Figure 1: The extent of romance in India. Polite staring.
Erik and I were lucky enough to be able to go to a wedding the weekend before last- my first traditional Indian wedding! If you've ever thought any American wedding ceremony was long, India takes it to a whole new level: there were ceremonies and celebrations lasting for days. Fortunately, there were plenty of pleasant intermissions for meals with unlimited food.
The bride and groom looked wonderful as they were adorned in flowers and in traditional Indian garments. It was a little difficult to understand exactly what was going on due to my continuing incompetence in the Marathi language. Lots of rice was thrown, songs were sung...but no wedding kiss to seal the deal. What else would I expect, though, from a country that threatened to throw anyone in jail who kissed or held hands in public on Valentine's Day? Granted, to my knowledge, it wasn't actually enforced. But, it's easy to pick up on the general sentiment of public display of affection here in India.
Anyways, if you ever get the chance to attend an Indian wedding: please don't hesitate. I am continually floored by the kindness and hospitality that everyone here has shown me. Perhaps affection is more abundant here than I recognize: just displayed through acts kindness rather than interlocked hands.
Figure 2: The happy couple
Hope you all are doing well. I'll try to be more diligent with putting up new posts. It's a struggle to find reliable (cheap) internet, but I think I've almost got it figured out. Take care!
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