The last night in Anjuna we ate at a beachshack. I had a nice big papayajuice and ordered something which would be a surprice for me called Malai Kofta. I assured myself that it was under the 'veg.' list which are mostly vegan and asked if it's not so spicy. It was very nice, though food on the beach always includes some sand grinding between your teeth.
The girls that try to sell jewelry on the beach never leave us alone. It feels weird to be rude to them but at some point they go too far. They walk with you wherever you walk, they come sit with you wherever you sit. We are still polite to them but we get tired from continuous saying "no", "no thank you", I don't want it", following up by me feeling ashamed to say "go away", "leave us alone" or even "fuck off"... They are not listening to anything you say and only trying to sell from their little portable shop. The sellers have a way of answering you when you say no by saying "maybe tomorrow". Easily getting rid of them you answer 'yea maybe tomorrow'. But oh no, the same girl (or any other too) will the next day say she remembers you and say you made a promise! "You have to buy, you made promise!"
One evening we planned a nice sunset, Jaakko went to swim, and from a distance I saw the colorfull dresses coming closer; there they were again. One girl sat next to me this time. She looked young but very tired. With the words "no thank you" already in my mouth I expected her to display her bracelets, bells, necklaces, toerings, bangles, pendants, ashtrays and mirrors. But she didn't.
I looked at her staring into the sunset, she said she had no business today. I answered that the touristseason would start very soon so then will be better times. We talked about our names, age, where we are from, etc.
She was 17 coming from Hampi to Anjuna every year to earn money for her younger brother's school. She herself didn't go to school. She lives with her mother untill she will be given to a chosen man. "I don't like him", she said. I asked how she knew already, but it was clear she just wanted to chose her own boyfriend to be husband. She was surpriced my mother doesn't hit me because I live together with my boyfriend.
After talking for some time another girl came to join us, while Jaakko stayed in the water (he knew exactly that he rather was floating there than getting upset by making sellers go away). I thought of just buying a little thing to support them. As they ask not much, it is a happy day for both parties.
"Just for good luck" as the girls say. I waved to Jaakko to come out of the sea. I chose a nice bracelet for him with beads and a spiral image on wood and for myself two silvery bracelets with shiny gems. We haggled as we are expected and in the end we both payed around 1 euro. Now we bought something from them we thought they would leave, but no the were not happier at all, almost the opposite. They now knew we are buyers so they kept trying to sell us more.
I looked at her staring into the sunset, she said she had no business today. I answered that the touristseason would start very soon so then will be better times. We talked about our names, age, where we are from, etc.
She was 17 coming from Hampi to Anjuna every year to earn money for her younger brother's school. She herself didn't go to school. She lives with her mother untill she will be given to a chosen man. "I don't like him", she said. I asked how she knew already, but it was clear she just wanted to chose her own boyfriend to be husband. She was surpriced my mother doesn't hit me because I live together with my boyfriend.
After talking for some time another girl came to join us, while Jaakko stayed in the water (he knew exactly that he rather was floating there than getting upset by making sellers go away). I thought of just buying a little thing to support them. As they ask not much, it is a happy day for both parties.
"Just for good luck" as the girls say. I waved to Jaakko to come out of the sea. I chose a nice bracelet for him with beads and a spiral image on wood and for myself two silvery bracelets with shiny gems. We haggled as we are expected and in the end we both payed around 1 euro. Now we bought something from them we thought they would leave, but no the were not happier at all, almost the opposite. They now knew we are buyers so they kept trying to sell us more.
Two others in traditional festive clothes came joining the 'teaparty' arround our beachtowel. Putting toerings on me, and me taking them off, putting things around my ankles and again me taking them off. I had really enough of it at this point and felt my unwanted rudeness awake. I luckily only needed to say "do you actually understand what the word 'no' means?" for them to be packing their stuff. The evening was nice, but they don't make the beach an attractive place to have a quiet night while enjoying the sunset. The sun drowned without me noticing it.
