Baggage Claim Area, Airport, New Delhi, 12:00 am
There are men everywhere and they are staring. Is it the hijab? The western clothing? The combination? The look of bewilderment on my face? I stop to try to take in my surroundings and figure out where to go, and immediately one of the wandering starers approaches me. “I’m good” I say pre-empting his niceties. I walk away. I have to appear confident, I think, aware of my surroundings. Great plan, except that I am neither of those things.
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People from the subcontinent stare at foreigners unabashedly. Women especially, especially light skinned ones. Islamically, you'd think staring would be unacceptable (i.e. lowering your gaze), but I guess it's a third world thing - whenever I see documentaries about Africa, Middle East, etc. When there's foreigners, there's usually staring (or unfortunately, glaring...), but that might be explained by the camera crew, which would draw crowds in the US too. I have no explanation, but just the acknowledgment is that it has nothing to do with you personally, but moreso that you represent the Other, something strange and foreign to see...
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