the hardest thing about packing thus far (other than my lack of motivation to pack (other than my motivation of going to india!)) has been finding CLOTHING!
you'd think with all the ann taylors, nordstrom racks, eddie bauer, banana republic, gap and rosses supplying all our mothers' hoarding problems i'd be able to find something... cotton, light, breathable, wrinkle free, fast drying, above the collar bone, bellow the ankle, affordable-- and the right size! but NO. in a city tempered with bipolar skies there is nothing like that! there's thick cotton, wooly sweaters, jeans and v-necks galore. i look in my closet and it's just the same! i don't even own a raincoat. have i never dressed weather appropriate?
maybe not, but i've always dressed culture appropriate... right? maybe that's what guides fashion? here, we have REI for outdoor activities, we have jc penney's for job interviews and victoria's secret for sexy times. there, [i'm guessing] you have clothing that covers one up and serves the activities determined by the hot weather: dupattas (scarves) that can both dress up or conceal stuff (read: boobies) and even help pat off sweat, and skirts that keep your down there drafty & easily accessible to the (unamerican but very global) hole-in-the-ground toilet.
lightbulb: screw the american stores and buy clothes in india! most of the india worthy clothes i find here are made in india anyway! it will be interesting to see how cross cultural clothing is. how will the reactions of locals differ when i wear american clothing versus things i bought there? will the reactions of locals here be as strong if i were to wear outfits i bring back? why the reactions? because people think i'm trying too hard to fit in? because i don't have the cultural credibility to fit in? hmmmm...
i know, chin scratching stuff.
still trying to fit everything in a backpack? you whack! and you leave soon...start packing!
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