The Surprise Mural

With only two workdays remaining, it was a surprise for Ronnie to set the challenge of painting a mural at the main entrance to the dorm.

A permanent fixture for many years, the mural is one of meaning.

The central focus of the mural is Bear, our school mascot. Bear was chosen as a fun way to represent the entire LGS body back home. Here in Kenya, LGS and Oloosuyian are one family and so Bear represents that link.

The two school names, Oloosuyian Girls and LGS, are included as a banner to headline the mural. There is a colour scheme of fire and ice, deliberately chosen to represent the fact that our schooling systems are very different. However, the partnership and friendship between the two schools is so strong. No matter our differences, or the distance between us, we can always grow together. This fact is represented with the quote, ‘together we grow’, which is inside a charismatic, decoupaged purple heart. Purple is the favourite colour of the Kenyan girls who came to chat during the painting of the mural.

‘Love’ is included within a heart shaped Kenya flag.

During our daily dance lessons, no one counted the seconds to panic about missed work. Rather, everyone embraced the moment. The girls of Oloosuyian radiate joy, their career aspirations know no bounds and their determination is admirable. Hence, the mural includes the quote that ‘laughter is timeless, imagination has no end and dreams are forever’. The quote is painted in the colours of the Kenya flag because it fits into the experience that we have enjoyed at Oloosuyian. Also, we learned that the girls absolutely love their quotes and so it felt necessary to include one in the mural.

Tiny hearts and music notes surround the quote. The Kenyan love for music is what got us through our workdays, and it became a special bond between us and the Kenyan girls.

Signed off as Team SMILE 2019, the mural reached completion. Everyone feels so privileged to have made a permanent difference across the Oloosuyian site.

Ultimately, the surprise mural became the most rewarding and encouraging labour of love.