Thursday, December 13, 2012

Long time...no see

Hello Dear Reader,

It's certainly been a long time since I've updated this little blog o'mine. Sorry about that, but I've had a whole lot going on. To answer your question: Yes, I'm still in Lesotho. At present I've got a whole lot of (interesting) work on my plate that is pretty consuming. But enough about work. What's really interesting (to me at least) is that "I's married now" (said in a Ms. Sofia voice...a la "Color Purple")! In July, I got married to my very lovely Ethiopian fellow.

With many months of planning and an excruciatingly high telephone bill, my guy and I managed to bring many of our family members and close friends together to serve as witness to the sealing of our international love affair. With guests coming in from Ethiopia, South Sudan, Lesotho, South Africa, Kenya, and the US of A, a magical, cross-cultural atmosphere was created over the course of the week-long wedding extravaganza (well, two weeks if you consider the pre-wedding week activities including trips to places like Lalibela, Gondar, and Axum).

When I was in the planning stages of the wedding, and even shortly after the blissful day, I said that I would write a blog post listing all of the vendors I used (it was a pain to identify vendors online because many business aren't on the world wide web...yet). Further, I was going to provide a detailed explanation of every cultural activity in which we participated. Now, 5 months later, I'm so weddinged out that I.just.can't.no.energy. Surely, at some point, I'll be able to do it, but right now, I just want to keep the magic close to my heart and savor the honeymoon. I know, my attitude probably sucks for you, Dear Reader, because you came to this blog to learn about all of the exciting aspects of life abroad pre-, during, and post-Peace Corps. Fret not, I'll make it up to you eventually. Promise! For now, enjoy the pictures!

Dowry Ceremony: Groomsmen & Groom's family presenting my family and friends with gifts.

Groom and his party being blocked at the door to "my house" on the day of the wedding. His party must "fight" to get in to collect me.

Traditional Western Wedding

Traditional Ceremony: A day after the Western wedding, a traditional ceremony (Yedabo) was held at the groom's family home. He officially introduced me to his family and community. His family played a "game" to determine my new name.

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