Wedding

Wedding:
I went to my student's wedding last night. It was only the second one I've attended. I've been invited to a few others but they were like on Wednesday nights or something and I was just too busy to go. But this was a Friday night affair and this girl Munirakhon aka Sabrina is a super special girl. Plus I had many of my students/friends there to explain everything to me and talk to me. I was probably the only man in the hall sitting at an all woman table. But that was good because then I was spaired the vodka and cognac.
Sabrina is 20 I think and this wedding was rather hastily arranged. It had to be done quickly because I guess the groom's granny might die soon. But I saw the granny out on the dance floor at the wedding dancing it up. I think she has a few more years in her.
It was a bad time to have a wedding for Sabrina because this is during final exams at the university. I had to give Sabrina her final exam on Monday because it was originally scheduled for her wedding day!
I had a chance to talk to Sabrina on Monday and she was stressed out naturally about not having enough time to fix her hair and go shopping etc. She wanted to postpone the wedding a few weeks too but that just wasn't happening. She seemed pretty scared or nervous on Monday. She doesn't really know the man she is marrying but she said that he said he loves her. So Sabrina was taking solice in this. She was scared about leaving her family because she has to go live with the man's family. The family was described to me as a powerful "political" family. I don't think Sabrina really wanted to get married at this point in her life but the right family came calling and her parents I'm sure thought it prudent. The groom is just one year older than her 21, and goes to a different branch of our university.
Well she passed my test too by the way on Monday. She knew all 40 difficult vocabulary words and answered all the 20 questions perfectly. Some how she was able to study with her wedding looming just days away. On retrospect this is amazing!
The wedding was held in a big hall specifically designed for weddings. I'm sure they have a wedding or two there every night. In fact there are two wedding halls right next to each other a big expensive one and a little cheaper one. We were in the big expensive one.
It was basically like a big reception in the U.S. The bride and groom slowly walked in the hall surrounded by picture takers, musicians, family, flower spreaders, and friends. Sabrina or all brides for that matter aren't supposed to smile during the entire ceremony. They are just supposed to be serious. But after Sabrina took her seat at the front table I went up and took her picture and when she saw me she smiled a slight smile the only smile I saw from her all night. I think she sees me as her teacher and friend someone who understands and represents "other" that is refreshing for a young woman confinded by conformity. I gave her a big American thumbs up after I took the picture but I was thinking to myself was it the beginning of a beautiful life together for this couple or the end of Sabrina's freedom and life.
There were dry toasts by relatives basically just well wishers offering congratulations. There was a lot of dancing and loud very loud music. Sabrina and her husband stood up during all this and every so often she would slowly bow in gratitude to the family and friends saying warm words or dancing at the party.
I didn't dance cuz I didn't want to dance with the women/my students because it seemed like men and women were dancing seperately and I didn't know any of the men. I didn't want to dance with strangers.
Girls here generally can't stay out after dark so by 8:30 pm some were bailing their parents were too worried. The wedding began at 7. By 9 parents were calling my students getting pretty upset. So by 9:15 all my students had to leave. They wanted to stay though and say a toast in English for Sabrina on the microphone but the music kept on endlessly and by 9:15 they said they just couldn't wait for the music to stop and they had to go. But my mother didn't know I was at this party so I was free to stay as long as I wanted. The sad thing was that less than 5 minutes after the last three girls left the MC said it was my/our turn to say the toast.
So I took the mic in front of hundreds the MC kinda pronounced my name. I almost called her Sabrina in front of all these serious people but I stopped myself and called her Munirakhon in the most polite way.
I knew probably no one knew what I was saying so it was like having a personal conversation with the bride!!! I said the usual congratulatory words praising her and wishing her the best. All of which were and are totally true. I reminded her that she is the champion of "Around the World" a vocabulary game we played in the classroom. Then for some reason I reminded her that earlier in the school year she had given me little porcelin dolphins and a sweet note. I asked her if she remembered this and she nodded it was cool. It was like I was breaking her out of her acting role as the bride and really speaking to her as a friend. Her husband doesn't know English so I'm sure he was curious about what I said that made his wife nod. She even smiled a bit too. I reminded her that everyone in her class loves her and then I gave her seven red roses that the girls from my class bought. I also gave her another present that the girls from my class bought but I'm not sure what it was I think it was a blanket. Actually I had to give these gifts to the stern woman sitting next to Sabrina. Then that was it. I did my job representing our class and I know I made Sabrina happy. I walked home shortly after saying my toast. I was pretty stoaked.

One last note on the final exam I had students right one paragraph about a law they want to change in this country and why. Almost all the girls except 2 or 3 said they want to move the normal marriage age back from 17-20 to like 23-25. Even the married women said they wished girls themselves included could get married later. But the thing is there is no government law saying a woman must get married young it is just a social norm. Now it is becoming more popular here for girls to get married even younger like at age 16 or 17. Mothers come to my unversity looking for brides for their sons and ask teachers about girls. Supposedly the "best" "most beautiful" girls get married the earliest in the first or second course.

Well I could go on and on all night but basically I agree with the girls in my class. They know and I know their education is important and they want to finish that first because after they are married family comes before education usually. Sometimes family/ babies can get in the way of an education.

I have given you all I have time to give. I'm worked to the bone but still loving it in a very strange way that I don't even understand myself.

"When I was an alien cultures were an opinion." Nirvana

take care