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Student Bio/Profile
Name: Bala "Rina" Gavaskar <Pronunciation: (BAH lah)>
Sex: Female
Age: 18
Place of Birth: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Nationality: USA
Hair Colour: Black
Hair Length: to top of her bum
Eye Colour: Light Brown with a hint of Orange
Ethnicity: Indian (Hindi)
Skin Tone: Dark, 26 on Von Luschan's chromatic scale, tans to 28. (3)
Pubic Hair: None
Distinguishing features: None
Height: 5' 3"
Weight: 101 lbs
Bust: 34C
Waist: 22
Hips: 34
Background: Bala was born & raised in Pittsburgh of immigrant Indian parents, both of whom were naturalized US citizens. Her father is a financial officer for a Fortune 500 company. Her mother is a pediatrician. Bala is the youngest of five children. All of her siblings are in arranged marriages. Bala's marriage is also arranged. Her future husband lives in New York City.
Though not Catholic, Bala is a product of Catholic girls’ schools. Bala’s parents are sending her to Shokushu because it is an isolated girls school with a solid academic reputation. This will give her a good education while ensuring her purity for her future husband. (Oops)
Bala is excited about going to a new school. At home, she never was able to spend time with a boy without a chaperone. True Shokushu is an all-girls school. But Bala knows from her high school, St Agnes of Rome School for Girls, that there are always ways to find boys. She’ll just have to ask the girls here where they are.
Bala wants to be a newspaper journalist. She sees herself some day in some evil company’s office, late at night, holding the memo that proves that they have been dumping toxic waste in the Monongahela River. She’ll write a scathing exposé and win a Pulitzer Prize and show her parents that journalism is a legitimate profession.
Bala doesn't seem to realize that newspapers are a dying medium. She was destined to be a reporter for some TV news station. Sure, she knows all the major players and intricacies of the upcoming G7 summit. All the viewer cares about, and the reason she has the job, is that she has a pleasant voice, a pretty smile, and big boobs. Now she has a new destiny, coincidentally brought about by the same attributes.
Bala trains in Zardari (1), a Pakistani martial art, and has attained the Gold Crescent pendant. It is the closest thing to a sport that she likes. Bala runs 5 miles a day. She enjoys swimming, snorkeling, and scuba diving. She absolutely loves the beach. The pictures in the brochure looked so good that she secretly plans on cutting a class or two to spend time on the beach.
Psychological Profile: Ophidiophobia: The mere mention of a snake causes her to physically recoil. Mild Agoraphobia: Bala also experiences rising anxiety around crowds during social situations. She often needs to leave parties to "get some fresh air". She then returns after 15 minutes to 2 hours. Bala has a prescription for diazepam (Valium) to take when her ophidiophobia becomes too severe. Her doctor considers its side effect, mild anterograde amnesia, a benefit since she often forgets what caused her anxiety preventing a relapse. Shokushu has assured Bala that a doctor is available in case of more severe attacks and to renew her prescription as needed. In all other respects, Bala appears to be a normal, well-adjusted woman.
Personality: Intelligent & inquisitive, Bala is very curious. She is friendly, quick to smile, though she tends to keep to herself or hang out with her clique (which she left behind). She does not make friends easily. But she is fiercely loyal to those friends.
Virgin? Yes, thanks to her parents.
Piercing or Tattoos: One earring in each lobe.
Language: English, Hindi, German, and Arabic (just started: "where's the ladies room?", "where's the bank?", "My hovercraft is full of eels". As an homage to Saira.)
Likes: Ballet, Zardari, Bollywood movies, horseback riding, German & Austrian Plays (esp. those of Friedrich Schiller, Stefan Zweig, & Bertolt Brecht), journalism, gin rummy, euchre, boys
Dislikes: Sports, Being called a Dot Head (2), Anime (& has never seen Hentai), SNAKES!!!
Activities: Ballet (Yes. Ha, ha). She was a coryphée in the Greater Pittsburgh Area Junior Ballet Troupe. Bala was the editor of her high school (St Agnes of Rome School for Girls) newspaper. She was one of a billion interns at Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Bala was the Newsnotes reporter for The Carlyle Monthly News. She is an alumna member of the St Agnes of Rome Equestrian Club (SAREC).
Notable Possessions:
Gold Charm Necklace “RINA” (Almost, almost never takes off)
Dog Tag necklace with the inscription Top Line “Die Braut von Messina”, Bottom Line “Bala”, silver, 28 inch chain
Trophy, Equestrian, engraved with inscription "2008”/”Dressage Overall Champion”/”18-20 Year Olds"
English riding outfit including tall boots, Shadbelly Dressage Show Coat, equestrian helmet, and riding crop.
Miscellaneous: “Die Braut von Messina” is German for “The Bride of Messina”, a tragedy by Friedrich Schiller. In the play, Schiller attempts to combine antique and modern theatre. It is one of the most controversial works by Schiller, due to his use of elements from Greek tragedies (which were considered obsolete at the time it was written).
Bala and her girlfriends call themselves "Brides of Messina". They think Schiller was very brave to write that play. So they call themselves that to show that they are willing, if not obliged, to take chances. That is why Bala is here. Bala would rather be closer to home but she is willing to do this for a chance at a better life. And the list of Shokushu Alumnae the school representatives showed her was quite impressive.
Bala is a vegetarian.
Magic?: No
THE STRINGS:
Only String: I don’t have time during the day to post. I only able to post at night.
Other Notes:
The "Rina" nickname:
When Bala was quite young, a teacher calling roll mispronounced Bala. Bala's correction didn't stick. On the playground, some of the crueler girls decided to make fun of her name. (To be fair, they probably would have found a way to make fun of her actual name.) They asked since her name was Bala was she a ballerina. Bala, taking ballet then and not understanding what was happening, said yes. So the girls would always laugh and call her ballerina.
This bothered Bala till a new friend suggested that she "Yankee Doodle" it, turn an insult into a term of honour. At her suggestion, Bala adopted the nickname "Rina". Her friend later gave Bala a gold, choker necklace with gold block letters spelling "RINA". Bala has only taken it off twice since.
Bala alone in the photo studio taking a risque picture of herself. Thankfully, no one came in.
FOOTNOTES:
(1) Zardari is the name I came up for a Pakistani martial art. I don’t do the martial art thing, so I made up a martial art to make it less likely that I’ll make a fool of myself talking about it. Zardari is actually the name of the current (9/08) president of Pakistan.
(2) Dot Head is a derogatory term used by some to describe those who wear a TILAK or BINDI on their forehead (and by others to describe any Indian). Bala would be upset if someone called her that. Mostly, she objects to people asking her "where's your dot?" when they find out that she's Indian.
(3) Von Luschan's chromatic scale: See Wikipedia. Even though it has been out of favour since the 1950’s, I think it’s useful for us.
Edits:
5/20/2013 - Added some photos. Fixed minor errors.
5/8/2014 - Changed attached photos to links. Added minor content. Changed avatar to Arcas image.
