wedding

Back in the beginning we had been invited to a wedding. Well rhona had and me by default I think but I’ll take it. stella was a nurse on rhona’s ward and she got married the first weekend in December. So we went. Got dressed in our Malawian suits—isabelle, rhona, maria and me and off we went. Everything in Africa is late (except when you are and then it seems to happen on time) but weddings are often started at 8 according to the invite and then around 10 the ceremony might start. But this was in town and we were told that weddings in town start on time. However, the car wouldn’t start so we ended up being an hour late and arriving an hour late and just before she walked into the church (perfect timing really). Beautiful couple…some priceless nuggets from the ceremony:

Asked to representatives of each part of the couple:
“God will bless them abundantly with children, cars, bikes, etc. Do you promise not to grab anything from them?”

Told to us witnesses:
“Look at your neighbor and tell them that they look better than yesterday.”

In the part of being submissive to your husband, to the groom:
“if you love your wife, you can cook for her. If you love your wife, you can even wash clothes for her.” (she isn’t your servant)

To the bride:
“men are all the same, be they tall, fat, short, thin. If you leave him, you will only find another man who is worse. So it is better to work it out with this one.”

And the translation from English to Chichewa:
Honey honey==sweetie sweetie chocolate

It was a great ceremony. Happier (the couple smiled throughout the ceremony) and more lively than most (so I’ve been told as it is the only one I’ve been to in Malawi) and they even kissed at the end of the ceremony (not done in Nkhoma—as I’ve been told).