My first impression of her was that she was very pretty, but a little bit ditzy. She had heavy lidded eyes the size of tea cup saucers which was further accented by copiously applied eyeliner and mascara. Black wavy hair flowed like a silky river all down to her waist. I could smell spicy perfume as well. By all means she looked like an Arabian princess and a very pretty one at that.
The ditzy part came later. She seemed to be living in a world of her own and chuckled at her own words far too many. At a different place and time I might have found her oddness enchanting. But as her study partner, I was constantly annoyed by bemusement and out-of-this-world attitude. All I wanted to do was study (which was very unlikely of me) and here she was making random remarks about the dryness of the air.
It was the day after a long and trying study session discussing the environmental problems that India is faced with. I casually mentioned that I have been to India before and I did not enjoy the experience because I found the food was not to my taste which she remarked that she loved the food there. "Oh, did you ever go to India as well?" "Yes, I actually spent about six months by myself in India." I was flabbergasted to hear that. Six months in India? All by herself without any family or friends? But there was more. "I lived in a monastery as a monk to do some self-contemplation. I actually shaved my head and everything."
Never would I have imagined her to do something so brave and unique like that. To spend six months in a foreign country (notoriously unsafe for women) alone and at a monastery at that was something I could never do. The fact that she was not a Buddhist but went there to achieve self-contemplation actually impressed me even more. I wanted to ask her what motivated her to do so, but stopped myself from doing so feeling it might be too private. The level of self-dedication was something that left me in awe.
The funny thing was that she was still the same person I was annoyed at. But now, her casual remarks seemed like insights with depth and did not bother me as much. Nothing had changed since I had known her but the way I viewed her completely changed once I knew of her experience. If I hadn't known about her stay in India, I would have kept thinking her as an odd person but that would have been wrong. And that is why after that day, I really try not to judge people rashly based on their actions because they might have some inner depth proving otherwise.
1. She is a unique person .
ReplyDelete2. She chuckled at her own word far too many.
She went to India by herself.
She lived in a monastery as a monk.
3. a like an Arabian princess
b "Yes, I actually spent about six months by myself in India"
c talked with the writer
d no
4. nothing
5. Because she is so uniqe and made the writer change the thoughts about her.
6. How much was she annoying? Maybe more explanation on why she was weird might be better. :)