Moments in South Asia #5

You've just met someone on the bus. You start talking with them, then she asks about your family. You say you have a teenage daughter. She asks you if you'd like to arrange a marriage between her son and your daughter. And she's serious.

Moments in South Asia #4

Someone asks you why you don't have another wife. In front of your wife.

Moments in South Asia # 3

1 You've been talking in a different language about slavery in America for fifteen minutes, when you suddenly realize that bunder doesn't mean slave. It means monkey.

Moments in South Asia #2

    You haven't seen someone for a long time, and they say cheerfully, "I think you're fatter now!" (or, "You're looking very weak!")

Moments in South Asia #1

I'm going to start a bit of a series of things that a foreigner might experience in South Asia. They could be awkward, funny, embarrassing, heartening, or sad--but all of them have happened before. Here's number one.

1 A complete stranger (man) walks up to you (man), and says, "excuse me, I felt I needed to tell you that you are very beautiful."