Dressing Up

It is important to look and act like a local to be accepted into the communities in which we are working. To the extent of the former, we went shopping the other day, and picked out some Indian attire. It is typical for women to wear a somewhat long and baggy shirt (camise) with a scarf (dupatta). The men here typically don’t dress all that differently than in the west—usually a button down or collared shirt. Showing skin here is generally not done, so short sleeves are hardly seen.

I couldn’t help myself and got a slightly more traditional long shirt complete with the pants—the waist is easily 4-5 feet across! The long sleeves are surprisingly comfortable, but that’s not saying too much considering this is the coldest time of year (70 degrees during the day, 50 at night). I’m not sure I’d be too happy wearing this stuff in the heat of summer.