She was on nearly all the school sports teams, modelled and got really good grades too. The rest of the
school were divided between those who liked her and those who hated her but secretly wanted to be her. I liked her as she used to be my maths tutor before she got too busy with modelling.
    Makdiva:
Ohmigod! That’s rubbish. Have you seen the food that girl eats? She never turns down dessert and always has her five portions of fruit and veg a day!
PartyBharti:
I know that now. I’m just going 2 try to eat healthily now.
Makdiva:
Finally!
PartyBharti:
As soon as we got home, my dad threw away the diet book. He had his suspicions when I turned down my nan’s samosas for some salad last Monday.
Makdiva:
U TURNED DOWN NANA SUNITA’S FOOD?
PartyBharti:
I know! Weird, eh?
Makdiva:
More than weird. Your nan’s food could outsell every curry house in Brick Lane in an hour!
PartyBharti:
I’ll tell her you said that! She’s here now and I can smell dinner.
Makdiva:
Oww, I’m so jealous.
PartyBharti:
Come round!
Makdiva:
Nah, I’ve got to catch up with some homework. I spent ages on the history project.
PartyBharti:
Who did you choose in the end?
Makdiva:
Yaa Asantewaa, the Queen Mother of Edewso in the 1800s who fought the British military.
PartyBharti:
Interesting, using Ghanaian history, eh?
Makdiva:
Yeah.
PartyBharti:
So who told you about her?
Makdiva:
Don’t laugh, but I found an article in Agoo Magazine.
PartyBharti:
Really?
Makdiva:
Uh huh.
PartyBharti:
Well, at least you’ve finally handed it in. You took ages finding your topic!
Makdiva:
I know! I hope Mrs H likes it.
PartyBharti:
She will. It’s different. Mine was on Indira Ghandi, Mel did Mary Seacole and not sure who Laura did. Julia reckons it was Mariah Carey but Laura’s not that
     bad.
Makdiva:
U never know. LOL! It’s good that we all did someone different.
PartyBharti:
Definitely. What homework?
Makdiva:
Science: do Exercise 4 for Friday. Oh yeah, English: read the next chapter in the novel.
PartyBharti:
Cheers. Bye!
Makdiva:
Bye!
    I clicked out of MSN and wondered whether my date with Nelson had been totally jinxed or not. I guess Bharti was right: it was funny that we got interrupted twice whilst
kissing. At least we kissed. But did that really mean he liked me? What if he was being polite or something? Was he really worth lying to my parents about?

 
Chapter 7
What, No Gold Stars?

    We had just spent the past half-hour watching the most boring video on Britain in the 1930s and now knew what life was like before World War Two. The streets looked a bit like
the set of
Coronation Street,
but I just kept wondering what the rest of the world looked like.
    ‘Lights,’ bellowed Mrs Hipman. She handed out a worksheet based on the video we had just watched.
    ‘This is so