LXVIII. Well, aren't you chival(rous)?

I think many of you have already deduced that I am, for lack of better words, old-fashioned.

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Every single person who ingests alcohol for perks, or in one verb, drinks, strikes me as incomprehensible.

Let’s put it this way: I went out to one of the three CVS pharmacies on my college campus one day, only to be met with rallies of rowdy people, makeshift security guards in the form of empty police cars, way-too-exposed and flab-protruding clothing, and semi-circular groups chanting “chug, chug, chug!”.

Unfortunately I looked in the direction of the cadence-like chanting, surprised at there being any sort of uniformity in a place where there are sometimes unhealthy desires to be unique. At the exact time that I had succeeded in cocking my neck so that my line of vision included the chanting group, someone in the middle started vomiting on the sidewalk.

It was St. Patrick’s Day.

I stayed in my dorm the rest of the day. It was noon when I decided to no longer venture outside.

I ended up selling my ticket to the on-campus concert I was supposed to go to that day.

I wanted to escape my college campus, where it seemed humanity was merely a concept to be mentioned in recitation for participation points.

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I hope that narrative has given you more insight into, well, me.

On to chivalry.

I feel that women are equal to men and just as strong, (if not stronger because of the whole pushing a child out of us, not to mention the monthly reminders of our ability to push a child out, as well as having to endure walking down the street and being bothered, even while wearing the baggiest of clothing).

However, I like the idea of being protected by male relatives.

I like the idea of having a husband in the future who would be willing to fight for me, not that I would want him to get into a fight, but I digress.

Despite what seemed to be the entire college student body being in contrast with the way I like to live my life, I happened to find chivalry at  Penn as well.

For the first time I was subject to chivalrous acts by males not related to me. They actually exist?

From opening doors, to asking to help carry odds and ends, to giving up their seat and yes, let us not forget giving up that outlet in the library during finals time, I was surprised at the chivalry.

Until now, I thought only my father had possessed it.

Especially in family, I think there is way to treat a women. Her honor should be protected.

Cue in the remarks on how archaic this sounded… now.

I could care less about the remarks.

My dad always told me that, “girls should always smile and be happy.”

She should laugh.

She is not frail, but rather she is delicate and dainty.

She should dress well.

She should be a free spirit.

I can only speak for what I know to be true, and in Indian culture, females are depicted, and more times than not, act, in the manner described above.

I wish this would ring true. I wish… but after my crying, frowning, or scowling that had caused my dad to say the above in the first place, I would shake my head.

Unfortunately dad, this giddy nature is not the case in the here and now. I’m stressed. We’re all stressed. Life is not carefree and I worry about my career. I worry about the future.

That shouldn’t be though.

I want to be like, what apparently is my doppleganger, Nargis: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcT4UHsjq7c&feature=relmfu

Though the odds of me prancing around a field is unlikely, being treated as though I have all the right in the world to, and furthermore, should prance around in an open maiidaan, (field), makes me immensely happy.

And that is why I will never forget this one dude who would always smile, greet, and open the door for me and every other girl, all of freshman year. This was not a crush by any means. Still, I’ll never forget how this guy was one of the only positive-anything during that dark first year of college.

We females should be treated with a certain kind of respect, reserved for us.

I know this statement comes off as ego-centric. In all honesty, I don’t know how to articulate what I mean beyond what I have said thus far.

I’ll just provide this anecdote then: There is a reason why the female population, according to Sikh philosophy, are referred to as Kaur, which translates to ‘princess’.