10 Warning Signs That You are a ‘90s Kid
For one thing, mother grew up long before Zimbabwe’s independence, for all of her childhood Zimbabwe didn’t even exist. Between my sisters and I is about 10 years. What a difference 10 years makes! The difference is not just in our childhood memories but in the way we view and experience the world.
In celebration of POVO’s 10 year anniversary, here’s a list that every ‘90s kid will completely understand and every other human will find baffling. I was born in 1990 (don’t laugh) so I spent the first 10 years of my life in this decade. Here we go, you know you’re a ‘90s kids if…
#1 You’ve never seen a telegram.
Before there was email, WhatsApp, Skype, text messaging and instant messaging there were telegrams for urgent messages. Don’t ask me to explain exactly what they are because I
don’t know.
#2 You have no clue what Sub A and Sub B are.
Instead of Grade 1 your parents had Sub A and started school at the age of 7 were they learnt about ‘Benny and Betty’. Benny and Betty are walking. Benny and Betty are playing.
#3 You had one of those POSB accounts.
Remember that green POSB passbook where you kept something like $0.25 as your minimum balance? That’s where you saved for the very first time and practised your signature.
#4 You’ve never posted a letter.
And you wonder what all the red boxes around town and the neighbourhood are about. Stamps are things that people collect and snail mail is a completely foreign concept
for you.
#5 You think milk is from the supermarket.
Once upon a time, milkmen delivered glass bottles at the door. Can you believe that?
#6 Your first language and your mother tongue aren’t the same thing.
And talking to older relatives is awkward because you don’t actually speak your mother tongue fluently.
#7 You grew up in the ‘burbs.
Before 1980, western suburbs (or locations) were reserved for black people and there were other areas which were for white people. If you actually had a choice then you’re definitely a born free!
#8 You’re horrified at the thought of not having more than one TV channel.
There was a time when not every household had a television and those who did only had one channel. Television ran from 530PM-9PM and you had to turn it on in advance to give it time to warm up. Huh?!
#9 You think the bioscope is a laboratory instrument.
We go to 3D cinemas and they went to bioscopes. When a bioscope film was showing people would gather in the community hall to watch Popeye and Zorro. Ah,
the romance!
#10 You would die without Facebook, Twitter or Instagram
Your parents have a social media phobia and you just don’t get it. You literally give a running commentary of what you’ve been doing all day and check your Twitter every 5 minutes.
One day, we’ll look at our children and wonder at what strange creatures they are; one day we’ll be the old people in the room! One day our photos and status updates will be ancient history, something for them to point and giggle at. For now though, ‘90s kids are the cool kids. And even though a decade can sometimes feel like a century, there are some things that we’ll always have in common: Mazoe, Matopos and a love for our nation Zimbabwe.
