Week 2: Questions & Saris
Week 2 has come and gone and left me with a big bug bite in the middle of my forehead and many questions about India. I realize that India is such a diverse, complex, and intriguing country and that I will never truly fully understand everything here especially within 7 weeks. Thinking about the dowry system, arranged marriage, etc. has made me question a lot, but the last thing I want to be is that American person who thinks she has the answer to everything. I try to learn as much as I can, but just when I think I “get it”, I realize that I actually don’t. At times I feel so completely lost, and begin to miss the familiarity of my community, friends, and family back home. Both of my parents birthdays are this week and I am thinking a lot about my absence at home, not just during my time in India, but also throughout the year.
Anyway, I am extremely lucky to be so well received here at Aarti and these two weeks have been full of highlights. Here are a few.
Highlights:
Our first Indian market shopping adventure was full of walking, noises & so much bling!
Sunday night dance fest with the girls. Let me tell you they can MOVE and dance complete with jingling anklets, body rolls, and fun & tiring dance moves! I have never experienced any type of Indian dancing and my heart was so full with joy learning from these girls and seeing them so confident and proud of moving in such beautiful grace and rhythm.
Sandhyamma took all of us interns to the fabric store to buy clothing for saris. We might attend some “functions” (events, celebrations, or parties) and she wanted us to have something to dress up in and not stick out as much as we do in our foreigner clothes. I was feeling very uncomfortable at first because the last thing I want to do is culturally appropriate clothing that is not mine to wear, however Sandhyamma was very excited to share her culture with us and it would have been rude to reject her offer and show up in my plain clothes. Sooo it’s a tricky situation. The fabric store was exploding with vibrant colors, creative designs, and had a very magical, princess aura.
I am the most indecisive person in the world but I absolutely loved the gold detail and went for something on the warmer side. I know I will not do the sari justice and am continually amazed at the beauty and grace that goes in the hard work of making the sari and the pride that goes into wearing it. Seeing all the women wearing saris on the daily in Kadapa was something that I did not expect at all.
Even cooler, you can find these women in saris riding and driving their own motorcycles through the city.
Speaking of feeling empowered, I have been working on some website/newsletter stuff and although I have always been told I am technologically challenged & even internalized this, I actually feel GOOD at what I am doing!!! I even enjoy figuring out website design stuff!!!
Speaking of website stuff here is the link to our First Annual Aarti Giving for Girls fundraiser for you to check out!
I am also loving getting to know the super nice people in the Aarti office. Do you ever just meet people who are like so nice that it makes you feel like you should be actively trying to be nicer just because? Yeah well these are the people that I am surrounded with.
Food Corner
The food is never boring and each meal, and I am especially loving the rice-based diet of South Indian food. Additionally, mango season just does not end (yay for me) and we are now in guava & pomegranate season!
Mood(s): Reflective, happy, calm & curious
