25.1.07

Different Genes!

Its been two weeks since I started volunteering for Salvation Army. I had only heard about them in the many Chicken Soup for the soul books, so out of sheer curiosity I once entered their shop and never looked back!! Because they sold books that otherwise would have been for 20 - 40 pounds for about .5 GBP!! I am a woman and its in my genes to stop and make use of any discount/sale! Hence, everytime I cross the Salvation Army place (its a shame, I know..I've been there so many times, but I still don't know what the place is called!) I end up buying at least one book!

Anyways, since I have'nt exactly been the Queen of Luck with regards to getting a part timer, I thought of at least volunteering. The first day of my volunteering, I am dressed in black trousers, a white shirt and boots - compulsory dress code for the shop. Maggi, the store manager ushers me into the store room - whoaa! The place was filled with all sorts of stuff - clothes, suitcases, shoes, stuffed toys, lingerie (seriously!), books floor to ceiling and I am absolutely not exaggerating! And after showing me the tea pot she introduced me to a lady - my guess was about 50 years- called Somaeya. She was pretty and had the greenest eyeshadow I have ever seen and matching eyes!! So Somaeya got into a rapid - what are you doings, where are you froms etc etc! Within five minutes of being introduced to this lady, I came to know that she was an ex-hippie! Wheee!! She happily recounted tales of her visits to India (yes, I asked her if she was a part of the ISKCON movement- but no she wasnt, said she was too lazy to be involved in spiritual stuff.) and how she spent days smoking hash and doing nothing else!

Anyways, I started sorting out the clothes and hanging them on the shelves after identifying their sizes, it wasnt exactly 'fun' but it was'nt boring either and after I got the hang of it, I was pretty quick at it! After sometime (between which I found out that Somaeya had two cats - an uncle and a nephew- and she loved them to bits and that she had been married once to a person she had had a relationship for seven years and after two days of marraige she walked out :-o) she suddenly asked me,"So Ashaaaika, if you're from India, where are your parents from?" - whaahahahahah?!?!!?!?!!? It took me a second to comprehend what she was asking me and after biting back a 'duh' I said, err...they're from India too.

And then she said something that would make my brother proud (and kind of reiterate what K says as well!) "ohhh, okie..well, you look part malaysian." SIGH! I've grown up with a brother who always said that I had japanese genes because of 'chinky eyes' and 'flat nose' and got that seconded by a best friend( there were very few days when Gaay woildnt point out that I was 'chinky'! And when she wasn't talking about chinkiness, she would...ok, I am not talking about 'that' now!!)

Well, not like I have any problems with looking chinese or malaysian or japanese! But I think of myself as an exotic Indian girl (ok, that was a bit too much!), as a very Indian girl with Indian genes and quite proud of it!

But seriously...a woman who talks to me for a few minutes has a doubt if I am part malaysian- SIGH!

On a more cheerul note(!!) - Clement and Divya - Wish you both a very happy married life! Don't let married life stop you from blogging or posting comments on mine! God bless you both!

2 comments:

Divia said...

Hey Ash,
Good to know you are rocking Edinburgh. tThanks for your wishes, we are commenting at the fag end of our honeymoon in Manali Himachal Pradesh. (Just in case you thought Manali was Chennai 103). Lots of love.

D & C

Aarthi said...

ya..now i feel the same...you do have a malaysian look Aashi

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