One of my best friends from high school, Lina, is getting married. For the last couple of months, Lina has been searching for the perfect Indian wedding dress. She told me that she thinks she found “The One” but wanted a second opinion. Therefore, I joined Lina at Ruby’s Collection in Tysons Corner, VA, which sells Indian wedding dresses, casual and formal attire, costume jewelry and decorations.

Before we arrived, Lina explained to me that a traditional Indian wedding dress is red. She learned that while Indian brides living in America are more traditional, the brides in India are more modern and do not always wear red wedding dresses. Lina’s wedding is in the States so she is a little concerned about what others will say; however, with the blessing of her parents and her independent persona, she is open to different colors.

The store offered dresses in various vibrant colors, such as red, teal, pink, ruby and blue. The entire “dress” is called a lehenga choli, which is made of three garments: a top, a skirt and a long scarf that can be draped like a veil or worn over the shoulder. The detail of the beadwork on every lehenga choli was absolutely beautiful, which had to make brides feel like royalty.

As we walked back to the dressing room area, Lina pointed out attire for grooms and other clothing worn for special occasions. As I waited for Lina, I noticed a red ornate throne structure, which I knew was for the bride and groom. Lina later explained that an Indian wedding ceremony is typically three hours long so a comfortable place for the wedding couple is definitely needed.

Lina tried on several wedding dresses in many different colors. However, when she tried on “The One,” I absolutely agreed and cried. Lina looked stunning in her perfect Indian wedding dress. I can’t wait to see her walk down the aisle this summer.

So what color did Lina pick? Well, I can’t reveal that information before her wedding so you will have to read about it in August.

I was drawn into an Indian clothing store today that was playing Bollywood music and had fashion displays on the outside. I only wanted to check it out for a few minutes; however, I ended up staying for an hour. As I browsed around, I noticed an eclectic collection of items, including saris, wedding dresses, tops and leggings, jewelry, CDs, DVDs, pillow covers and clothing for men.

So how did I stay longer than expected? His name is Suresh Kumar, the storeowner of Bollywood Bazar who has a lively personality. Suresh kept telling me what I needed to buy and what would look good on me. Initially, I thought he was a pushy salesman; however, I reminded myself that cultural differences could skew my perception. Also, deep down inside, I really wanted to try on something. Therefore, at his suggestion, I changed into a sundress with intricate Indian designs. I admit that the dress did look cute; unfortunately, it was not a perfect fit on me. When I came out of the dressing room, I met Linda, another customer, who was trying on clothes at Suresh’s suggestion. Without hesitation, we gave each other advice on what looked good and encouraged one another to try on more items brought to us by Suresh and his assistant.

Through our conversations, I learned about Linda’s travels to India, Suresh’s secrets on booking cheap hotel rooms online and the name of a local belly dance instructor. My cultural experience was spontaneous and a lot of fun. In the end, I bought a nice versatile top, and Linda bought a top that she wore out of the store.  I hope to visit Bollywood Bazar again so I can expand my Indian wardrobe and buy a few Bollywood CDs.

Jonathan and I enjoyed a home cooked Indonesian meal by Ms. Bushby, my friend’s mom who is Dutch-Indonesian and is visiting from Australia. Ms Bushby was able to purchase all the necessary Indonesian ingredients from a local Asian market.  She said that she spent several hours preparing the meal so I knew everything would be delicious.

Ms. Bushby made three meat dishes (ribs, chicken in a coconut sauce and coconut meatballs) and a mixed salad made of tofu, cucumbers, bean sprouts, eggs and potatoes with a peanut sauce. She also served shrimp rinds (similar to pork rinds) and a chili sauce on the side. For dessert, we had an angel food cake with a green herb filling and vanilla ice cream.

Everything she made was great. I am so lucky to have Ms. Bushby’s cooking every time she visits the States.

I most likely will never go to Nepal in my lifetime so it was a real treat to sample their culture this past weekend. As a continuation of the Passport DC events, the Embassy of Nepal hosted a special program with a variety of ethnic and folk dance performances. The majority of the attendees were Nepalese dressed in traditional attire: beautiful saris for women and Dhaka topi hats for men. The Nepalese used a customary greeting by pressing their palms together close to their chests and saying “Namaste,” which means “I greet the god within you” or “I bow (respectfully) to you.”

The program opened with remarks from Dr. Shankar Prasad Sharma, Ambassador of Nepal to the United States of America, who gave an overview of his country. Nepal is situated between China and India and has more than 100 ethnic groups and 92 spoken languages. It is a secular nation with a predominance of Hindus and Buddhists. Nepal is renowned for its unique treasures, including Lumbini (the birthplace of Lord Buddha), Mt. Everest (the highest point on earth) and Kumari (the Living Goddess). Nepal is also known for its diverse terrain, which is great for mountaineering, trekking, white water rafting and safaris.

The dance production showcased 15 of Nepal’s ethnic groups and told stories about young love, festivals and the harvest season. My favorite dance of the event was called Manjushree, which is rarely seen or performed. The dancer used his hands and feet to create complex movements that flowed gracefully to show his god’s appearance and his spiritual qualities. There was also an interesting Nepalese religious dance about the god Shiva and the mother of the universe. Each dancer wore colorful, intricate costumes that reflected a certain region or village in Nepal, and the women wore bold pieces of jewelry around their necks and in their hair. The show ended with a music ensemble featuring Premraja Mahat, a well-known folk singer who was recently appointed as Honorary Consul of Nepal to Maryland and Pennsylvania.

If you are ever fortunate to go to Nepal, it looks like you will have a wonderful cultural experience.  For a glimpse of the dance production, see the short video below.

Nepalese Dance Production

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