O.k.
I am getting hounded by people to write on this thing. So while my face-book page is taking a million and one years to load I will try to write a quick update.
Life here is good. I have now learned enough Hindi to significantly tell someone to get lost, that they are beautiful, it is finished, hello, and to sit. Lol...very handy phrases when you are working with women who have cognitive disabilities.
SO...My first update is that i shaved my head. Yes. Yes. All my beautiful dreads are gone. Why would I commit such a horrible act? Simple. I got lice. Yes I know. It was my greatest fear when working with the women. Everyday I would come home from volunteering and ask Matt to check through my hair. One day the sister went through all the woman's hair and there was so much lice and eggs that I almost vomited. So when I got home that day I knew what the eggs looked like and i asked Matt to check for them. Once we knew what we were looking for sure enough...EVERYWHERE. I am pretty sure I cried for an hour straight. In Calcutta when something goes wrong it seems WAY worse at the time than it actually is. After much researching and Matt being very empathetic and kind we made a collective decision to shave my head.
So my head is shaved. And I love it! It is so wonderful. Light and cool. It felt like starting fresh, anew. And suddenly so many of my fears were gone. I am no longer afraid to get lice when I work with the women and it frees me up to love them more. I also feel like a very liberated woman. It is hard to understand but hair is so much of an identity piece for women in many societies. Here the shaved head is a sign of grieving.
Opted out of another gender stereotype. I am learning slowly how liberating this really is.
Anyways. SO that aside, life is pretty good.
As I was walking home from volunteering the other day, men were starring, traffic was insanely loud, and a bird pooped on my fellow french volunteers head. All we could do was stop and say...."Well....it's India".
Face your fears! It's liberating!
5 comments:
I always knew that someday you might need to shave your head. We talked about and I told you I wouldn't care. Well you did it. I am proud of you. I could never imagine shaving my head. You are strong.
I had lice one time....
I didn't know what to do so I called an ex-girlfriend (the only other person I knew that had had lice) at 7:30am and asked her. That was an awkward conversation.
"I know we haven't spoken in a few months, but I got lice and immediately thought of you."
I went to the nearest pharmacy to buy the special shampoo needed, but once I got in the door I couldn't bring myself to admitting to the pharmacist that I had lice. Pride. Damn it.... So instead I made up some elaborate lie about my son, Lucas, bringing it home from kindergarten. I did not have any children at the time, nor was I married, but I ended up buying three bottles of the shampoo - one for me, one for my fictitious wife, and one for my equally fictitious son, Lucas. It cost me like $60.
And that's why you don't lie about having lice.
I'm not sure why I just never thought of shaving my head.... You definitely took a less convoluted road.
Stay safe and as parasite free as possible.
Cool....in the most literal sense. I can't imagine not having to do my hair but as you say, the freedom must be well, quite freeing!!!
Good for you, Kim!
you are beautiful.
Thank you everyone for your comments! It was a tough decision but one that I don't regret yet :). The best response is from the Indian people.
Gavin I LOVED your story! It was SO funny! Yes lying is usually not the best route to take, unless you are hiding Jews from some sort of Holocaust but otherwise...
And Jennie, thank you. I feel like a boy sometimes, but beauty is not skin deep right? Or so they say...
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