All Eyes on Me..
Now, my friend Maura would be the first to say this post is typical because "I'm so vain". My pure intrigue slash obsession with myself aside- in Sri Lanka it's a whole other story. They can smell my foreignness just like I can smell a freshman on AU's campus. Everywhere I go all eyes are on me. Needless to say that even when I dress like a local, they can still sense that I'm an outsider. I don't know whether it's the way that I walk or conduct myself. Aside from the comfort of my host family, I try to appear as timid and innocent as possible to blend in with the rest of my surroundings. Funny thing is no matter how much I try to blend in, I won't. I'm 5' 6" when most Sri Lankan women are between 5' and 5' 4". I'm "lighter" to their standard because my skin hasn't been charred from the sun damage and mosquitoes. Oh wait, and I'm not anorexic...sorry that I have a figure.
So there are plenty of different instances, but it's all the same in retrospect. The girls talk behind my back and give me dirty looks and the guys ogle and try to catch my attention by making these hissing noises- sorry last I checked I wasn't looking for a confrontation with a snake.*
Recently, I visited the University of Colombo Campus because a friend of the family was interested in looking into a Psychology degree. I went along since it was my day off. Everywhere we went, eyes were following us. Girls were snickering, and guys would spot us from far away by the caefteria or study area and all their heads would follow our path. Granted this time around I didn't dress like a local, but I wasn't wearing anything revealing either. I haven't worn make-up since I left Bahrain. How fascinating could I possibly be?
Here's the embarrassing thing, to make themselves feel better they try to lessen my age. Apparently my whole timid and innocent thing also makes me seem younger? Or maybe I just look younger in general. Almost everyone that didn't know my age thought that I was 17. REALLY? I'm still considered a minor at 17. I don't think anyone's ever thought I was 17 in DC. They thought I was 21 when I was 19. Well, still four more months until I'm 21. Regardless, I don't know whether being an outsider would be better as visible as I am or as a fly on the wall.
*[Tangent: When I was 7, I came face-to-face with a King Cobra. This was my first visit to Sri Lanka, Summer 1997, and I was walking my cousin's dog they lived across the street from us. As I was walking with Chindi (dog) and this cobra comes up out of this enormous pile of trash probably over 5 or 6 feet tall. Chindi is trying to protect me while the cobra slithers along closing in on the distance between us. The cobra is now 2 feet away from me, my dog is in front of me barking furiously for a Pomeranian and the cobra begins to "stand" at around 4 feet probably taller and plunges in preparation to attack. My uncle heard me screaming for help, saw the snake and with enough manpower burned it in the well.]
So there are plenty of different instances, but it's all the same in retrospect. The girls talk behind my back and give me dirty looks and the guys ogle and try to catch my attention by making these hissing noises- sorry last I checked I wasn't looking for a confrontation with a snake.*
Recently, I visited the University of Colombo Campus because a friend of the family was interested in looking into a Psychology degree. I went along since it was my day off. Everywhere we went, eyes were following us. Girls were snickering, and guys would spot us from far away by the caefteria or study area and all their heads would follow our path. Granted this time around I didn't dress like a local, but I wasn't wearing anything revealing either. I haven't worn make-up since I left Bahrain. How fascinating could I possibly be?
Here's the embarrassing thing, to make themselves feel better they try to lessen my age. Apparently my whole timid and innocent thing also makes me seem younger? Or maybe I just look younger in general. Almost everyone that didn't know my age thought that I was 17. REALLY? I'm still considered a minor at 17. I don't think anyone's ever thought I was 17 in DC. They thought I was 21 when I was 19. Well, still four more months until I'm 21. Regardless, I don't know whether being an outsider would be better as visible as I am or as a fly on the wall.
*[Tangent: When I was 7, I came face-to-face with a King Cobra. This was my first visit to Sri Lanka, Summer 1997, and I was walking my cousin's dog they lived across the street from us. As I was walking with Chindi (dog) and this cobra comes up out of this enormous pile of trash probably over 5 or 6 feet tall. Chindi is trying to protect me while the cobra slithers along closing in on the distance between us. The cobra is now 2 feet away from me, my dog is in front of me barking furiously for a Pomeranian and the cobra begins to "stand" at around 4 feet probably taller and plunges in preparation to attack. My uncle heard me screaming for help, saw the snake and with enough manpower burned it in the well.]
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