You know when you are having one of those days and you feel like everyone is staring at you, judging you and making comments in their minds about how you look? I have that every day. And those comments? Not just in their heads.
For the past eighteen months I’ve been volunteering in a remote part of the Solomon Islands. How remote you ask? I didn’t know Osama was dead until a couple of weeks after. We’ve only just gotten limited internet access to the island. Did you guys know Prince William got married!? I read it on the internet…
If you happen to drop by you can tell who I am – I’m the only one who gets sunburnt with this highly inefficient white skin of mine and who stands out like a neon bulb at night. I’m practically the village light house. I’m the odd one out with my different culture and strange mannerisms; of course people watch me.
Here’s a couple of things about the Solomon Islands:
Solomon Pijin – the lingua franca – is a remarkably direct language. It doesn’t go for all this gentle-subtle-roundabout-way-of-suggesting-something-stuff that English does.
Also, in the Solomons it is perfectly reasonable to comment on people’s appearance even if you don’t really know them that well.
So not a day goes by when I don’t receive at least three comments about my appearance. Normally these come out of nowhere, like a shark or Chuck Norris, and I’m never expecting them.
Sometimes they’re just thrown at me: “Claire! You look fat today.”
Other times they’re a little more sneaky:
“What are you two doing?”
“Just going for a walk. Exercising.”