I enjoy people watching, before the cell phone came into my life, thats all I ever did at a wedding or anyplace where all I went for, was the food.
Recently I was at the station waiting for my train, I had 15 mins to kill. Standing near the information board, my thoughts were interrupted by a group of asian teenage school girls.
School girl in high pitched voice: Tracy, can you "like" take a photo of my shadow. I "like" really want a photo of my shadow. When I stand my shadow is "like" longer" than me (The word like is accompanied by a simultaneous lift of hands with the palms upto the shoulder, all fingers spread out like she is about to push something, they automatically go down on completion of the word like)
While Tracy maneuvered the camera, her friend stuck her foot out behind the shadow to make it look like it had a tail. The entire group was is splits and started cackling away. They ran around the station taking photos of themselves near the recycle bins and ofcourse, the shadow of the bin.
Three girls from the same school walked past the asian girls, gave them a condescending glare and murmured "embarrassment" with a head shake.
All of them had fringes, straightened hair, their uniform skirts worn way above their knees.
This got me thinking about my days in school, 2 plaits, oiled hair, huge glasses, running nose.
A drunk man meandered and rambled, rambled and meandered.
An old woman asked me for 20 cents, I gave it to her. The inevitable mental math happened, a little more than what I would give a beggar in India.
All of a sudden the entire station comes alive with Sukhwinder Singh crooning "Dil mein mere dard disco". I search for Sukhwinder, he comes out of an Indian boys pocket. The boy starts talking in rapid and loud Gujarati. The entire station gets to know where he stays, what he studies and what he had for dinner.
An Indian lady standing next to me says" These are the people who give India a bad name abroad" I smile at her, unsure how to react.
A straight couple appear hand in hand and start snogging. This provided enough entertainment to the Gujju boys standing near the platform.
"Does this line go to Pakenham", I am asked by a girl. Her skin is pale, her hair is purple, she has 3 piercings on her lips. I reply in the affirmative.
The train arrives, I get in and continue people watching.
2 comments:
"the inevitable mental math" lol
I hate it when people say Indians are loud. Americans are so loud that it hurts.. I wonder how we got stuck with this as something that "brings bad name" to the country
i love observing people too...
people, places, signboards, hoardings :)
wen ya look at people, it's sometimes hard not to judge, but I Guess i'm so fascinated by the differentiators and dividers, tat very soon, it become more of appreciating their idiosyncracies than nethyn else..
sukwinder came out of his pocket- tat was a sexy way of puttin it..
a lotta times, wen i see kids in school today, i'm quite shocked- I 4 ONE NEVER cared for appearances netyme,in ma school life, b ut these kids have got teh hots for being teen models.. but, i guess with every generation, innocence breaks into puberty much earlier, ya jus gotat flow wyd the tide..
keep the posts cumin in :)
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