The Super....what????

Hello Everyone,

Hope everyone enjoys Super Sunday today, and for those of you who don't like football, you can at least enjoy good food and great commercials. The one time of the year, when people actually look forward to commercial breaks.

We won't be watching the game(and wouldn't be even if it wasn't on so late), and to be honest most people here don't even know its on today. I almost forgot actually. I don't even know who is playing............although I'm sure I will get a plethera of emails from Adam to clarify that for me.

The wedding over the weekend was great. It started with Cassie and I getting into a taxi at eight thirty and then waiting until after ten for it to leave. Mostly due to the rain causing delays. After two and a half hours, we made it to Kitkum, got out of the taxi, called Mike, and waited. As we did we were offered dozens of rides, as Kitkum doesn't see many people quite as pale as Cassie and I. After a short boda ride, we stayed at a nice hotel, and after a quick lunch we went to meet Mike's family. A good friend of Mike's named Carl came along too. He is from Seattle, and we had a lot fun. He has been in Africa (Uganda/Tanzania) for six months, and has been here before.

As I have mentioned before this was the traditional wedding. Its also called the introduction. Basically, the groom and the bride's family set up a deligation team, and negotiate on the bridal price. The groom and the bride are not allowed to talk, and the bride actually isn't even involved. After hours , and sometimes days of deligation, a price is settled, and then a short ceremony takes place. For Mike and Faith, they will have a church wedding later this year, and it will be then that they go on there honeymoon.

They women all wore very colorful dresses, and because Mike couldn't afford a traditional gown, he wore a suit. In terms of dress, it was not what I was expecting. I was expecting something a little more.....................well traditional. Grass skirts and such. Those however are only worn, by people still living deep in the bush. Cassie was actually in the wedding, and had to participate by wearing a traditional dress, and then later having to carry beans in a basket on her head. She did really well and didn't drop anything.

It was a very long day, full of me and Carl taking hundreds of photos. Not sure how often I will be invited to a traditional african wedding, so I wanted lots of pictures to remember it by. A few things really stood out yesterday though. One was that Ugandan's are very beautiful, and happy people. They are also very generous and respectful. At one point a homeless man came up, who the community knows to have some mental health problems. Instead of shooing him away, they let him have a seat by the house and gave him a coke. Because of the wedding, there was lots of soda, and its not very often that people drink it, so it was a treat for everyone, especially him. Later after the family agreed on the bridal price, and the ceremony was done, we all sat under a tent and ate a delicious meal. We ate out of the nicest china bowls I've seen.....but we ate with our hands. I love it. I felt like a kid again. When we were done, there was lots of food left, and the family gave it to neighbors, and to a another homeless man who stumbled upon the party.

It just got me thinking about how many of us would allow someone who is "less then desireable" to be anywhere near a wedding, let alone invite then to share the meal. I don't think........ and I pray than I am right.........that I will ever be the same again.

Two months to go..........here's to making the most of them.

Love and miss you all,

Joe