Wherever I Lay My Hat

Later on Pernilla made some local friends and finally got the the answer; her body language, an Indian woman would never move like she does. That body language is another chapter in the book of identity for sure.

Talking about your Persona 2, could it be called exoticism/orientalism to believe in finding something more true in another culture - even if you are strongly linked to it?
– Yes maybe that's it, it sounds harsh when we put it in print, but it's like she forgot that even she won't see Indian culture, "the East", totally without Swedish glasses. It's OK to be something inbetween, isn't that exactly what this 2FACED1-thing is about.

Currently Pernilla lives in Amsterdam, a city she fallen in love in for it's many alternative ways of living, and the easy going, creative energy surrounding the city. Anything goes, but that means some pretty unsound stuff

going down the drain too, we're talking about a city with legal drugs and prostitution, but there is something else, that might seem harmless at first sight, that caughts my attention when Pernilla tells us her life-and-about in A'dam:

– There is one day a year I would rather leave A'dam; Sinterklaas the 5th of December. During this day it's traditional for, preferentially white, Dutch to dress up as Sinterklaas helper Zwarte Piet. This means blackening faces, afro wigs, gold jewelry and bright red lips, walking the streets giving candy to passers-by. Add a bit of a slow stupid character and broken language, similar to a Surinamese Dutch accent, and you get how it's in line with the old colonial traditions. It's hard to debate with the average Dutch on this, cause the usually sane, politically correct people tend to feel kind of

offended when you question their traditions. There are also some Dutch with i.e. Surinamese background that dress up as Swarte Piet, but my opinion is that this part of the tradition represent an old colonial thinking, I can't understand. Some years ago a new "Rainbow Piet" painted in any color started to appear by people that wanted a change, but I don't think the Dutch in general adopted that.

What?! They wanted to bash gay people instead?!
– Haha, no, I don't think that was the plan with Rainbow Piet, but doesn't that show exactly what we're talking about: different things means different thing to different people?

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