My Alter Ego

My alter ego came about in college. Back in 2001, some of my sorority sisters and I traveled to Alabama to stay with one girl's high school friend (a guy) and watch the UT game.
The night after the game, we went to the friend's fraternity house's band party. While there, meandering alone in the halls, a tiny, tan blond asked me where I was from. I said, "oh, Tennessee, we're here with Bubba*." (*Names have obviously been changed not to protect the innocent, but because I can no longer remember them).  Tiny, tan says "oh", then turns around to her Polo-clad boyfriend and loudly says (I'm still there) "that's sooo wierd, she looks so exotic, like she's from South America or something."
I actually have a picture from that night:

Back in the day, all I wanted was to be tiny, tan, and blond (very Southern), so I went to the tanning beds and bleached my hair. I didn't look like "tan mom" and obviously didn't have proper foundation garments judging from the picture above (eeks), but I certainly don't think I look "exotic" (then or now). Maybe in Alabama I am, and that I am OK with that.

Anyhoo, I go back to the room where my friends are and was all WTF over this. Thankfully, my friends laughed and laughed. They obvs didn't think I was exotic either. They nicknamed me "Tatiana" and we told people for the rest of the night that I was their foreign exchange student.

Tatiana is still around, but I just blame my bad behavior on her. She is a spice Latina after all. Since this story is getting long as shi* and short on pictures, I'll continue tomorrow.