Break Time

The 10.15am bell in Primo used to usher in break time, half an hour of unbridled fun and games. This was the time for kati, blada, shake, icho, hide and seek (aka brikicho) and the works. There was no better time to hit the loos without having to 'Please teacher can I go the toilet?' only to get 'Yes you can but you may not'.

Those were the days when three shillings could buy break time snacks and to spare. In many primos, mine included, the highlight of break time was relishing a red or green kashata, goody goody, britania or mabuyu. The most annoying thing was when other kids doead your break and plagued you with incessant 'nimosh!' and 'yes durus', just as you were about to consume a snack. Usually, throwing it quickly in the mouth and saying 'nishapaka mate' or just shouting 'no durus' way in advance usually worked just fine.

Anyways, we used to eat our britanias, or brits, in a slow, methodical way; first would be to gnaw away the patterned edges all around the word 'britania'. Then we would eat each letter one by one, spelling the new word as we went along; 'britani', 'britan', 'brita', all the way until the biscuit was finished. As for mabuyus, the real fun would start after break time when the well eaten pod would be rubbed vigorously on the floor until shiny and hot, then placed on the 'squawks' or neck of unsuspecting classmates. The squeal of pain elicited was delightful!