...its adios reality.
One of the women in my apartment owns a small boutique called Pixy. Most of my friends have purchased saris from her, and one day we sent her a picture of us wearing her saris. Another day, I tried a dress her nephew designed. The next time I came in, I was surprised to see two 8x10inch glossy photographs above her closet next to her pooja shelf and several images of Ganesh. She's promised to add pictures of other clients in her clothes, but that was 5 months ago...
As a blond I get stared at. A lot. Strangers ask to take my picture, or film me with their mobile phones then pretend they dont understand when I tell them to stop. My roommate Hanne would regularly have auto drivers tell her she's the most beautiful woman they've seen, then ask her if she's married. Much of this attention is natural curiosity when confronted with the novelty of a blond, or fair skin but for several of us in the office, it's turned into something more.
One of the women in my apartment owns a small boutique called Pixy. Most of my friends have purchased saris from her, and one day we sent her a picture of us wearing her saris. Another day, I tried a dress her nephew designed. The next time I came in, I was surprised to see two 8x10inch glossy photographs above her closet next to her pooja shelf and several images of Ganesh. She's promised to add pictures of other clients in her clothes, but that was 5 months ago...
The next step on our path to fame was a promotional video for GodTV. A filmmaker friend from church asked me to cast my friends as four characters in a short clip for a UK audience. You can see the result below. ::blush:: All of the laughter in the first scene wasn't scripted, it was us busting up over how self conscious and silly we felt as I tried to "witness" to Hanne with my hands and my eyes but without any words. I love Casey's part best, who portrays the reformed alcoholic.
After that I started getting paid! I did another promotional film for Cisco with my filmmaker friend, then a print shoot for a designer friend. At 5'9" I'm taller 4 inches taller than the average Indian man (at 5'5"). Maybe that's why I'm considered tall enough for runway here. Perhaps being stared at constantly on the street prepared me for the pressure of parading in front of 300 pairs of eyes.
The guys, Henry, Mark and Troy, ended up on national television while cheering on Ireland during the England v. Ireland Cricket match in early March. This was the network's favourite footage, and aired it repeatedly throughout the night.
Once, my friend and I were separated in Chor Bazaar in Bombay, but once I gave up trying to look like I knew what I was doing, several shopkeepers asked if I was looking for my friend. I agreed and they reunited us at once! Insisting we sit and have some tea with them, and giving us jewelry boxes as gifts. Haha!
It's going to be a rude awakening when I return to the states and everyone on the street doesn't drop what their doing just to watch me walk by. While being different has had it's perks--as I've outlined above--I'm looking forward to returning to New York where I can relax in comfortable anonymity, because someone will always be weirder or prettier than me.
Can't wait to have you back, Stacie!
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