It Ain't Easy Being Green...

For those that know me well, it is no secret that green is my favorite color. I love being outdoors surrounded by bright green foliage, 90% of everything I own is lime-green, I'm a a supporter of "green" technology; in short, I've always thought myself to be an over-all "green" individual.

So, for me to develop a lush head of green hair the other day would usually be a welcome event. Hell, if I was back home I would stop everywhere in town to flaunt it. In the past, I have been known to add green to my hair on purpose. Something about living in a place that you don't want to stick out any worse removes the appeal to have green hair. Let me back track a little bit. (To skip the story and just look at some pics from around Pune, click here)

The back story:  

When I arrived in the Mumbai airport, I was already a little out of place. The only one with bleach blonde hair, and after a considerable wait, a surf board. I figured that the surf board had a lot to do with the attention I was receiving. After removing the surf board from the equation, I realized it was the blonde hair. Everywhere I walked, people stared at me - HARD. The old adage, "it isn't polite to stare" is NOT taught to anyone in the country of India. I'm usually a confident person, maybe even overly-confident, but walking down the street with my head held high went out the window fast. By the end of the first day I was exhausted, but not from walking. I was exhausted from ignoring all of the people looking at me. I quickly learned that if you look back (even for a second) that is considered a possible come-on. After a few unwelcome grabs from rouge hands I quickly learned to just look past everyone and stay on a very straight track. 

For day 2 I donned some sunglasses to aid in my ability to look around without accidentally making eye-contact with someone; also armed with longer pants, I was ready to continue my vacation. Although things went better on day 2, I was still uncomfortable with how much attention I was receiving. To make matters worse, blonde is like a public service announcement, "Attention drivers, shop owners, and bartenders: American money!!" I was consistently being ripped-off badly. The assumption that I have money makes me laugh. I wear plastic jewelry. My boards are the only items of value I have. I haven't shopped for new clothes in 3 years. I don't mind paying a little more because of the financial differences between the countries, but when I'm paying more than I would in the states for the same item, it is obvious I'm being taken advantage of. I do NOT like being taken advantage of (more on that topic later). Don't get me wrong, though, I don't WANT money. Sure, it makes things easier.. I guess. I like to live a life that doesn't put too much emphasis on material things, but I digress. 

Day 3, I tried tying my bandanna over my hair. I received just as many looks, and everyone that looked laughed this time. The only reason that we could deduce is that only men wear bandannas in the fashion I was wearing it. Numerous females giggled at me and pointed, so I took the bandanna off. Back to blonde hair.