L-O-V-E

This being the month of "love", I figured it would be the perfect time to have my dedicatory post to all the things I love about India. I have been compiling this list for awhile and as I kept thinking about it, the list kept growing and growing. There are so many little things I love about this crazy, jam-packed country!

So, without further adieu...here are some of the things I LOVE about India:

Chuddidhars: I mentioned these in last year's love post (which can be read here) but they are so great they deserve another shout-out. Chuddidhars really are awesome. They're comfy and colorful and oh so much fun. Now that I've been here for awhile I've figured out Indian "fashion" and have found some pretty cute chuddidhar outfits.

This is not one of my "cute" chuddidhar outfits, but it's one of my favs because the comfort factor is through the roof--I love this shirt. Anne came to love it too....so much that we woke-up one morning wearing the exact same outfit.

Gotta love me some chu-ddi-dhars (that was for you Kim)

Henna: Henna is an all-natural ink/dye that they use here as a temporary tattoo. Henna is to girls here like nail polish or lip gloss is to girls in America. It's something fun to decorate yourself with and play with and then eventually learn how to use it for real. Just here are Rising Star we have a big handful of women and some of the older girls, who are RIDICULOUSLY AMAZING at doing henna.

This henna was done by Nithya, one of the nurses who lives on campus. Needless to say, she is awesome (it's traditional to do Henna on the palms of your hands).

Bright Colors: India is all about bright colors. They don't believe in blending in by wearing neutral colors or wearing black to look slimming. If you want to fit-in in India, you gotta wear BRIGHT colors with intricate patterns. And it's not only the clothes that are colorful: houses, temples, and even trucks are all painted in a plethora of colors with tons of designs. This is something I am going to miss a lot when I leave.

A colorful temple in Mamallapuram (temples like this can be found all over the place).

The front door to the village tailor's house

Colorful saris at a wedding

Jingling anklets and bangles: Anklets and bangles are the jewelry of choice in India. Most of the anklets have bells on them so everywhere you walk you are jingling along. The same goes for the bangles. The girls where them in big stacks on each wrist so every time they move their arms the bangles jingle around on their arms. I have really come to love this constant jingling and have adopted their love of bangles and anklets--I have quite the collection of my own now. :)

 Little Reshma jingles everywhere she goes.

A stack of bangles on a henna-ed hand....quintessential India

Wearing flowers in your hair: Besides henna, another way that Indian women glam themselves up is by stringing together flowers and pinning them in their hair. In just about any city or town you can find a flower stand selling strung flowers specifically to be put in your hair. One of my all time favorite things is when Kala or Anjali or Venilla comes up to me first thing in the morning with a fresh string of flowers for my hair and helps me pin them in just right. They make you feel that much more beautiful and you can smell them all day.

Some of the housemothers with long strings of jasmine in their hair

Chai: If I were to list one vice I have in India it would have to be chai. Chai is the go-to tea in India and man, is it good. At Rising Star (as is common in all other schools) the teachers are served tea twice a day (there is also warm milk if you don't drink tea). I can easily say that Rising Star's chai puts Starbucks to shame. It's delicious and amazing.

Kim and I at Rising Star's chai table with Mariammal (one of the women that helps to serve the chai). We were very sad because there was no more chai.

Autos: Autos are the Indian version of a taxi...except so much better. Granted, every time you drive in one you are taking your life in your hands but, hey, doesn't make them any less fun. I truly love whizzing through Chennai traffic crammed in the back of an auto on the way to Spencer's (the Chennai mall that we frequent).

Typical auto sitting in traffic 

Some of the autos have awesome clown-horns that they use as traffic horns

Long Beautiful Hair: Although it has made my life so much easier having short hair during my time in India, I have never missed my long hair so much. All of the older girls and women have beautiful, long, thick hair that usually flows past their butts'...yeah it's that long. I could only dream of having hair that long and luxurious.

Some of the girls with their long, flowy locks

Rising Stars: This one is self-explanatory. How could you not love these faces??

Vanakkam