I am Rich.

Recently, I started visiting my friends Deepa and Ponnam's house every week. My relationship with these girls is shifting from not only a teacher student relationship but also a friend to friend relationship! It has been fun to meet these girl's families and friends. We usually drink chai together, talk about the recent Bollywood gossip, and try to understand each other's language!

For several months now, they have been asking to come to my house. Normally, I would jump at the opportunity to have young girls in my home. This sort of thing is right up my alley because young girls and hospitality are two loves of mine. Lindsey and I have been able to keep them away for several months, but since visiting their home more frequently they keep insisting on coming to our house. Today was the day.

Let me explain my hesitation for having the girls over. Deepa's father only makes 2000 rps a month ($50 USD). My bedroom alone is bigger than her entire house! My house is three bedrooms, a large kitchen, two living spaces, a kitchen table, a couch and 3 Kings size beds. Deepa's house is one bedroom, one small kitchen, and the small double bed without a mattress is their couch. I have never felt so uncomfortable having so many material possessions. But what to do? Today, I was exposed for the rich white girl that I am.

The girls were dressed in their best salwar kameez suits or their best western clothes! They were really excited as we were in the rickshaw on our way to our apartment and I was really nervous. They walked in our apartment and were a little awestruck and uncomfortable. We served them chai as they looked through my college photo albums and scrap books. They still seemed a little uncomfortable (because they were really quiet) so we decided to move from the unfamiliar couches to my bed! This was a great idea. Once we sat on my bed they relaxed a lot because they felt a lot more at home. The girls thought it was really weird that Lindsey and I slept in two different rooms and probably wondered why we had such big beds. (Deepa only has one bed in her house for 8 people).

We decided to go to the mall that is close to my house. Two funny cultural things happened. First of all, one of the girls asked to use the bathroom and she had never used a "western" toilet before! So all the girls took their turn at "sitting" instead of "squatting". Lindsey and I got a HUGE kick out of it!! I also put on blue jeans to go the mall and the girls freaked out. They had never seen me in blue jeans. They said, "You are looking very smart". Which translated means ...your hot. Lindsey and I only wear a salwar kameez suit in their neighbor hood so we don't get stared at more than we have to and we don't want Aunties blaming us for their daughters wanting to wear western clothes.

At some point Deepa said, "I am very poor." But the truth is she is rich because she is happy and her family is overflowing with love. There are many people in America who would do anything to purchase that kind of happiness. And I am rich because of the friendship I have with these girls.

Preity (Deepa's older sister), Me, Deepa, Poonam, & Nitu (neighbor)


About to leave to go to EDM mall. Me in my "western" attire.


At the mall, Lindsey and I treated the girls to coffee! This was some of the girls first time to go to this mall! And, many of their first time to go on an escalator- always a funny site if you can imagine.