The Importance of Manicures

The Peace Corps was established in 1961 to promote world peace and friendship through the service of American Volunteers abroad. The Peace Corps has three goals:

1.       To help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.

2.       To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.

3.       To help promote a better understand of other people on the party of all Americas.

I know that I haven’t been here for that long, but as I re-read the goals of the Peace Corps, I realize that I have been able to touch on all of them in some small way since arriving in Mali almost seven months ago. For example, I recently finished a community assessment tool that has identified some of my village’s biggest needs and will help me direct my work. I have also been trying to stay dedicated to Good Golly Miss Mali and posting frequently, as it is very important to me to let my family, friends, prospective PCVs, and strangers experience this adventure with me. That takes care of Goals 1 and 3. Goal 2, I feel, can be rather tricky.

Many times I have felt like I end up taking on a preachy tone when I say “Well, in America, we are successful because men and women work together” or “In America, my dad and my boyfriend and my brother help with cooking and cleaning” or “Yes, we also have poor and starving people in America.” America, for many foreigners conjures images of endless opportunity and unimaginable wealth. While it is true that the wealth of even some of the poorest in America is beyond the comprehension of my Malian friends, I often feel like I can’t really convey what I want Malians to understand about life in America. I usually use American examples to show men that they shouldn’t oppress their wives and daughters, or to demonstrate the differences in labor and work. (The fact that I’ve had a job to earn my own money since I was sixteen is sometimes incomprehensible to Malians- even if it was rollerskating around and serving fat people tater tots). These conversations can be overwhelming. I also get the impression that I lack the appropriate tact at this point in my language learning to use this information as a teaching tool rather than something to shame or amaze Malians. That is why sometimes, it is easier to achieve Goal 2 with nailpolish.

Thanks to the wonderful care packages of Niki Schrock, Brenda Burton and my Aunt Jane Hunt, I have a robust supply of insane shades of vernis, French/Bambara for nail polish. I change the color on my hand or toes usually every few weeks, and the women in my family’s concession never fail to notice. They point and smile and ask, “Can you paint my nails?” “OF COURSE!” I always say, welcoming the chance to chat with the women, give them a little break from their drudgery, and make them smile.

They only paint their left hands because they do everything with their right hands, the “clean” hand. 

These Nailpolish Parties usually attract dozens of people, including little kids and even a few curious dudes. What I enjoy is watching them pick out the craziest combinations of shades and colors that tend to be clashing to my American eyes, but just awesome to them. Neon green and pink and pale orange? Purple sparkles on top? Why the heck not?! I think it’s really nice to paint their nails for them, because it’s a rare form of pampering that they never receive.  I remember joking once in homestay that I was going to facilitate cultural exchange through manicures and pedicures. I never, ever got manis or pedis in the US, but it’s a practice I’ve picked up here to help me feel pretty even when I’m actually quite gross. I never really expected nail polish to be such a fun opportunity to bond with the women in the village, but it has been great. I’ve never seen grown women smile and blush like these women do after a fresh coat of paint. Their reactions kind of remind me of when little girls twirl around in a fluffy dress. Seeing that giddy, “I feel pretty!” smile is really a treat. Some days, for this fact alone, I think I get more out of it than they do.

I know that nailpolish seems so trivial, so frivolous, so useless, so unabashedly feminine and privileged. It’s probably not what John F. Kennedy had in mind when he designed the Peace Corps goals so many years ago. But it’s fun. It helps me build confidence and relationships with my lady friends. Someday, when I talk to these women about big or controversial issues, like empowerment, gender differences, or family planning, I will rely on the friendship and trust we have first and foremost to earn their respect and their ears. I feel like no matter what my service turns out to be, I’ll always be able to take twenty minutes, paint about forty people’s hands, and share a moment. And sheesh, even if all it does is make people smile and let us share a girly giggle, so much the better.

I let them paint my left hand, which is why I’m sporting neon red, royal blue, yellow, peach, and orange. Only in Mali!