It’s been a minute dear reader. Did ya miss me? With all the Fires, Viruses, Political craziness going on, my focus has been diverted away from writing and more on Living and Planning. You know the saying, “those that fail to plan, plan to fail.”. Well, plenty of plans and preparations are in place for the future! Enough about that…for now. Now that I DO have a few minutes to write, let’s get back to the topic at hand. Who wants to read about a wedding? Well, this isn’t the post! This is the PRECURSOR to the wedding post. (Which will be coming in a few days…)
Today, the Traditional African wedding is to take place. In a previous post, I spoke of traveling to Guy’s uncles’ house for a “meet and greet” which I still feel honored to have been a part of. Today, we will travel back to his home, in a more formal capacity, to celebrate the Union of these families. Note: Since I was not IN the wedding, there may be some details that change over time. I’m writing this purely as a bystander/witness so, some of the details will be updated as details are clarified. And sicne this ISN’T the wedding post, here’s a sneak peek pic to satiate your curiosity…
The day began early…at least for me. As part of the bridesmaid party, Tawanna had to get up early as the bridesmaids needed to travel with Kisha to the location in order to get her ready. The “Getting ready” part takes hours…not because they needed that much time to help the bride get dressed/makeup but because there are multiple ceremonies which were to happen inside the home, between the families (the inner circles of each family) that are not rushed. In my next post, I will try my best to discuss those traditions but, it is going to take a little time because I want to speak to the bride and my wife about them to gain some additional perspective and insight.
I traveled down to get some breakfast…my usual (Ginger Juice, Omelet, Potatoes, fresh fruit, and a slice of a baguette. Yum. Properly fed, I headed back to the room to shower, iron my shirt, and make the final preparations for the day which included extra bug spray, some gum, and some other necessities. I also played a song that came out last year but started to gain some steam on the radio…
Our buses were scheduled to leave at 9:30 so I headed downstairs at 9 to a lobby buzzing with activity. We were all, for good reason, very excited. As a bonus, the family of the bride and bridesmaids all had on traditional African Ceremonial Garb (Aso Ebi). Each family member that appeared elicited some applause, cheers, or praise at their outfits. Speaking of fits…I was wearing an all-white linen suit with a blue African Print shirt given to me by Guy. I was looking good…but, do I have any pics on my phone? No. *One slow tear just rolled down my left cheek*
Self effusive praise aside, we boarded the buses, ready for what the day would bring. As I had already traveled to the location days before, I knew that the ride would take about 30 minutes or so. Well, I was wrong. For one, when we first traveled to the uncle’s home, we were already in the area when we stopped by. Besides, you know the saying about the time when you’re having fun. That initial visit (and day) was one fast wonderful blur. Today…I found myself thinking “I am in Africa for an African wedding. How blessed am I?”. After about 30 minutes on the bus, looking out the window, snapping a few pictures, I started thinking “Are we there yet?”. Well, No.
Apparently, the initial traditional ceremony, the one that needs further clarification, was taking longer than expected..which was to be expected considering the language barrier. So, the suggestion was for us to detour to a local mall in order to stretch our legs and well…do what Americans do in malls. Spend money, peruse the wares and use the bathroom.
10 minutes away from our destination, the mall was a perfect place to kill time. After some initial negotiation with the mall security (Read: Paying the Mall security some money to allow us to park our buses in a special area) the more adventurous of us, disembarked to take a stroll around the mall…Cosmos Yopougon.
With less than 50 stores, this mall wasn’t huge. It was modern, “Westernized” and sparkling clean. What it lacked in size, it gained in hospitality. Many of the patrons and shop employees smiled, spoke, and encouraged us to come in and have a look. I take it that we didn’t necessarily “blend in” as we were all dressed to the nines. Most of us were dressed in traditional African attire so, I guess it was the English that gave us away? While I WAS a tourist, I didn’t want to LOOK the stereotypical part any more than necessary. Here is a link to some stock pictures.
Nevertheless, we stayed for close to 30 minutes before it was time to head to the ceremony. A ceremony that I will cover in the next post. Until then, dear reader, thank you for your time.
Travel Tip: Bring comfortable footwear. We did a LOT of walking in Africa so, I made sure that I packed my most comfortable shoes, sneakers, and sandals. Your feet will thank you.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/tips-to-fix-aching-feet-1337689-5c04a2d846e0fb0001406350.png)
Raomel's Observations - Rabservations 