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weak eyes, crippled feet, and a wedding...
yesterday we have been invited to a wedding. and what a wedding it has been: the 18 year old boy has such poor eye vision that he wears glasses thick as coke bottles, and the girl has crooked feet. yet both are committed christians - image bearers of the creator. the families of botth the bride and the groom are very poor, and it was therefore only a small wedding. the families put the money together for the dresses and the picnic.
the wedding takes place under two huge trees in a rural setting, 2 hours drive away from pokhara. karina and i are the only foreigners present - in fact, we are the only ones who are not related to either bride or groom. yet we know the groom's family well, and the reason we have been invited is simply that they consider us part of the family. what a privilege.
it is hot (>100f) and sticky. as always, things are running late. the majority of the wedding party - including karina - has gone to the bride's home to fetch her according to the local custom. i (daniel) stay back with some others under the trees in front of the groom's 'house' - a single room about 100 square feet which the newly weds are going to share with the groom's parents and his 2 sisters. nepalese realities.
then the party arrives. a young man climbs monkey-like in the tree, produces a home-made flute and plays. the neighbors come out and receive the couple. my friend chanman weds the couple, and together we pray god's blessing on the pair. 
just as we begin to eat the picnic (rice, chewy waterbuffalo meat and pickles) a drunken neighbor comes out and starts beating up his wife and child - more nepalese realities. poverty and marginalization has many - ugly - faces. unlike the people - they are beautiful.
yesterday we have been invited to a wedding. and what a wedding it has been: the 18 year old boy has such poor eye vision that he wears glasses thick as coke bottles, and the girl has crooked feet. yet both are committed christians - image bearers of the creator. the families of botth the bride and the groom are very poor, and it was therefore only a small wedding. the families put the money together for the dresses and the picnic. 
the wedding takes place under two huge trees in a rural setting, 2 hours drive away from pokhara. karina and i are the only foreigners present - in fact, we are the only ones who are not related to either bride or groom. yet we know the groom's family well, and the reason we have been invited is simply that they consider us part of the family. what a privilege.
it is hot (>100f) and sticky. as always, things are running late. the majority of the wedding party - including karina - has gone to the bride's home to fetch her according to the local custom. i (daniel) stay back with some others under the trees in front of the groom's 'house' - a single room about 100 square feet which the newly weds are going to share with the groom's parents and his 2 sisters. nepalese realities.
then the party arrives. a young man climbs monkey-like in the tree, produces a home-made flute and plays. the neighbors come out and receive the couple. my friend chanman weds the couple, and together we pray god's blessing on the pair. 
just as we begin to eat the picnic (rice, chewy waterbuffalo meat and pickles) a drunken neighbor comes out and starts beating up his wife and child - more nepalese realities. poverty and marginalization has many - ugly - faces. unlike the people - they are beautiful.
1 comment:
Well written article.
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