Hello,
It's hard to believe but my time here in Sri Lanka is coming to a close. It's been wonderful and I look forward to returning. Last weekend I had a unique cultural experience. I went to an engagement party for a young Muslim woman. She is a relative of the family that I have become friends with. Here's an explanation of the day.
After yoga in the morning I was picked up by Hafeel in a van with his relatives. At that point there was about 12 people in the van spanning at least three generations. We cruised down the road towards Galle which is about 2 hours away. Along the way we stopped at a relative in Matara and picked up two more folks. When we arrived at our destination we went to the brides house and all the women went to get dressed. The saris that they wear have 9 square meters of cloth that is intricately wrapped around the body.
All the relatives welcomed me and I felt very comfortable. Several spoke English because they too had worked in the Middle East. Eventually we made it to the banquet hall where the party/ceremony was. The engagement "party" is really an opportunity for the women of both families to acknowledge the bride. At this party the bride basically sat in a chair surrounded with flowers in the front of the room and all the women were seated in front of her. They took turns having pictures with the bride and exchanging gifts. It is crucial that the bride's family gives a gift to every woman in the husband's family....if someone is left out they will not be happy. While this is happening the men are just hanging out.
At some point food came out and we all shared rice and curry from a communal bowl in the center, of course with the right hand. As usual it was delicious. After the photos and meal things winded down.....but not before a little three year old kid locked himself in his parents car with the keys and kept pushing the alarm button because of the cool sound it made. The father went home to fetch a spare key.
On our way home we stopped at another relative and had tea. He was reading an English paper and asked me about Obama. All the adults here know about the Obama-Clinton race and it is typically the first topic of conversation. They are all really excited about having a black man as president of America. It was nice to get back to Rocky Point after a full day. Off to bed and yoga in the morning.
P.S.
The photo of the frog is a 1500 piece puzzle that I gave to Hafeel's family and they completed during the past month with the help of his extended family......and I guess several Aunts and Uncles really loved it.
Hope you are all well and I leave a week from today. Cheers, Jacob
