Dear Diary...
" So when we were packing, I jokingly asked John if I needed to bring my rocks for washing clothes. He just laughed when he could have taken the opportunity to tell me that our clothes were actually going to be washed with a rock."
John took me shopping, a lot. You definitly get more "bang for your buck" there. I had a two fold purpose for shopping. One reason was to get some more clothes, obviously, but the other reason was so that I could blend in a little more. I'll give you two scenerios.
We went to a cafe, one of the first days there. I was wearing a loose pair of capris, you know the raw cotten, linen types, and this guy was starring at my butt. Why? It's not like I was wear skin tight jeans. The men don't see women wearing these things.
Another time...
"We also went to some water slides. I was wearing a one piece swim suit with shorts, and I was still the most scantilly clad woman there. First of all, there was only 12 people in the whole park and secondly, the Muslim women were still wearing their burkas."
So I got some clothes. John would get so mad when we would see tourists wearing their spaghetti straps with short shorts. That's okay if you're in Florida where bikinis are as common as Coke bottles. "Hello! do you not see every other woman around you?" Even our friend Dori from Michigan (you'll learn more about her later) has adopted the clothing culture, you just do.
I didn't mind the adjustment to my wardrobe. I like the clothes. 'fabindia' is now my favorite store. I was able to get some things that suited my personality. This isn't actually a picture of 'fabindia'. This is my new friend from the first store I shopped in, and here are her friends.
Aren't they cute in their pink saries? The next time I went in there (I told you I did a lot of shopping) they were all wearing blue saries. See all of those clothes on the table? Those were all of the clothes that they showed to me piece by piece. I was not use to the amount of customer service Indians give. I found it annoying. When I shop, I'm looking for something specific and I want to be left alone or I just need time to browse. Not in India. The minute you step through the door (especially if you're white) you have an instant shadow.
I hope you guys are watching the videos, I filmed stuff just for you!
" So when we were packing, I jokingly asked John if I needed to bring my rocks for washing clothes. He just laughed when he could have taken the opportunity to tell me that our clothes were actually going to be washed with a rock."
For awhile there John's big joke was referring to our clothes being "stone washed."
John took me shopping, a lot. You definitly get more "bang for your buck" there. I had a two fold purpose for shopping. One reason was to get some more clothes, obviously, but the other reason was so that I could blend in a little more. I'll give you two scenerios.We went to a cafe, one of the first days there. I was wearing a loose pair of capris, you know the raw cotten, linen types, and this guy was starring at my butt. Why? It's not like I was wear skin tight jeans. The men don't see women wearing these things.
Another time...
"We also went to some water slides. I was wearing a one piece swim suit with shorts, and I was still the most scantilly clad woman there. First of all, there was only 12 people in the whole park and secondly, the Muslim women were still wearing their burkas."
So I got some clothes. John would get so mad when we would see tourists wearing their spaghetti straps with short shorts. That's okay if you're in Florida where bikinis are as common as Coke bottles. "Hello! do you not see every other woman around you?" Even our friend Dori from Michigan (you'll learn more about her later) has adopted the clothing culture, you just do.
I didn't mind the adjustment to my wardrobe. I like the clothes. 'fabindia' is now my favorite store. I was able to get some things that suited my personality. This isn't actually a picture of 'fabindia'. This is my new friend from the first store I shopped in, and here are her friends.
Aren't they cute in their pink saries? The next time I went in there (I told you I did a lot of shopping) they were all wearing blue saries. See all of those clothes on the table? Those were all of the clothes that they showed to me piece by piece. I was not use to the amount of customer service Indians give. I found it annoying. When I shop, I'm looking for something specific and I want to be left alone or I just need time to browse. Not in India. The minute you step through the door (especially if you're white) you have an instant shadow.
I hope you guys are watching the videos, I filmed stuff just for you!
Comments
one summer i worked as a lifeguard at high point in pa. once in a while i would get hired out on a weekend to different camps to lifeguard and earn a little extra money. well, one weekend i lifeguarded for an indian camp... and let me tell you, yes, the modest women wore there saries, but the men wore nothing but BOXERS!!! and they were WHITE BOXERS on their dark bodies... let me just say, that as modest as the women were, the men sure balanced it out.
I'm just catching up now (feb 12th) and loving it! What an amazing experience!