Today
Haseena madam told me I was looking "cute". I'm not sure if my
laughing was because of her word choice or the fact that I think I look
anything but cute, but it's good to know I'm finally getting my 'look' right!
Every day the teachers seem to have another beauty tip for me; the first being
to put curd - the yoghurt type food eaten with rice - in my hair! So below is my
step by step guide to looking "cute" in India, sans curd.
Step 1:
Buy some Indian clothes.
Last
week some of the teachers invited me to go with them to the 'bazaar', which
turned out to be a tiny shop with trays full of random things, from hair clips
to spoons to combs to saucepan cleaner, all costing 2.5 rupees. Most of the
teachers all grabbed empty trays (aka shopping baskets) and started filling
them, whilst Haseena helped me to pick out matching hair clips and bands from
the trays and trays of kid's style, brightly coloured and glittery hair pieces.
My plain black hair bands and blonde hair grips from the UK are now on a shelf
collecting dust! As well as the sparkly hair bands, I also occasionally go to
the bus stand and buy flowers from one of the stalls on the side of the road. My favourite being jasmine, because the smell is so strong and fresh. I buy one
arms length of jasmine (the individual flowers have been woven together with cotton,
which I've watched Siva Kumari doing, so hopefully she'll teach me!) and put it
in the fridge so that the flowers open over night. Have to be careful though,
because Raja warned me that Gopi eats anything!
On the last day before my October holiday, there was a bit of excitement at 'trips time' (the end of school). I sat on a chair next to Haseena madam, with Vesundhara madam and the children all crowded round, whilst Haseena drew a beautiful mhindi design on my arm. She's always talked about loving drawing, and when the teachers told me that she's good at it they were definitely right! Since coming back from holiday, I've started wearing red nail varnish - on my left hand only, because your right hand is for eating - and the teachers comment on how "super" it is. I have also experimented with mhindi on my hand, and it's definitely a lot harder than it looks. My design may not have been a work of art like Haseena's, but for a first attempt I'd say it wasnt all that bad!
Step 5: When you are out and about, make sure you walk very slowly. Speed walking is not attractive.
Step 1:
Buy some Indian clothes.
Unmarried
women wear Punjabi dresses, which have baggy trousers, a knee length dress with
slits up the side to waist height and a scarf that is usually a mixture of the
pattern on the trousers and the dress. Accidentally showing your tummy at the
sides is a 'No No', as the girls in my classes once told me the boys were laughing
because 'there is white skin.' It's also a 'No No' to wear your scarf
too high. It must cover your chest - at the Ganesh festival a stranger pulled
my scarf down because the wind had blown it up ... bit embarrassing. Since then
Haseena has shown me a variety of ways to tuck and pin my scarf, including a
"3D fold". Still, I find it hard to keep my scarf on when I'm
teaching! If you're feeling brave, buy a saree. Last week I finally got round
to going shopping with Siva Kumari to buy one, which ended up with half the
shop spread around me on the floor and means that I'm now living off 200 rupees
until Bharavi brings my pocket money! Hopefully the stitching will be finished
by tomorrow, as Fridays are 'new clothes days'. Azeema madam has promised me
she'll help me put it on, but says I have to try first, although I'm petty sure
she just wants to laugh at me!
Step 2:
Scrape your hair back off your face, get rid of the parting, and put it in one
plait. Either plait right to the end of your hair and roll up the bottom so the
end of your hair is hidden, or, for a "cuter" look, leave four or
five centimeters loose at the end. Use hair oil - and lots of it - to make sure
your hair is slicked back and shiny. Have a "head bath" once a week.
Accessorize your hair with clips or bands which match your dress and buy
flowers from the stalls to clip in too.
Last
week some of the teachers invited me to go with them to the 'bazaar', which
turned out to be a tiny shop with trays full of random things, from hair clips
to spoons to combs to saucepan cleaner, all costing 2.5 rupees. Most of the
teachers all grabbed empty trays (aka shopping baskets) and started filling
them, whilst Haseena helped me to pick out matching hair clips and bands from
the trays and trays of kid's style, brightly coloured and glittery hair pieces.
My plain black hair bands and blonde hair grips from the UK are now on a shelf
collecting dust! As well as the sparkly hair bands, I also occasionally go to
the bus stand and buy flowers from one of the stalls on the side of the road. My favourite being jasmine, because the smell is so strong and fresh. I buy one
arms length of jasmine (the individual flowers have been woven together with cotton,
which I've watched Siva Kumari doing, so hopefully she'll teach me!) and put it
in the fridge so that the flowers open over night. Have to be careful though,
because Raja warned me that Gopi eats anything!
Step
3: Buy a gold chain, gold earrings, some
silver ankle bracelets, the same one for each ankle, and bangles, the same
number for each wrist.
I'm
pretty limited in my choice of bangles, because my wrists are much bigger than
tiny Indian wrists. I even had to get Mum to send me some bangles from the UK! But I do have some silver coloured (will have to save up if I want real silver!) ankle bracelets and some dark red glass bangles which I can just about squeeze on and off without breaking them. Sharleen, one of the girls in 10th class, took me to buy a (fake) gold chain which I wear with my saree to complete my 'look'. Only problem is I don't have my ears pierced so no gold earrings for me. The children are always commenting on how I have 'no holes' and Haseema even offered to take me to one Aunty's house to put a needle through them!
Step 4: Put red or pink nail varnish on your left hand. If you're feeling adventurous, buy a Mhindi cone and draw - or get someone to draw - on your left hand.
On the last day before my October holiday, there was a bit of excitement at 'trips time' (the end of school). I sat on a chair next to Haseena madam, with Vesundhara madam and the children all crowded round, whilst Haseena drew a beautiful mhindi design on my arm. She's always talked about loving drawing, and when the teachers told me that she's good at it they were definitely right! Since coming back from holiday, I've started wearing red nail varnish - on my left hand only, because your right hand is for eating - and the teachers comment on how "super" it is. I have also experimented with mhindi on my hand, and it's definitely a lot harder than it looks. My design may not have been a work of art like Haseena's, but for a first attempt I'd say it wasnt all that bad!
Step 5: When you are out and about, make sure you walk very slowly. Speed walking is not attractive.
So that's the end of my Step to Step guide, although I'm sure by the end of the year I'll have picked up lots more tips, including some saree related advice. Have fun perfecting your Indian look!
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