Day 27

This morning Jackie and Lauren came over to make French toast before we went to my friend Gladys’ wedding. We were so nervous we were going to miss the wedding and it took forever to get there. Thankfully we had Nimo to help us get there. We didn’t get there until 12:30, but nothing had started. Half of the guests hadn’t even arrived yet. Forgot everything runs on African time. We said hello to Gladys as she was getting ready and she offered us water and just sat with us moments before her wedding. I would have been a wreck but she didn’t seem to mind entertaining almost complete strangers right before her wedding. We sat down and waited for the ceremony to take place. Around 1, like Gladys said, the wedding started. The entire event was so joyous and exciting I wish they were like that everywhere else. The men and women are separated on either side. The men start off the ceremony with a song accompanied by music that comes to the heart of the musicians. We watched different groups of people get up and dance around the bride and groom placing the 1 cedis on the forehead of the bride and groom. After a bit we all got up and joined the group to dance. It is a ceremonial dance where you basically shuffle your feet, bend over a bit, and wave a handkerchief to the beat of the music. Once we got on the dance floor, every camera and phone was out recording us dancing. Then the preacher got up and gave a pretty awkward speech. For 45 minutes he focused on how special Timothy and Gladys were for staying chaste until marriage. He read scriptures and told stories all relating to the pressures from the world to have sex before marriage so it was special that Timothy and Gladys were able to avoid it. We left the wedding around 3:30 and came back to our house to eat watermelon. My Saturdays are usually filled with working out, washing, and coursework so it was nice to get out in the community and spend time with everyone.

XOXO

Natalie