On Friday I learned that the Indian sari is just a six-meter piece of cloth. I bought a maroon silk sari with gold embroidery for the party. Our driver advised me on what to ask for, and I got a very nice one for about $27--they can go much, much higher. I got a ready-made blouse, which is a mid-drift cotton shirt and an in-skirt, which is a cotton slip that goes under the whole thing. Then, of course, I got help wrapping and tying the whole thing into place properly. Overall, the sari was really hot and rather confining. I'm wondering how these millions of women manage it on a daily basis. It's actually quite similar to the burkha in some ways though much more colorful and stylish looking. John and Widi had a much easier task of finding some Indian clothes to wear to the party.
We went to the Ideal Beach Resort on Saturday with two other families and had a great day. Widi and I both had an Aryuvedic massage, which was heavy on the oils and light on the deep tissue work. It was interesting, and it wasn't until much later that we realized how relaxed we felt. The place is very nice and even though the kids are much younger than John, he has a good time with them.
We also found some beautiful orchid plants at the resort. We bought three of them for our entranceway, and they look great. We bought some special plant food and spray bottles to keep them happy. Widi should be able to keep them thriving.
That night the school was transformed with lots of decorations and lights for the Diwali celebration, the festival of lights. There was a dance performance, a participatory stick dance, which we all tried, dinner buffet and then ice cream and fireworks to top off the evening. It was such fun seeing everyone in their Indian clothes, but I realize now that I didn't take too many pictures of them.
I met up with my Swedish student and a contingent of Swedes all wearing their national color, and Johanna, the tallest one, took what could be our Christmas photo this year!
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