a complicated affair

Have you ever tried to put on a sari? It really is complicated. The whole time I was in Bangladesh, I only wore one once, for our going away party. The rest of the time, we all wore salwar kamizes -- much simpler garments. Saris are stunningly beautiful (khub shoondar), but it would take a lot of practice to master getting on one.

Here is our friend J---- helping Sarah into her sari.

An interesting thing about saris is that, even though Bangladesh, as a Muslim country, has a high standard of modesty for women, the propriety of saris is never questioned, since they have been traditional wear in South Asia for thousands of years. This is despite the fact that they can leave a woman's arms and midriff exposed.

Once you've worn one, part of you never wants to wear anything else again, but I never thought that I would be able to duplicate the process, even if I should ever have the chance to purchase a sari. That is, until I found this online:

That, people, is what it takes to put on a sari.

The finished product:

Rachel, me, Marie, Beth, and Danielle in our sarees!

I felt like a rani.