The Devil Wears... Birkenstocks?

It’s slightly shameful to admit, but one of the most homesick nights I’ve spent is when I borrowed Nicole’s external hard-drive and watched “The Devil Wears Prada.” It was the catalyst to full-on mourning of my past “college girl” life – mix-and-matching outfits (never repeating one, God forbid), living by the laws of “What Not to Wear” with well-made basics and tasteful accessories, and unhurried boredom-browsing through sales racks at Short Hills Mall. It’s not as if I have the money to even look at Prada, and Anne Hathaway’s performance was mediocre at best, but the movie made me realize that the clothes I stuffed into two suitcases in April have to last me for two whole years. Does this make me materialistic? Yes, but that’s one of my personal short-comings I wanted to address via Peace Corps service.

During my application process, I attempted to not have preconceived ideas of what my workplace would be like. However, it didn’t even cross my mind that I would be placed in a country where teachers dress to the nines. Every day, through the red dirty dust and cloudy, chalk-filled classrooms, the teachers of Motswakhumo Community Junior Secondary School look perfectly put-together. Sky-high heels, cute clutches (never a tote-bag, like I carry), and meticulously matched jewelry. Every. Single. Day. They do live on-campus, so they don’t have to make the fifteen-minute trek that I make every morning, but my Birkenstocks do me no justice next to their polished pumps. Especially since I had put off buying them until the day before I left the States, and in my haste I forgot to treat the leather. The water stains really add to my “poor volunteer” look.

The way the teachers dress is far from the norm in rural areas (which is basically everywhere) of Botswana, but it’s surprising how western many of the people here look. The older generation maintains wearing traditional dresses and skirts and using heavy blankets as coats, but even in the most remote areas, younger people can be seen wearing jeans, hoodies, and even velour tracksuits. In bigger villages and cities, you can find familiar brand-names, like Roxy. Fun fact: Jeep actually has a clothing line, and it is extremely popular here in Botswana. I see people all the time wearing shirts with “Jeep” emblazoned across the front.

Another amusing aspect of clothing culture here in Botswana is their winter dress. It is absolutely frigidly cold from roughly 6 pm until 10 am the next morning (it’s winter in the southern hemisphere right now), so everyone layers and wears heavy clothing. People will even walk around wrapping fleece blankets as skirts over their dress-pants. However, in the afternoon it still gets pretty warm (by my standards), but everyone stays completely bundled up, like little children in bulky snowsuits. And no matter how warm the afternoon is, everyone sill comments, “Go tsididi!” (“It’s cold!”) Imagining their reaction if they were to experience an Oswego winter never fails to bring a smile to my face.

A very big difference that is important to note is that people own very few clothes. Having choices of what to wear in the morning is a new idea here, and the majority of the population cannot afford to have the variety that we enjoy back home. Having a large wardrobe is a sign of wealth, even though clothes are relatively cheap in China shops (I’m not trying to be derogatory – that is what the shops are called here) compared to the U.S. Many students continue to wear their uniforms after school is out, despite the sweaters being worn-out or sometimes even having tears, for they do not have many other clothes. I walked around the village today with a student from my school, and she informed me that she could not attend church because she did not have a skirt to wear – only slacks. Even as I’m writing this, I’m feeling embarrassed for being so sad about the clothes I left behind.

So, it’s not the end of the world to forgo Forever 21 for awhile, and the memories of all the cute shoes I left in my closet will fade. Maybe I can get peace of mind knowing that my Mom has integrated my leftover wardrobe into hers. She’ll definitely be the most stylish teacher at Leighton Elementary – maybe even rival the teachers at Motswakhumo.