More Firsts

Yesterday was a day of firsts for us in the bazaar. Our friend Jared lost a filling from his tooth this week so he needed to go to the dentist. Interestingly, the dentist's office in the bazaar is called an "Oral Health Resort," though Jared said it wasn't too relaxing. Since Jared was going there, we went with his wife, Emily, to get a new piece of jewelry for Beth. Unfortunately, the jewelry store was closed and we had to keep walking. Instead, we went to Cafe Coffe Day. This is about as close as one can get to Starbucks here in Mussoorie. It has a nice view of the bazaar and the...um...intersting electrical wiring practices employed in India.

After Jared was finished with his novacaine-less procedure, he and Dave headed off to the barbershop. His hair was getting quite long, so he went in for a quick trim. There were no electric clippers, so it was all done using scissors. At the end, there was a "head massage" that involved a lot of slapping and teeth jarring. It was not the most pleasant experience, but the price of Rs.30 (75¢) was definitely right.

While Dave was getting lined up, Beth went with Emily to get that piece of jewelry. She picked out an earring from the counter and the man in the store filed the end down to a very sharp point. After sterilizing it, he proceeded to jam it into her nose. This was, unfortunately, not the most swift and painless process. She could feel it going through skin, then cartilage, and then more skin.

This is definitely not the act of rebellion that it is in the United States. Of the middle school staff at Woodstock, there is not a single female Indian member that doesn't have her nose pierced. It is a cultural thing that most of the women here have done.

So both of us now look a little different. Beth's transformation is a little more impressive and lasting, but Dave does look pretty good with his new haircut. We are now looking forward to a shortened week of school and an impending trip to the Taj Mahal next weekend.

Dave and Beth