Wedding and Party

And here begins my mushy account of how perfect I think Mahimbo and Ale are for each other. Never in my life have I seen such a mature couple for their age so well suited for each other. Most of the time, couples thrive on the mundanity and low velocity nature of settling down. But when I look at Mahimbo and Ale, both individually and together, I know they will live a life of passion, joyfulness and service. My wish for them is to be able to continue having careers that are within easy reach of each other, as I know they will benefit from sharing experiences and daily life as a unit. They give me hope that there is someone amazing and thrilling out there for each of us that completes us.

The wedding was so beautiful! It was held in a pink and white church and had a wonderful choir. It was really hot and humid, but we all managed to get through it smoothly. The party afterwards was amazing, a nice mixture of Italian formal and Tanzanian fun. Everybody looked beautiful considering the lot of us had spent the last 4 days hot, sweaty and wearing clothing ragged and stained from the humidity. Then again, maybe that was just me, as most of the people who attended are residents of or work in Africa so they must be used to the weather/temperature. But the men were dashing in their tailored suits and the women were in a variety of beautiful dresses. The feeling of celebration was evident.

After the wedding, rice was thrown, the bouquet was fought over, and trumpeteers perched on the back of a pickup truck and played as the entire convoy of 9 cars drove back to the hotel where we had our wedding party.

I was lucky enough to sit with two of my favorite kids - Alice and Jonas. Their english was great and we even shared a few french phrases that we knew. We talked and talked - they are such smart, precocious and worldly children. Jonas and I danced to a few songs, and I have to say, he's pretty good for a 9 year old! Alice didn't like the Italian food, and Jonas made do by creating a sandwich out of some bread and the hors d'ouevres that were served - which made me laugh! Since he didn't know what this food was, he created something that he was familiar with and just munched away.

I will never forget Alice touching my hair and telling me how much I could sell my hair for in Tanzania. And I will never forget Jonas bowing his head before eating and then perk up with a big grin and say "Don't worry, I prayed for you!" I think that prayer will last me a lifetime, I could have given him a thousand kisses for saying that. Those kids left such an impression on me, and I hope that I left an impression on them too. Alice and Jonas both, upon first laying eyes on me would ask "Do you know kung fu?!" and other such stereotypes which were not inherently mean, but obviously replete with images from TV and movies. I hope they came away learning what an Asian-American is like. It's times like these when I am proud for always trying to represent both Americans and Asian-Americans the best way I know how.

The M.C. was an army general related to the family, he spoke French, English and Swahili. Jim, who is Alice and Jonas' dad, who is a politically prominent man also helped to lead the event and keep the introductions going. Everyone spoke multiple languages. Most of the ceremony was in English, with a little bit in French, a bit in Italian, and a bit in Swahili. I've decided to learn Swahili, as it sounds so nice and is used in Tanzania, Uganda, and a couple other neighboring countries. I learned that West Africa speaks French, SouthEastern Africa speaks English, and I think Northern Africa speaks some sort of Arabic. What an amazing mixture of countries.

I can't wait to go back! I can't wait until Wafaa gets married and has a wedding in Sudan. I hope she meets a wonderful guy and starts a family. That girl is one of the most fantastic, nurturing, adventurous and thoughtful people I've ever met. It was an honor to have met so many amazing people in one place.