Slumdog Blondie Hair

Well hello there,

It's my third day here in India, and everyday there is so much I have taken in. Yesterday my mom, an avid saree connoisseur, took me to the fabric shop to get my very first saree. It was really busy in that part of town because it was a marriage day. My moms driver, Rajan, took the two of us in his rickshaw downtown. Driving here is crazy because off all the busses, people, motocycles, cars, but mostly because of the cows. They walk around the streets and hitting them accidently means that you're in trouble with a higher power, so you swerve. Nuts!
Anyway, I picked out a beautiful pattern and then off to the taylor to have it made for my form. Rajan works for my parents exclusively. He does all the driving, grocery store fetching, beer buying, you name it, he does it. He just bought a piece of land, which is really hard for most people in the town of Arunchula, but he did it, and he's building a brand new home. It's a two room place that has a kitchen and a bedroom.
Last night my parents took me to a bar. Yep, a bar. Before my mother had stepped foot in there about a year ago they had never seen a western woman sit down and have a beer. If an Indian woman did that, she would be considered a whore, and subsequently get "hacked" as my mom puts it. So last night I was clad in my mom's saree, and the second I stepped in there the place got quiet and every body turned to stare. It was like an old west film where the villian walks through the door and the whole place waits for a shoot out. Not only were there two western women in this bar at the same time, but one of them was very blonde. One Indian man jumped up and asked if he could sit with us. One guy at a table of 4 men stared at me until I turned, then cheersed me over and over. At the bar the men stood on their stools to get a look. It was a sight most of them had never seen. It should have been flattering, but to be honest, it scared me. My parents were utterly amused, egging the men on, saying Oh, she's an actress in New York, and laughing. India loves actors and actresses. They are a culture obsessed with film and fame, which is so strange because most of them have never owned a television. So as I sat there trying to stare straight ahead at my step father across from me, I drank more and more beer. I didn't loosten up though. We had a great meal of chicken and noodles. We were finishing up at the bar, and right before we left the men at the table to my left got up to leave. As they got up they tapped my step dad on the shoulder and extended their hands to shake them, as if to congratulate him on his having two women. Weird! My mom thinks this is what it is to be famous. I think it's pretty case specific. The two of them are still laughing about last night.

It's about 1:30 in the afternoon here. I'm still very jet lagged. We took a walk around the magic mountain today. The mountain is very spiritual and is the reason a lot of westerners come here in the first place, to observe its powers. I don't know about that, but I do know it took several hours to get around it and I was friggin' starving at the end. We passed through a little village , and the children ran up to us shouting "camera? camera!". They wanted me to take their picture and show it to them. The kids here are so amazing. Beautiful, open. I got some really great shots that I'll post the second I figure out how.
I should be getting my scooter today, which is the main way people get around here. So excited!!!

All right you, that's all for now.

Lots of love and namaste!

Amy