Daily Prompt : Encrusted

In response to one-word prompt  : Encrusted

A YouTube video of a silk sari encrusted with gold and silver threads. , it’s the kind of sari  worn by the Indian or Bangladeshi bride.

 

 

 

Daily Prompt: The Guilt that Haunts Me

Share a time when you were overcome with guilt. What were the circumstances? How did you overcome your guilt?

I cannot recall anything serious to feel guilty about. I remember when I was in the university residence, I had a roommate who always wore my clothes without telling me.

One day I noticed she was coming towards me in the corridor of the university, I was irritated to see she was wearing my new sari and the pair of sandals, I had just bought. I was disgusted and said nothing. She smiled and said, “O I’m wearing your sari and sandals.”

I gave her a hateful look and said nothing.

Next day the man from the laundromat came to collect the clothes we wanted him to take for washing, he would always unfold the clothes to make sure they were in good condition. He unfolded my new sari, there was a large tear, he pointed out and said, “Your sari is torn, I’m glad I unfolded it or you would have said, I tore it.”

You cannot imagine how angry I was, when I asked her about it she just said,”O it got torn.”

How? She didn’t care to tell me. I was not guilty at all for getting angry.

………………………………….. 😦

Daily Prompts: Move to Tears

Describe the last time you were moved to tears by something beautiful.

I  was moved  to tears,by the  the children I taught. They unconditionally supported me, prejudice was a word never found in their dictionary. They knew they never saw someone like me.

I wore a sari, I had black hair and I spoke another language besides English. My  long black hair,  fascinated them. They’d come to my desk not for help but to know if my hair was real. On several occasions they touched my hair and let their classmates know it felt  real.

It was my first year teaching in that school, there were only two weeks left for Christmas, the kids got busy buying gifts for me. I wasn’t aware that the kids give Christmas presents to their teacher.

Recess time I went to the staff room to spend a few minutes away from my classroom. When the bell rang announcing recess was over, I went back to my classroom, there on my desk were neatly packaged gifts. I went to the staff room to ask one of the teachers,if I was allowed to accept the gifts. “You must” she said, “or else you’d break their heart.”

I went back to my classroom found the kids very quiet, I instantly said, “Thank you children, it is so nice of you to bring gifts for me.”

One of them stood up and asked, “Do you like our gifts, I went with my mom to pick yours?”

The sweetness of his tender voice made me emotional, I was moved to tears. I looked at him and could only say, “so nice of you Jamie, I love all your gifts!”

……………………………………..:)

 

 

About me posted by Ranu

This morning I waited for the daily prompt, there was none.

I thought my blogger friend Leslie wanted to see my photograph taken by my friend Evie when I was in college.Here it is Leslie.

Evie had a camera, she liked taking pictures, she did not spend too much time, she was always busy doing something.

The day she took the picture we all had an autograph book to get everyone to sign in and write something. Evie wrote a few lines in my autograph book and then wanted to take a picture of me.

It is our college campus where we were residing at that time. I am wearing a sari, as far as I recall I did not own one, this one belongs to someone in the residence.

In those days I always wore Shalwar(pants) kameez(shirt) and Dupatta( a long scarf).

My Dad told my Mom one day.

Why doesn’t your daughter

put cream on her face

Or comb her hair like other

Little girls do?

She never saw a village

Yet I think

She is worse than

A girl in a village.

Even  those girls

Know how to dress up

Do you think

She will ever change?

https://sabethville.wordpress.com/2015/01/20/about-me-posted-by-ranu-4/

365 Writing Prompts: First

Tell us your first day at something___ your first day of school, first day of work, first day living on your own,first day blogging, first day as a parent,whatever.

My first experience of a snowstorm was on November 13th I was in Montreal ,Canada , I was on my way  to the typing school as usual, while walking to the bus stop I noticed the sky was white and calm ,I didn’t know anything about snow then, yes I knew they have snow but how much or when I had no idea. I also didn’t think of the famous phrase, “it’s the calm before the storm.”

I entered the school building and went straight to the typing class, some of the girls were already there,I sat in my seat and began typing, our teacher came an hour later, she looked at me and said, “girls I hope you brought your boots today, there is a lot of snow on the ground, it is turning out to be very stormy.”

I heard it but had no reaction , I wasn’t quite sure what a snowstorm meant, I continued my typing, at four pm we all got up to get ready to go home, the teacher looked at me and said, “Don’t you have boots?”

Of course I wasn’t wearing boots, I was wearing sandals and my  sari, it still didn’t strike me that I’d have trouble getting home.

As usual I got out of the building and walked towards the bus stop, one gentleman came and asked me if I saw  any buses moving, I wasn’t looking for any buses moving, I was waiting for the one I took daily to go to school and back home.The gentleman could tell by the way I was dressed I had no idea of what a snowstorm means. He mumbled something which sounded like there are no buses moving, he then left.

I stood there and tried to understand the situation I was in, I was still not aware it would be difficult for me to get home. I saw a cab I raised my hand to stop him, he stopped and asked, “Where will you go?”

As soon as I uttered ‘Victoria Avenue’ he said , “none of the cabs will go there, it’s too dangerous.”

This scared me I walked back to the school building , called my husband, my brother-in-law picked up the phone, he told me my husband wanted me to stay in the school building,he will get me when the snowstorm stops and the buses start moving.

After waiting for several hours my husband came to pick me up, I was relieved to see him and told him I will not go to the typing school anymore.

It was the first time I saw so much snow, I also learned it was a blizzard and one has to be properly dressed to be out in one!

https://sabethville.wordpress.com/2014/10/28/365-writing-prompts-first/

365 Writing Prompts: The clothes that(make) (wo) man

How important are clothes for you? Describe your style, if you have one, and tell us how appearance impacts how you feel about yourself.

Clothes are I am sure important to everyone, and to me as well. I have my own style, whether it is acceptable or not I am happy with it.

I wear different outfits as the circumstances demand. I wear my native clothes when I visit people who are from my original home, I wear a sari, so I won’t look strange in their company.

When I go for grocery shopping I wear trousers and top to avoid being stared at. Now a days it’s not too bad with travels in various places people are used to seeing different types of attire worn by travelers, so they do not find it as shocking as before.

When I applied for a teaching position,one of the questions I was asked was whether I’d wear a sari to work,when I gave him a surprised look he immediately said: “Do not misunderstand me your dress is gorgeous I was thinking about the students what will be their reaction.”

I did not want someone to criticize me  about my clothes indirectly, I went to the principal the next day and told him I did not want the job.

Six months after that incident the superintendent of a school board interviewed me and offered me a position to teach grade four kids, I accepted the job, I wore my sari to school the first day and all the years I taught, the kids were fascinated with my dress, they were not narrow minded like the adult.

I also wear Shalwar Kamiz when I go to a party hosted by Pakistanis.

I do not have a particular style, I dress differently depending on where I’m going.

: https://sabethville.wordpress.com/2014/10/04/365-writing-pr…hatmake-wo-man

 

 

 

365 Writing Prompts: Party animals?

After spending time with a group of people, do you feel energized and ready for anything or do you want to hide in the corner with a good book?

The parties I’m invited to attend are not crazy or noisy, they are meant to be a get together of friends and family. Main attraction is food, the hostess displays her culinary skills and wants her guests to appreciate the time she spent cooking in preparation of the grand event.

The guests come dressed in their latest Sari and jewelry, some of us admire, others do more, they actually inquire where they bought the awesome dress. Men wear suits, which doesn’t attract any conversation.

Meal is usually served to the children and the male guests first, the female guests are lucky to be served after 10 pm. If you are wondering why that is so, I can only say it is the custom.

The food is always delicious, chicken, beef, and fish is on the menu, rice is the primary food, bread is served very seldom. There are salads and other vegetable dishes served also.

After the meal dessert is served with tea or coffee.

Mothers of younger kids leave before, others wait another few minutes and make their exit.

This is the kind of party we have. I don’t feel any pressure to go home and hide in the corner with a book!

DP Daily Prompt: Breathing Room

An extra room has been magically added to your home overnight. The catch: if you add more than three items  to it ,it disappears. How do you use it?

I desperately need a sewing room, I was planning to convert one  of the rooms upstairs into a sewing room, but could not, why, it’s a long story I rather not write it here.

Since I have an additional room added magically, I’ll use it as my sewing room. The catch is the problem, the restriction of only three items are allowed in it, is a serious problem.

A sewing room needs a sewing machine, this is one item, I need a chair to sit on, it’s number two item. Number three I need a table to put my sewing accessories,like,material,spools of thread , patterns. I think  these are the three items I will add on.

I will start sewing the blouse and petticoat fabrics I bought in the winter. I am so thrilled now I can wear my new sari, which I could not because I didn’t have the matching blouse and petticoat!

: https://sabethville.wordpress.com/2014/06/05/dp-daily-prompt-4

 

DP Daily Prompt: Snapshot Stories

Open the first photo album you can find –real or virtual, your call–and stop at the first picture of yourself you see there. Tell us the story of that photo.

This is a picture of me, it was taken by my friend, Evelyn Baptist, here I’m sitting on the grass, it is surrounded by some shrubs and plants, this is my residence in, Holy Cross College, Dhaka. 

That day most of us were thinking of starting an autograph,where we could get our friends and teachers to write something and sign our names, Evie went a bit further she wanted me to wear a sari and get my picture taken to paste on the first page of my book. I agreed, if you see this picture, I’m really not sure if you can tell I was nervous in my sari,I feared the pleats may come off, and make me look like a fool.I always avoided wearing a sari, this day Evie was firm, she said, “you have to wear it.”

I must have borrowed the sari from one of the girls, I didn’t have any. I felt at ease with my Shalwar Kamiz.

This is what I wrote on the first page:

Dear friends, 

Use your pen and brains

And do not let me ask in vain

When many years have passed away

And evening shadows round me play

Then shall this book of jest and truth

Recall the memories of my youth

Dear friends I once again invite

A few lines in my book to write.

Signed : C.S.

: https://sabethville.wordpress.com/2014/06/01/dp-daily-promp…apshot-stories/

 

Writing Prompt: Show and Tell

I have been asked to do a five-minute presentation to a group of young school children on the topic of my choice.

My topic is “A Sari”.

What is a sari?

The  dress the woman in the picture is wearing is called a “Sari”. It is six yards long and forty-five inches wide. A matching blouse and a petticoat of the same color enhances the beauty of this gorgeous dress. The petticoat which is an under garment is worn to help tuck in the  sari , is like a long skirt which reaches up to the ankle.

The sari needs six yards for the pleats in the middle and for the shoulder. It comes in a variety of colors and the material is silk, or cotton or nylon.

The blouse comes down to the waist,it has short sleeves, long or no sleeves. It is something  one who wears it, decides.

 

Image by Wikipedia.

https://sabethville.wordpress.com/2014/03/16/365-days-march16-show and tell/