They will check a variety of things related to uniform and appearance. Sometimes they inspect nails to make sure they don’t have any polish and are cut properly, sometimes they inspect shoes to make sure they are black and have no special designs, and sometimes they will check the hair to make sure it is buzzed for both boys AND girls. If it is too long, the teacher doing inspections will bring a razor with them and shave stripes right down the middle of the students head like you see in the movie The Grinch! When I first saw this I was shocked, yet everyone just looked at me normally with race car stripes going through their hair as if that was just how things are and as if it wasn’t a big deal. And the truth is, within the Malawian culture it is normal. If students don’t have the uniform looking perfect they are sent home until they can clean up properly.
This next part is very important to grasp when trying to understand what life really is like for people here, and so I will do my best to approach it sensitively but also honestly. I hope this will give a perspective on life in Malawi that makes everything else click. As part of the Fulbright Program I get to make a lot of friends and connections at the US Embassy in Malawi. From speaking with those involved in development and economics, I have learned that Malawi is one of the top 5 poorest countries in the world. However, despite the poverty I have found that the people here are some of the happiest people I have met in my entire life. Some of you might ask “But Braden, how can that be if they are so poor?” I have found that growing up in American culture, it is easy to think that material wealth and having things is what brings happiness.
