The Indian Head Wiggle
One of the things one notices when you visit India is the rather peculiar Indian head wiggle. Whenever you stop to ask someone something, whether its a direction, question about food or just about anything you will witness this rather unique phenonemem. Every Indian, and I mean every Indian enjoys a good head wiggle. Essentially what they do is wiggle their heads slightly side to side repeatedly whilst also smilling and crinning. At first you consider this might mean the equivalent of our nodding which is 'yes'. However, after repeatedly going the wrong way and eating decisively doggy food I am beginning to realise that it doesn't really mean anything!
So I have taken it upon myself to learn and master the head wiggle. After a few weeks on the road I must say I am beginning to do it rather well. Now whenever I meet a local we 'engage' in a mutual head wiggle. So our conversations, often not about much at all, usually revolve around us wiggling mutually to one another whilst trying to show the biggest smile possible. I think the locals enjoy my head wiggles as they seem to reciprocate with even 'larger and longer' head wiggles. Unfortunately I am beginning to realise that a good head wiggle isn't so good for the neck as its killing me right now!
Oh well never mind, eventually it'll become immune to the effects of a good 'head wiggle'
posted by Willich @ 1:13 pm
3 Comments:
hahahah i LOVE the headwiggle! glad you've taken it to heart :)
suggestion: videotape your headwiggle with your new digicam.
then upload onto youtube.com and put the link on your blog. It will be so funny xD
First time I saw this was when I interviewed for a job at this company. I met with one of the staff who was an Indian and he kept doing this head wiggle thing while he grinned. I thought maybe he had some kind of nervous tick or something. I know now it's a cultural thing, but honestly, I think it looks really silly, especially if you don't know the person or your not Indian and don't plan to wiggle back. One of the other staff members has the unconscious habit of scratching himself while he talks to you (never mind where)--no one thinks that's culturally interresting. He's white, but hey, who am I to say what's strange. Maybe I should "scratch" back at him like some people wiggle back at the Indians.
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