Post Wedding Activities

Following my teacher's recent wedding, my classmates and I were invited to stay for a traditional program. I was expecting some type of traditional dress, dance, and song. Well, that's not what I experienced. We were with the bride and groom when four of the groom's friends came into the room. One was carrying an empty two-liter bottle. Another carried some type of cord doubled over. And, still yet another picked up a house shoe close by. While laughing, they placed the bride and groom at two opposite ends of a coffee table. They made the groom sit backwards in a chair. They then proceeded to place a cigarette in his mouth and light it. They gave the bride several glasses of water. The object of this activity was for her to spit the water out across the length of the coffee table and try to put out the lit cigarette that was hanging out of her husband's mouth. If she failed, they would then hit the groom with the empty two-liter bottle, house shoe, and cord as punishment. Needless to say, water was everywhere, everyone was laughing, and the cigarette was not put out until it had almost gone out on its own. Can't say that I have ever experienced this game before, but it was quite amusing. Not sure if this would go over in the States as a wedding game, but they sure enjoyed it here. I was able to capture the moment with this picture as the bride was in mid-spit and the groom awaited the coming water. Everyday is an adventure here. You just never know what you will experience. Not sure that I will ever use this game after my own wedding, but glad I had the opportunity to see someone else participate in the fun activity and know what to expect if a two-liter bottle begins flying around following the ceremony.

Do Band-Aids Really Make Everything All Better?

I attended my teacher's wedding a week ago today and was looking forward to my first chance at seeing all of the different cultural aspects. I had also been asked to give some wedding wishes to the bride and groom. As many of you know, I usually have things happen to me that make me feel like I am in a movie or something. I often wonder, "Do other people have things like this happen to them?" Our classes were to meet at our classroom building (a 15 minute walk) and then walk to the wedding (a 20 minute walk) together with another teacher. Well, the heels that I have aren't made for walking. Here, everybody is always carrying a bag of some type. So, I got the bright idea that I would wear my tennis shoes with my skirt and change once I got to the hotel. Women in New York do it, right? So, I took my heels in a bag. Well, I went to the classroom building and waited for my classmates to arrive. As stupid as I felt, I was much more comfortable than I would have been if I would have been wearing the heels. As we began walking towards the wedding, a friend yelled at me to come back to where she was. She told me that I had a huge hole in the back of my hose. This was no runner, my friends, but a full-fledged hole with runners going in different directions. And it just so happened that it was right at my calf. No way to even try to hide it. Well, I walked in the back of the group all of the way to the wedding. Tennis shoes, hole, and all. Then we got there and the bride and groom were in the lobby and immediately wanted to take our picture. I tried to hide my feet so the tennis shoes would not be in the picture. Then, I ran and hid so I could put on my heels. We went upstairs to the bathroom and tried to decide what to do with the hole. I had brought a Band-aid for my feet in case I got blisters. So my mind went to the fact that I had a Band-Aid that I could use. My friend helped me pull the hole together and I put a flesh-colored Band-Aid over the hole. No, I can't believe I did it either. Don't ask me why I didn't just take off the hose. After the whole tennis shoe, hole in the hose, and the fact that in a matter of minutes I would be standing in front of a room full of Asians, I was a little flustered. Thank goodness the tables were close together and the area where I was to make my short speech was not a horrible distance in front of the tables themselves. I wondered if they all thought. "Is this some new American style?" So, if you start seeing people wearing flesh colored Band-Aids over their hose on the back of one of their legs, it started here first. Band-Aids may not make everything all better, but they sure can help pull some things together.

Did I say, "Super-Size the Veggies?"

While preparing for dinner, I had to purchase some vegetables. I did not ask for the super-sized carrots or onions, they just came that way. This is the biggest carrot and onion I have ever seen in my life. It is unbelievable how big some of their fruit and vegetables are in my city. They grow them big in these parts. Are veggies this big in Texas? We used the carrot and onion in dinner preparation. My guests enjoyed the food and we had great conversation afterward. As we read from the Book and discussed its application, I was reminded of how BIG our Father is. He is Big everywhere, not just in these parts or even in Texas. He has the whole world in His hands and He sustains it all. May my guests realize how wide, how long, how high, and how deep is the love of the one and only "Big" G that has made them and has a plan for their lives.