My teaching partner invited Clint and
I to her brother’s wedding. We hired our
school driver to take us. He had to take
the expats on their Saturday morning shopping trip first so we were 30 minutes
late for the service. As soon as we were
spotted we were ushered to seats just behind the family even though the church
was packed and people were standing in the back and at the windows looking in. I had the feeling people were asked to get up
so we could sit. It was really awkward being ushered to the front during the service. I wonder if they wanted everyone to see that this couple knew white people. It is like it changes their status or something. The sermon was
long. It sounded a lot like a
pre-marital counseling session. The
couple had their traditional Nigerian service earlier in the week in the
bride’s home village. In that service they where the traditional clothing. This was their
modern service which was similar to services in the USA and the bride wore a white wedding dress. Every big event brings photographers with
their handheld, battery operated photo printers.
They take pictures of you and then try to sell them to you. It is a bit irritating. Most people do not have cameras here so for
them it is special. I think we had our picture taken twenty times or more. Several people had cameras on their phones so they were using them to take our picture.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidHXAuKi_hxMFoNCjqet-UcASwCKr_g8L82fAZ7SK22W_q33m4h_FuPElA8vkkzeGa6mMmKKxw0jW8fJ0OqejYtcj4ULFBZkbIJi58O6h2PUUu8s8OASHFc6RnV55xZnQWC9RAOEHGwrF0/s640/DSCN4961.JPG) |
The wedding flowers were all silk. The service was held at a Jehovah Witness Hall. The lady in front of me is wearing a wig. More than half the woman here in Nigeria wear wigs or braided hair extensions. Rarely do you see a woman with just her own natural Afro hair. |
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This little sweetheart was walking up and down the center aisle. I wish the picture had turned out better. She was so cute. She had fancy little braids in loops. |
My teaching partner asked us for a
ride to the reception.
She went to
quickly tell her family while we climbed in our van.
All of a sudden all these people started
getting in the van.
There were so many they
were sitting on laps.
We didn’t know
what to say and our driver didn’t stop them.
When she returned I talked to her at the window and told her what
happened.
The people thanked us for the
ride after we arrived but they certainly didn’t ask before they started piling
in.
It was like a mob scene.
We see this kind of thing every day on our
way to school.
The cars and vans are
packed like it is a contest to see how many people you can get inside of a
Volkswagon Bug.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh73EPowASdDj9ORm_3z3KHHzs3FVgadUdSvXVY6188GDTxTKtq4EJifPPtnc18HX_QKsy9BTYFQasdYpxIOKjVpJRG_kOLjPMp-yuwfZl1zV0_gHO7ASlskDer2c7R5_M7XZqVIlEoRWXk/s640/DSCN4967.JPG) |
It was kind of funny how they piled in uninvited but it wasn't funny that there was no room left for my teaching partner. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm8eVTeo9EZg7-QZ_kvXkLqcH2xemrR5OhDqXR1vg-9goTQyV9h8e1vlYDVqACqLXRztcFLOmKz4iNaJtj7IMTaxY5Pr_BXNecdqtOpw4lMi68MC8T03XTbb-d28-a-hAWpTB0dTM9Vmej/s640/DSCN4983.JPG) |
This is a picture of a picture of us with my teaching partner and her husband and one of her children. |
At the reception venue there were hundreds
of more people who had arrived just for the reception. I only saw
two gifts for the bride and groom. The
room was nicely decorated. We have
noticed that people decorate here with fabric swags more than anything
else. The chairs were all outdoor cheap
plastic patio chairs. The only reason I
am describing them is because they started collapsing under people all over the
room. At our table Clint and I both fell
twice and our driver fell once. Two
other people near us also fell. We could
hear it happening over and over all around the room. People would yelp and
shuffle to try and grab the person falling. Some of the chairs actually
snapped legs off. I was laughing so hard
when it happened to me. I was just
sitting not leaning or anything and all of a sudden I was on the floor on my
back. Two people got up and took my arms
to help me up. I was laughing too hard
to get up on my own. I felt really red
from embarrassment so I did a curtsy before I sat down again on a different
chair. Within only a couple minutes I
was back on the floor again this time I almost took our table out too because I
was holding onto it. It reminded me of
the story my mother has told about falling off of a stage while sitting on a
chair near the edge.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilodiOaPgD_Sg6ZrsUYDIBbj-js_eqgwv7HNT3cWx6CuHX3BEq7FXeLZCpUCpCIKWaGAniH9gGLp0UP1YvzP_Iyr6R__Y84E5fU9zuR-ttut88RsbUaUJAZ_PhaisnVgo_nm5oJ2TA5K6t/s640/DSCN4968.JPG) |
This is my teaching partner's other child. He attends our school in the nursery class. The staff members can have one child attend for free and the second one is 25% off. |
I tried to download the video I took of the dancing but it didn't work and wouldn't let me delete it.
When the bride and groom came in with
their wedding party they danced to the popular music here. There was a clown who showed up and was
bothering people. I was told he was
requesting money before he would leave.
The meal was rice and goat meat, I think.
It didn't taste like beef. We also were served barley soda.
We have learned to drink it. The
soda tastes like drinking a slice of bread.
I don’t know how else to describe it.
The bride and groom gave everyone a ceramic plate and a calendar with their picture to
remember their wedding. Our driver
purchased a couple pictures taken of us.
Clint purchased one also and finally the photographers left us
alone. The clown followed us out to our
van trying to get money from us. When we
got back to our compound the science teacher was outside. He said I looked like a queen. Several people made comments that we had
nicely grown into the culture here by wearing the traditional clothing. Our attire was definitely well received. Clint picked up his shirt from the seamstress
yesterday so he got it just in time. The
science teacher’s wife made it for him.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsYGXiQVkT97Ov-2L-0TrxsdBQOfLGfkboeV9DMXbwWdsr-hG7FlA-i6ZqTFEyi5I88X3z75P9dORNRDQ38htRMuyu7DImkesfEU4IU0eYnZxpKJIEAKGVO_EQkgIj1eRL3MWQBfeR1J1Y/s640/DSCN4969.JPG) |
This is us with our driver. He took us by his house to drop something off. We were able to meet a couple of his seven children, |
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This was the irritating clown. |