This is How Circus Elephants Feel

You know how American kids are told from a young age not to stare at others, that staring is rude? I've been here in the U.S. since I was eight years old, so this message has seemed pretty ubiquitous to me, but like so many other things, rudeness is very culturally defined, and in India, staring? Not considered so rude. This might explain why I find the no-staring thing so. difficult. when confronted by an interesting sight.

When McMoose and I went to India two-and-a-half years ago, there was staring, to be sure. Especially when we were out with my mom and step-dad, who is also white. There was lots of speculation, particularly by cab drivers, about how we were all related. In the end, most of them seemed to come to the conclusion that (a) my step-dad was married to my mom, (b) I was married to McMoose, (c) my step-dad was McMoose's dad, and (d) I was my mom's daughter. So in other words, they assumed I was married to my step-brother. Because, you know, here in the exotic and immoral Western World, that's how things work. Yep.

But as humorous as the staring and speculation were last time, it was NOTHING compared to how people reacted this time. Because this time, Luke was there. And while Indians have seen white people from time to time, apparently, they have NOT seen half-Indian toddlers who look white. The staring was at a whole 'nother level. We would go to restaurants and the waitstaff would stand two feet away from the table and just look at McMoose and Luke. We would be riding down the road in a car and people FROM OTHER VEHICLES slowed down, pointed, and stared.

We went to a family wedding while we were there and when we went to the dinner after the wedding, there were rows and rows of tables with people eating. If I had to guess, I'd say there were probably 200+ people down there eating. And as we were led to our table, every. single. head. turned and watched us walk by. And? The photographers who were there to take pictures of, you know, THE BRIDE AND GROOM spent an unreasonable amount of time taking pictures of Luke and McMoose instead. And then? One of the photographers TOOK LUKE from McMoose and scurried away because he wanted Luke to MEET HIS FAMILY.

I am not even making this mess up.