Post Wedding Blog

We made it to the wedding right around 10:45 pm.  We of course thought that we would be late in our arrival.  Well, we were one of the first.  We met people as they slowly strolled in over the next couple of hours.  The bride and groom arrived around 12:45 am and then dinner served around 1 am.  Dinner was buffet style.  An aggressive first come, first serve sort of style with separate tables for men and women.  There seemed to be no shame in pushing others aside to get to kabobs.  

I rather enjoyed the evening.  I was able to meet a few people, and one woman that I hope to call and get to know.

Wedding Invite for tomorrow Night!

I was very excited to come home Wednesday evening and find a wedding invitation waiting for me.  I went to a wedding here back in 2003, but not since.  It will be on Saturday, tomorrow which means I had to get expedited tailor service for fancy clothes.  Evening activities will begin at 9pm, dinner at 10 pm and something else (I don't know what) is at 11 pm.  This is all "Insha Allah" which is printed on the invitation.  This means "If the Lord wills".  I will Insha Allah post a blog after the event too.

Multiple Choice Quiz (from J)

Where does this man come from?

A. England

B. France

C. Russia

D Middle East

E. Northern Pakistan

F. Western Pakistan

G.  China

H.  U.S.

I think you all know the right answer.  This list contains all the places people have thought I was from.  A few of them I understand, but the China guess caused me to give the man  a strange face.  Overall, it is pretty nice to keep people confused.  It allows me to stay under the radar a bit and keeps all the over zealous lovers of western culture and people away!!!!  My European friend with blonde hair and trendy glasses gets a lot more stares and requests from random people.

Convenience

On the streets people sell all sorts of things:  kleenex, towels, flowers, coconuts, anything you might possibly need (including monkeys)!! Tonite as I walked on the street a woman approached me selling colostomy bags.  I began laughing and wasn't able to ask the price.  (FYI: they did appear to be new)

The Doorman

Before we came here we told people we would have a doorman at our new home.  It seemed by people's reactions they had assumptions by what we meant by doorman.  Maybe a man with top hat and tails waiting at our beck and call.

Here a doorman is not really a luxury, but a necessity.  Our landlord required us to hire one (he shares the cost), and we do find him especially helpful because we don't know the language or how things work yet.  Not only does he answer the door at our front gate (future post), he also pays our bills, runs errands, does odds and ends, etc.  Our doorman is the brother of our American friend's doorman.  They are both from an area in the mountains in the north.  Back in 2005 their house was destroyed by the earthquake.  We hope to visit his village sometime in the future.

"Which one do you like? The blue one . . . or the other blue one?"

I clipped this photo from the local newspaper.  

Special Treats

About once a week we go out to eat for a special treat, mostly Western.  Some of our favorites:

• Nando's:  Portuguese eatery with incredible chicken.  The hummus is fabulous too.
• Arizona Grill:  American food.  
• Costa Coffee:  We've tried to recreate our "study in a coffee shop" atmosphere from back home, but it hasn't been as successful as we like. But its a 5 minute walk from our house so it nice for Joe to go get a cup of Jo every once in a while. 
• Salt 'n Peppa:  Local food buffet.  When we're in the mood for local food.  Right on the ocean!
• And some familiars: McDonalds, Pizza Hut, and KFC.

Hopefully we will keep trying to venture out to some of the hot spots