So, I went to my first Rwandan wedding this past weekend. This was only my second wedding ever, so I’m not sure how much of an authority I can pretend to be, but here’s my attempt! Well, it started with a good case of “I’m a US American and still can’t grasp the concept of Rwandan time.” I arrived around 11 as the invitation said 10, and when I tried to go at 1o, everyone looked at me like I was a little crazy. Fortunately a school is really close to the church so I got surrounded by excited children. I know every single day my Kinyarwanda is getting better as I say “Sinbumva” (I don’t understand) less and less. So I talked to the children for around 40 minutes or so. One of them was sick and kept coughing, so I took the opportunity to teach the “cover your cough” method we have in the states, except I went with “Dukokora Munhokora” which means literally that we cough in our elbow. Don’t worry, I demonstrated and made them all repeat after me, which was a lot of fun.
Two hours later, the bride and groom finally arrived. So we entered the church and watched people dancing for about a half an hour which was a lot of fun. Being that the groom was a co-worker of mine, a lot of my co-workers went, which was fun. Some were even in the choir. Then the couple entered and sat in chairs at the front of the church. They sat facing the alter and a giant wooden cross mounted in front of them. So for the next hour as the choir sang and the people danced, the couple didn’t see any of it. They simply continued to stare straight ahead, without many smiles or such. Then the priest did a little speaking, about what I’m not sure, as I tend to space out during long Kinyarwandan ramblings. Finally, the groom approached the priest, pledged himself to God, was given a certificate, then sat back down. More singing and dancing commenced. Finally, after about an hour and a half or so, the couple did their “I dos” and the groom slowly rolled up the veil on the bride. The priest pronounced them, and they hugged. I guess that was that. I was actually really excited to see a Rwandan couple kiss, as they don’t really ever do that in public. I’ve been here five months and I’ve never seen it. So they hugged. To which I giggled and had to stifle myself with a hand over the mouth.
The couple then paraded in a circle around their chairs, then sat back down for more sermon-ing. Finally they left. But, they only headed to the tea factory to take photos. When they returned, the church had been transformed for the reception. They even had cake! But, not enough to go around, which was a little saddening. There was the sharing of champagne, the cutting of the cake together, and they even fed us. We were each given a tin foil box with bread and sambusas in it. (Sambusas consist of meat or vegetables or both, wrapped in thin dough and then deep fried. They’re really good, but definitely in small doses, otherwise your stomach may not be too pleased.) They brought out fantas for everyone, as well as a big green tub full of sorghum beer that many took turns drinking out of with long straws. Finally, there was the gift giving, which I have to admit was slightly annoying. I really enjoyed the aspect of the one other wedding I went to in which they had a gift table. Drop your gift off, and there’s no pushing and shoving and such trying to get to the bride and groom.
I simply gave them a card with money, which is pretty standard here, but got shoved a lot in the process. I gave them one of the postcards my aunt and uncle sent me (sorry Bill and Em). It was one with animals on it as I wanted to keep the ones of PA and Michigan, so I can fondly reminisce. I thought they’d appreciate something from America as well. So sorry that I gave one away, and thank you so much for sending it to me in the first place! Anyways, the whole wedding (including wait time) was about seven hours. Without wait time, it was about four hours. So it was long, but fun. I didn’t run into any of my old elementary school teachers, or old classmates, (as you might imagine) so that was nice as well, removed that element of potential stress. Haha. Apparently our community mayor is getting married in November, who is the son of a co-worker and I’ve been invited. Then two more co-workers will be married in December and January. So, apparently all those weddings I’ve missed in the states, I’ll be making up for it here.
That was my Saturday. Sunday I went to church, and then I did a lot of laundry, which prompted me to go on a lengthy spiel about laundry machines, Laundromats, and how much I don’t much care for doing laundry by hand. This stemmed into an explanation of dishwashers, and the differences between crummy college apartments and my parent’s homes. I very much appreciate my friend Justin (who is my roommates umucozi) who puts up with so much from me, helps me mop my room (which I am surprisingly bad at) and has so much patience! Although, he has started to act a little bit like Ryan in that I think he very much enjoys saying the opposite of what I say just for the sake of it, and he also has taken to mocking me when he can. I’ll say I think the cold weather is good, to which he’ll counter with, no it is bad. I’ll say I can mop my room, he’ll laugh and say, no. It goes like this quite regularly, but we laugh a lot, and he has learned how to speak Megan, in that whatever broken Kinyarwanda I can muster, he understands and translates it into comprehensible Kinyarwanda for other people. 
I’ve met some really amazing people, and seen some really amazing things so far. I am so happy with this life choice I’ve made. That’s not to say that I’m not looking forward to my Peace Corps training in a week and a half. I think my brain could really use the gift of speaking English for a while. I feel as though I haven’t had a weekend in quite a while, and they just don’t understand how much work it is sometimes to actually speak Kinyarwanda constantly. But buhoro buhoro (slowly slowly) I will know Kinyarwanda and the stress of that aspect of my life will decrease (at least I hope as such)! Anyways, there’s my wedding tale… much love, until next we meet!
The first pictures is of girls dancing before the wedding started. Next is the bride and groom signing their marriage license. Third is Agnes and I at the reception. She is everywhere in this community, all the time, and a really wonderful woman. Finally this last photo is the ministers drinking the first "swigs" so to speak out of the tub of sorgham beer.
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