Questions that need answers

On a daily basis, I find myself asking questions that I can't find good answers to.  Here's a sample.

Am I really that interesting?

“Yeah, I really don’t get it, you’re not that interesting,” my dear, lovely, half-Indian-half-Italian-so-she-fits-in-a-little-better roommate responded in Week 1 when I asked if it was actually necessary to turn completely around on a scooter to look back at my freckle-spotted skin. 

Dude, you’re going to wreck your bike.  And Yasmin’s right, I’m not that interesting.  I’m covered from neck to ankle.  But apparently my pale feet and arms and face paired with the undeniable fact that I am a woman are enough for people to need to catch a glimpse.

What does this head bobble thing mean?

It’s not a shake or a nod.  It’s a loosing of the neck that allows the head to move in an indescribable direction.  It’s difficult to emulate on purpose, although I find myself doing it subconsciously (probably not in the right context) from time to time. It can be infuriating when you want a clear answer and don’t understand the language that is being used.  It’s indiscriminately prevalent – men, women, children of all socioeconomic backgrounds utilize this ever-vague gesture – and none of them can quite explain what it means.  

 

Why don’t people use sidewalks? (This one has an answer.)

Everyone walks in the streets with the cars and buses and autos and bikes.  And you should too, if you come.  Despite what the security guy from the U.S. Consulate tells you, there are good reasons for this.

First off, there’s not always a sidewalk.  Even when they do exist, it’s more difficult to cross the road from these raised and crumbling pavements.  I’ve nearly fallen on my face on more than one occasion using the sidewalks.  You should get to know the traffic.  Learn to trust that people aren’t going to hit you.  This is an important lesson to learn if you ever want to get anywhere (in life?) – just put up your hand, gather up your courage, and go.

But most importantly, the reason people don’t walk on the sidewalks is because they are soaked in man-urine.  Men hop off their scooters/autos/veer-from-their-walk and hop onto the sidewalks at any moment that nature calls.  They do their business and continue on their way. 

Two additional questions emerge from this practice:

Why is open urination not condemned as a public health nightmare? (The streets smell, these men are clearly not washing their hands, and walking through pools of urine cannot be healthy.)

And. Why is it acceptable for men to unzip their pants in public when women are considered loose, sleazy, etc. for showing their shoulders?

If I were Twitter-user (a tweeter???), I might say something like <#publictoiletprojects #WomensEmpowerment> here.  But I’m not totally sure how a pound symbol/number sign has become a hashtag.  And I definitely don’t know what a hashhtag means or how it is applicable to Twitter, really.  Would it be accurate to say #Twitterilliterate here?

These are the questions that need answers.  I’m sure there are more to come.