Embracing India

So this morning i walked down the street to pick up my scooter form Becca's house and i couldn't seem to wipe the smile off my face as i noticed the ground still stained with color from Holi! What a magical and exciting holiday! I am not sure that i have ever in my life had as much fun as i did yesterday in Pune during Holi (pronounced holy)!

We had been informed the day prior by Reno that Holi was coming up, so when we arrived in Pune while checking into the hotel Ryan's flight team pointed out that their was a "rain dance" the next day just a block up from the hotel to celebrate Holi. I, have been fully open to all of the culture that surrounds me so despite the fact that i had only packed good clothes, Ryan and i decided we were going to experience Holi in full effect!

The morning of Holi, we woke up somewhat late, but we got dressed quickly and headed down stairs, with a caution from the front desk to be "careful" we headed out to the street excited! Just a quick rundown, since i realize that many reading have probably never heard of Holi before...Holi is a day, according to a man we met on the street who was covered in color, to celebrate the changing of the seasons, also known as the festival of colours (here is a link to a description of Holi for those who are interested. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holi). It seems that each region celebrates a little different than others and has more than just this meaning. Basically it is a day filled with mischief as people throw powdered colors and water balloons as well as spray water guns at EVERYONE...on Holi anyone is fair game!

I felt my disappointment growing as we made our way down the street, seeing signs on the ground and on people we passed that were covered in color that we had missed the festivities. There were neighborhood block parties going on everywhere, but nothing public that Ryan and i could join...It was such a huge let down, and then it happened....A small group of young people covered in color were walking straight towards us, and you could see it in their eyes that they wanted so bad to ambush us...my heart was racing, this was going to be so much fun! So as we grew nearer, i called out "can i get a picture?" They were excited for this and posed for me, then spoke the words that would color (haha) the rest of our day..."can we color?" My response, "OF COURSE YOU CAN!!!!" that was all they needed as they smeared color all over Ryan and my face!

We decided to head to the Rain dance, and were welcomed into a world that was all smiles and fun...everyone was filthy, covered in colors ranging from bright red, yellow, pink, purple, blue, green....you name it, it was being thrown at you! I was entranced as i watched all ages dancing together to blaring live music, with sprinklers raining down on them...water balloons being tossed, kids throwing and splashing their friends in a big giant puddle. The best description of the scene that lay before us was a rave, with real music, no drugs, and more fun going on than i have ever experienced in my life. Brave people approached us and asked if they could color, and it made me smile even bigger...We met a young man named Niya, who is an officer in the military, and whose English was very good. He was telling us more about Holi, and then we found out that he also lives in Hyderabad, in the Secunderabad bad area witch is not far from us!

With much convincing he finally pulled Ryan and i out onto the dance area and we became part of the giant wet, colorful mob dancing to the beat! I was soaked, and i was having the time of my life! My eyes hurt from the water, the color was running into my mouth, my dress was soaked to my body, but i was having way to much fun to even care about any of that! We laughed, we danced, and we enjoyed and celebrated! I wish you could have all been there! I wanted the day to never end! Niya was very excited to be spending time with Americans and he kept dragging us back out to the dance area, they love to dance here! He kept telling me to "shake it like Shakira" haha, i tried to explain that i cant dance like her! He then wanted me to go show a group of ladies how to dance because "i had a nice figure and nice moves", i just laughed and told him that these girls were very good dancers and didn't need my help!

*On a side note, i find a culture not so obsessed with the "barbie doll syndrome" to be refreshing! They see beauty not just in waist size, but in other aspects...Some of the most beautiful women i have ever seen in my life are here in India, skinny/large, tall/short, all variety's are seen for their unique beauty....Sometimes i just get so burnt out on the female obsession (or rather, the male inspired obsession) with weight! You do not have to weigh 95 pounds to be attractive, and most women weight an average of 120 to 160 based on height and are not overweight...If i weighed under 120 pounds at my height i would be dead.....anyways, enough of that tirade!*

Ryan and i spent the rest of Holi relaxing. We spent a few hours at the pool soaking up more sun than we needed, and the rest of the day in the room raiding the snack bar and calling for room service! It was probably one of the most wonderful days that i have had in India, i will certainly never forget it!

*One more random notation for today...I just got back from my first solo ride on the scooter!!!!!*