When in doubt, make a fool of yourself. There is a microscopically thin line between being brilliantly creative and acting like the most gigantic idiot on earth. So what the hell, leap. ~Cynthia Heimel, Lower Manhattan Survival Tactics
I am starting to feel less timid speaking Spanish around town, but there is one area where I still feel like a total foreigner: my appearance. I expected to be taller than everyone else and, in Spain, this is no exception. I am easily the tallest girl walking down the street in flats (I will get to the problem with this later).
Being from California, I am accustomed to people dressing more casually, even in cities like San Francisco. If I were touring around San Francisco I might wear jeans, a nice shirt, and comfortable walking shoes. I thought it would be the same here, so I brought an entire wardrobe of black, white, and denim, and my comfortable, but cute shoes.
This morning I was getting ready for the day and doing my makeup after I took my shower. My aunt came in and asked me if I wanted to borrow her hairdryer. I said no thank you. She looked at my hair wrapped up in a towel and said, "but aren't you going to dry your hair?" I said "no, I am going to let it air-dry". She looked as if I had just slapped her in the face. Incredulously she said, "but it is cold outside, you may let it air-dry sometimes, but today if you don't dry it you are going to catch a cold".
1) It was 70 degrees outside.
2) I didn't have the heart to say that I never blow-dry my hair. Maybe I've done it twice this year. And those were special occasions.
After explaining to her that I like it to air-dry up in a bun because then it gets all curly, she left the room saying "well, I am not sure... but if you are positive and it is something that you do all the time.." and she took a deep breath and exhaled with exasperation. Needless to say, I left the house feeling like a scrub, though I was squeaky clean.
Typical Madrileña:
Hair = done.
Shoes = high heeled sandals in a bright color.
Accesories = at least one bracelet, necklace and matching earrings.
Carrying = a cigarette and a designer handbag.
Hollywood eat your heart out! I don't remember seeing women all dolled up with their wedge shoes walking their dogs and pushing around their baby carriages. Here, it looks completely normal. At home I seem to recall women wearing *gasp* matching velor track suits and running shoes. Maybe a designer handbag stashed in the bottom basket rack with the extra diapers and baby wipes.
Stepping out on the street I have quickly come to realize that I do not look like a Madrileña. I tried to tune down the "tourist" look by wearing cute flats, jeans, a nice tank top, cardigan, glasses and earrings; but I still felt like I had an "I'm-not-from-around-these-here-parts" stamp on my back. For sheer practical reasons, I was carrying a small bag for my map and my water...but come on, I can't get around that!
No spaghetti straps here! No halter tops and flip flops! Yesterday I walked all day long in my cute aerosoles and yet I felt like I should have been holding a cup out to collect donations from strangers.
The obvious solution would appear to be to buy what is "de moda" here. There are so many shops to entice me and no joke.... a shoe store about every 40 steps. This place is both my heaven and my hell in one. Sadly, clothing here is so expensive that I have had to avert my eyes so that I don't buy something every time I walk up a new street. This is going to be a challenge! Maybe I should just resign myself to feeling like a foreigner, with uncool shoes and a head of untamed, wet hair.
I totally know how you feel on this one. I always felt like I looked "different" to everyone else when I was in Wales. For me, my hair was always the dead giveaway- I was wavy when everyone else was bone straight! My super sensible suggestion is this: go broke buying tons of cute new Spanish clothes and shoes. Brilliant plan, no? ; )
ReplyDeleteThinking about you all the time!
xoxoxo