Today was the send-off for Shem and Sara's wedding, and we didn't really know what to expect. It turns out that send-offs involve lots of waiting, dancing, and money.
To be more specific, here's what we did today:
10:00 - headed out to the village with several passengers, changing some of them along the way as some got off and others got on. Futakamba, Shem's fellow Zanaki translator, and his wife stayed in the truck with us the whole time. It was nice to have some folks we know along for the trip. It was also handy for Andrew during the day to have Futakamba around, since he speaks English fairly well. He was dressed in a gray suit and sunglasses, which cracked us up, because with his freshly-shaved head and pot-belly, he looked like a dictator.
11:15 - we arrived in Kiabakari village and went to Sara (bride)'s parents' house. Her dad is 99 and her mom 85, and both are still quite agile. Her dad danced at one point and her mom was lugging buckets of water around. He has three wives, each of which has 10 kids, so Sara has lots and lots of siblings, many of which were in attendance.
10:16 - immediately upon arrival, Andrew was whisked away to go sit with Shem, Futakamba, and some other men around the corner of one of the houses on the compound. I was whisked away to go sit with Sara, Shem's sister, and Futakamba's wife inside another house.
1:35 - we're still sitting in those exact places. By this point, we've chatted about politics (there is a presidential election at the end of the month, so it's a hot topic), greeted a lot of guests, and watched people cook (Andrew) and watched people dance (Misha). In order to check in with each other, we've texted back and forth, but we haven't been together at all, since the bride and groom aren't supposed to see each other, and we're supposed to stay with them. Considering that they have been "married" for 18 years, this is a little odd to me, but tradition prevails. My highlight of this waiting time was watching the old folks dancing. There was a generator and DJ there with some loud music, but at one point he played some old folks music and those grannies and grandpas got out there and starting going for it!
1:45 - a HUGE downpour starts right as lunch arrives. We women huddle in the dark and eat. The men have already eaten and they go sit in our truck, the driest place around. I guess they end up talking about how condensation forms and Andrew explains the science of it to them. I have a nice conversation with Futakamba's wife and get to know her a bit.
3:30 - the party starts! We parade out in our finery and a ceremony of giving money begins. We have no idea what is happening and just follow along as best as we can. Shem is very insistent that we don't give any money of our own and gives us money of his to put in the basket. This is very impressive, considering it's basically a big fundraising party! People come up in groups - young men, older women, etc. and try and make a big show of giving money, dancing all the while. Sara kneels to receive the gifts given by the older women (see picture).
5:00 - the part is just getting going and apparently will keep going for hours, but Shem tells us it's time for us to leave. We scurry out and drive home with Futakamba and his wife. Shem leaves, too, but Sara stays for the party.
6:30 - Soon after we arrive home, Shem shows up at our house with a bunch of bananas as a thank-you gift for us. Once again, we're rather shocked at his generosity. I love bananas, so this is a great gift.
7:00 - we crash and I write a blog post. :-)
All in all, it was a good day. It was long, but never unpleasant. I feel like I got to know the wives of the translators with whom I work, which I enjoyed. It was a good cultural experience!
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