The Wedding Adventure

I like to use positive terms for blog titles (aka "Adventure") even though I will probably be complaining for most of the post:) We definitely set out on an unknown adventure Wednesday morning when I loaded up the boys to journey to my housekeeper's daughter's wedding.

The reception was actually the night before but b/c of the rain (monsoon season) Brian felt like we shouldn't go. His co-worker warned him how long it would take to get there. So the next morning I started out at 8:30 for a wedding that was beginning at 10:15 in the outskirts of Bangalore. I started too late...It took us 3 hours!!!!! It wasn't that far geographically...only 31 miles. But traffic is horrendous! At the two hour mark we hit a line of cars stopped at an intersection. Nothing new there, but a man came up to the car and motioned us to go around the traffic so I did. Come to find a communist party was protesting in the street. They were sitting in the middle of the intersection not letting people pass. Ok, I must confess I went livid at this point. The wedding was starting, I had no idea where I was going, and I had already driven 2 hours with 3 kids....I was GOING to this wedding! I talked to the traffic police and asked him why they were allowing this--he couldn't understand my English:) So I waited a few minutes and when I saw the start of a clearing I inched my way thru, honking people out of the way:) I finally made it out. I was so upset, almost in tears:)--what a bad example for my children, but I was determined:)

So we finally made it to the wedding after stopping to ask a dozen people where the place was. Thank goodness for an invitation printed in the local language. We arrived at what the invitation said was to be the end of the wedding but it was far from being over, thank goodness.

Unfortunately we don't enjoy going to public events very much here. I know that sounds like Scrooge at Christmas but really we are made such a spectacle that it is overwhelming for us all--pretty stressful I should say. The two weddings we have been to have been so chaotic, people whisking away our children, pinching their faces, seating us in the front row (moving people that were already sitting there!), starring at us, videoing us, it's very loud--just crazy. Now I know why celebrities don't go out in public. I don't say that to suggest we are celebrities (ok, maybe Kai:) but just the way it feels makes one want to stay home:) Probably more realistically would be how a physically challenged person feels when people stare at them and their handicap everywhere they go.

So we stayed for an hour and then drove back 2 hours (traffic was a little better). I know our housekeeper appreciated us coming so it was worth it, but I'm glad it's over. Too much for this mom to handle:) I would love to view a wedding here as a fly on the wall:) I'm so curious about the cultural traditions but can't really take them in with so much going on around us. Maybe I'll just have to depend on the internet for that cultural learning.