Wedding Crashers!!!!!!

I have so much to say. Its been quite a while since my last post and so much has happened. I apologize for the lack of images; however, it is difficult to upload them from the public cyber cafes in my tiny town. Hopefully my word are sufficient enough for your entertainment. If not I suggest moving on to another web page, such as Stumbleupon. There you may experience the joys of images, videos, and interesting anecdotes.

However, they will not tell you about a Moroccan wedding... at least I do not think they will. And that my friends will be the topic of this post. A mere four nights ago I was invited to a wedding and my life in my town has not been the same since. I really had no idea what I was getting myself into when I agreed to attend this wedding. I really enjoy weddings though. They are always fun. People are happy; people are a little buzzed; people lose inhibitions; people dance; people retire at around 1 a.m. Thos have been my experiences at American weddings. My brother and I usually carry the party. We start the dancing, lead the the congo line, and serve as the best unpaid entertainment you could ask for.

I knew that there would be no alcohol at this wedding... thats about all I knew. I was ready to go at six p.m. Thats a reasonable time for an evening wedding to start, eh? Well I was much mistaken and ended up sitting on the couch for about three and a half hours. We did not leave until 9:30 p.m. When we arrived at the site of the wedding we entered an enclosed field. In the field were two tents. It was explained to me that one tent was for the men and the other was for the women. However, I saw only men around. There were no women to be seen. I felt a little unhappy as I was expecting to meet some Moroccan women at the wedding... Again, it was explained to me that the women were currently eating dinner. I sat around in the tent for a while and then was told to get up. THE WOMEN WERE RETURNING. THE WOMEN WERE RETURNING. I stood up and left the tent as the women were entering. Apparently, since the women were finished eating it was now time for the men to eat.

I sat around a small table with 8 people I did not know. However, this was alright since nobody talked. Even the people who knew each other did not speak a word. The purpose of this meal was clear: EAT; as FAST as you can; and as MUCH as you can. Our table finished two chickens and half of a lamb in about ten minutes. Immediately when the food was gone everbody stood up and proceeded back to the tents.

I walked to the mens tent and sat down. I was handed a cup of coffee and practically forced to drink it. They said I would need it. At this point it was just about midnight. No sign of the bride or groom yet. However, there are a ton of Moroccan women sitting in their tent. All of the men were in our tent. I could feel that something was going to happen soon. Then the music starts blasting... something was happening. Everybody rushed outside the tents. The bride was being paraded in a throne that rested on the shoulders of four men in maroon suits and fez hats. Once the bride and groom entered the tent the dancing started. However, the bride and groom did not dance. Nay! They sat on a large couch and watched everybody else dance.

My friend Jason and I decided we should start dancing. At Moroccan weddings; however, the dancing is separated by the sexes. Men dance in one area and women in another. There is really no mixing. So, needless to say I danced with dudes for about five hours stright. Yep. Jason, me, and a bunch of Moroccan dudes we met danced from midnight until five a.m... It was a ton of fun, but took a while to get accustomed to. When I was breaking it down the father of the bride came over and started dancing with me. The big Marriage Camera followed him. We danced for about ten minutes... and I am positive that I am on their marriage video.

It was a fun night. And now everytime I see the father of the bride around town he does a little dance as a form if hello. Heres to making friends with the locals!

Salaam