MIRACLE: A whole different spirit

Molly came home from MIRACLE for lunch yesterday and informed us that we were invited to a welcoming and farewell party for the incoming and outgoing staff members who work with MIRACLE. We had heard about this party earlier in the week, but we weren’t sure if we were invited. We heard about the party as a farewell party for Br. Bill, who has been the director of MIRACLE for some time. It turns out that Br. Bill didn’t want the party to be in honor of him, and not only were we invited, but as the new volunteers, we would be guests of honor.

I didn’t know what time the party started, so I ended up showing up late, but when I arrived, I had a seat waiting for me next to Madame Principle, the principle of MIRACLE. (I think it’s hilarious that they call here Madame Principle.)

When I arrived, I was given a snack of plantain and chicken, which was pretty delicious. Then after getting a mineral (pop), we were informed that there would be a fashion show. As the music started, several of the young, male MIRACLE teachers proceed to come out dancing in chitenje’s, skirts of fabric. They danced around, shaking their hips, and flaunting their feminine qualities. This would have been hilarious in the US, but being in the ultra conservative culture of Malawi, the humor jumped off the charts. It had everyone laughing out loud.

But this was just the beginning. Shortly thereafter, a short arm-wrestling skit between two of the male teachers began. The skit was simple, but the enthusiasm and expression of the two actors made the skit entirely entertaining. They then had a dance off, with one of them balancing a glass coke bottle on his head, which eventually fell from his head, hitting the ground and shattering all over the floor. Not too long after, they called all of the incoming staff to the center of the room for a game.

One thing you should know about Malawian parties is that they are held in a large enough room in which table and chair could be arranged in a square with the guests of honor at one end, a chairman of the program in the center of the right hand side of the guests of honor, and a wide open floor in the middle. This open floor is where all of the games, entertainment, and dancing took place.

The game they called us up for ended up being Musical Chairs, and Matt and I were the ones who made it to the finals. When the music stopped, we both grabbed the chair and began trying to position ourselves in it. I believe I rightfully won, but because of a misunderstanding about having to sit in the chair without picking it up, Matt was declared the victor, earning himself an extra mineral.

Then, shortly before dinner began, someone brought out a rope and decided that we should have a tug-of-war tournament. Four teams were put together, and we proceeded to begin the tournament. Unfortunately, the rope that was chosen was thin and ripped within the first seconds of the first tug. A delay was posted for the tournament, and dancing commenced for about fifteen minutes, after which someone immerged with a different, heavy duty rope. The first two teams pulled a rematch. My team lost and was out of the tournament. The tournament continued with some debate because the teams that lost were always on one side. Eventually, a winning team was declared, only to be followed by a few personal challenges which continued on until the chairman began to introduce the speeches.

The speeches commenced, lasting between 20-30 minutes and involving an open floor for anyone who would like to comment on the incoming or outgoing staff members. We then shared a prayer over the meal and we ate. Following the meal, the floor opened for dancing, which continued on for a few hours.

Throughout this entire evening, it was easy to see the lively spirit held by the MIRACLE staff, and the general willingness to be silly, have fun, and enjoy each others’ company. The staff at Chaminade also likes to have fun, and many of them are very enthusiastic dancers. However, there seemed to be a distinct difference between the two staffs in the way that the MIRACLE staff felt free to be goofy, silly, and just have fun. Matt and I discussed this difference, and we came up with two possible causes. For one, the staff at MIRACLE applies to work at MIRACLE, is interviewed, and is accepted on an individual basis determined by their ability to mesh with the MIRACLE mission. For Chaminade, the staff is placed at the school by the Ministry of Education, and some of them, it seems, would prefer to be elsewhere. Additionally, the position of a teacher at a secondary school is rather elite. Secondary school teachers carry a lot of status with them. In contrast, teachers at a trade school do not carry as much status, and so as a result, may not have as many reservations as someone who is placed on a pedestal as an elite member of society. In any case, there is definitely a warm, welcoming, and energetic spirit at MIRACLE that is not as apparent at Chaminade. While this makes working at MIRACLE much more attractive, I think it also calls us to try to offer whatever we can to the Chaminade community. I’d love to see the type of spirit MIRACLE already has come alive at Chaminade. We will see what we can do in the months ahead.