Wedding Fun

Below you will find some pics from the wedding. It was great fun. Nothing like I've ever experienced before. The focus was so cool and I know that He was honored and glorified through it all.

And for all of you who were worried about my "shoe dilemma," I'm sorry to say that, much to my chagrin, I went with my black wedges. Uggh. What's a girl to do?! Suicide bomber...new shoes?? Luckily my dress covered most of my feet!

Before the prom...err, I mean wedding....and before I put this head covering on and mess everything up!

Check out the bling-bling! Would you call it "controlled?" This is a fancier dress than I wore to prom. :-) T, wish you could have been here for this occasion! You would have loved it!

I hope you're not all blinded by our pink! I'm not sure if you can see my friend in the middle's hair--but it's really cool.

This is my sweet little friend. Check out how dolled up she is! Complete with mascara!!

Cutting the cake...or should I say tower?

The Happy Couple!--Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. W!

Who's Bad?....Ok, I know it's me. :-) These are two of my students. We had dinner at their house the other night and I couldn't resist a little playtime! Their father is the Chief of Staff for the President of this country...He didn't seem to mind.

Dilemmas

Tomorrow I'm going to a wedding. Now, this is not your typical wedding. These are two foreigners who are getting married in the traditions and customs of the people among whom we live. This doesn't happen everyday and some of us have joked, that it's "the wedding of the year." I wouldn't be surprised if the K-town equivalent of "InStyle" magazine showed up!

"So what's my problem?" you're wondering. No, it's not that I don't have a date. (LOL) This wedding will be separated--men on one side of the curtain, women on the other. No, it's not because I don't have anything to wear. (I bought this pretty little hot pink number, complete with "controlled bling-bling" as I like to call it.) Give up?...

The dilemma has come because I do not have any shoes to wear to this event. "Go out and buy some, L" you say? Well I would, if some stupid suicide bomber threat wasn't freaking everyone out!

This past weekend there were demonstrations all over this part of the world, due in large part, to the stupid Newsweek article that was published about the abuse of the Quran in Guantanamo Bay. (Don't get me started on that one.) And because of this, my time in the city has been limited.

Every girl knows you need appropriate shoes and right now, I have none. I'm pretty sure my black Nine West wedges would not do this dress justice. (There's not even one piece of bling on them!) So the question is....are new shoes worth my life? The sad thing is that I'm not even talking Mahnolo Blanhiks or Gucci. These are K-town shoes.

The more I write, the more girlie and dramatic I sound. I guess a girl's allowed to have her moments of drama, right?

Well, I'm thinking "no" on the shoes. Maybe if I were in New York and headed to Macy's...but I'm not. The threats are real and I guess I don't really want to put my family and friends through the sadness of losing someone they love, just for the sake of shoes.

I'll probably regret this tomorrow.

Family Visit

Below you will find pictures from my visit with a family here yesterday. I can't tell you enough how much I love these people. They make me laugh and smile more than almost anyone here can. The little girls are so precious. Their smiles light up a room and fill my heart with joy.

I am so blessed to know them.

One last picture for the road...I couldn't resist taking a group shot with the family chicken! It cracked me up, as the girls ran around chasing this thing, grabbing it, and holding it up for a picture!

This is where I go to get my hair done...Ok, not really, but everytime I go to this house for a visit, I come out with a makeover that would put Glamour Shots to shame!

Another group picture taken by one of the little girls previously shown.

Smile...You're On Candid Camera!

Who needs a mirror when you have the television set that's perfect for putting on your daily face lotion?! :-)

This is one of my favorite families in K-town. The little bald baby is a boy. His mom just shaved his head while he was taking a nap that morning. HA! The idea behind this shaving was that now his hair will grow back thicker.

Aren't these the sweetest little kids?!

Present?

Yesterday after school I had to run in to town for some groceries. It was an amazing day outside. After nearly a week straight of rainy/cloudy days, yesterday was the first day that the sun had managed to show its face again. It was the kind of day that makes one want to go to the park, or the zoo, or eat ice cream while walking barefoot in the grass.

The air had been purged of its impurities and the sky was crystal blue with white puffy clouds wondering along every so often. The backdrop of the normally drab mountains that envelop the city were distinct and defined. I could even see little patches of grass growing on the hillsides that are normally just dust. The taller mountains in the distance were once again covered with a new layering of snow. The sights of this land were (and are) captivating. And as we drove into the city, I was once again reminded of what an amazing life I lead. Not many people have the privilege of doing what I do…seeing what I see. I often forget that.

I forget that I live a blessed (and somewhat unusual) life almost every day. I get so wrapped up in getting up, going to school, going to the office, and then going home that I forget that there is a much bigger world swirling around outside me. My days become routine and honestly, as crazy as it sounds, this place has become very much the norm. Most of the time, I forget the thrill that this land once pumped through my veins. I merely survive each day, rather than thrive in each moment. I hate that.

And then there are the epiphanies…the sudden realizations that I am where I am. Yesterday was one of those days. Maybe it was the way the sun shone on their faces…the wrinkles born out of the years lived under unimaginable circumstances…the turbans, the veils…their eyes. Maybe it was the hectic traffic where cars merged with donkeys, bicycles, pedestrians, and carts carrying the day’s latest produce…the way the horns were honking…the generators were buzzing…and the city was alive with activity. Maybe it was the man stopping to pray on the side of the road as he journeyed by bicycle to his home…kneeling religiously to the east…bowing, rising, and repeating. Maybe it was her smile when I spoke in her native tongue…or the scoffing from the beggar when I refused to give money. Maybe it was all these things and maybe it was none of them. Maybe it was something deeper. Something from within…something from Above. Something calling me to wake up from this monotonous slumber.

Whatever it was, I felt it. I felt every breath…heard every noise…smelled every smell. Out of that “something,” life was reborn within me. “I am here,” I thought. “I am really here.”

On My Own

The other night I was up on this hill overlooking the city with some friends when, somehow through the course of our conversation, I started sharing about this period in my life when my friend Rachel could tell I was depressed (or lonely) without even talking to me. I guess the clues were easily recognizable--

• "Les Mis" soundtrack in my stereo system. (Check)

• L walking around singing a passionate rendition of "On My Own." (Check)

Diagnosis=Depression (Check)

Bummer. I always thought I was so elusive...mysterious. Who knew my feelings were an open book for the rest of the world to read at their leisure?!

And while I'm not walking around pretending to be Eponine or singing along to Celine Dion's "All By Myself," my house does feel a bit empty right now. T left on Saturday and S has plans to return in the next week or so. Until then...I'm all alone in our big 2-story house. (Well, me and the guard who stays outside in his own room.)

But something funny hit me last night as I was watching the movie "Shall We Dance." As I sat in my room, munching on popcorn and transcending myself into the world of Hollywood, I realized I was not alone. No, it was not the voices in my head...or the make believe people in my room. It was the sound of laughter. Laughter that was both deep and gutteral, as well as high pitched and squeeky. Laughter that came at just the right times in the movie. Laughter that was coming from within...

That is, from within the speakers on my computer.

As I watched this movie, alone in my room, I realized that I wasn't really alone at all. I was joined by numerous people at some un-known theater in an un-disclosed location. You see, that's the joy of buying movies here. Not only are you getting some Hollywood blockbuster, but you are also buying a theater full of friends to join you!

So much for "no late fees," Blockbuster. Show ME the Friends! :-)

Currently I'm...

• Fighting a head cold and fever for what seems like the 100th time this year.
• Sad that my teammate T left yesterday for the States--ending her time here in K-town and her role on this team...at least for awhile. (Hope your journey went smoothly, T!)
• Thrilled to announce that we now have city power!!!!!--Yep, on Tuesday night, we arrived home to the humming of our refrigerator and these little blessings they call "lights"! It's amazing! We now have a cold frig., warm water, lights in any room we want at night, etc.!
  
• Reading Brennan Manning's "Posers, Fakers, and Wannabe's." Highly recommend it!
• Wanting another week off of school so I can do all the things that I said I was going to do THIS weekend!
• Missing my freedom...to walk around anonymously in a t-shirt, jeans, and flip-flops...enjoying the sunshine, the warm temperatures, and the clean air of home.
  
• Beginning to realize I only have a short amount of time left here in K-town, so I'd better get busy and get some things in order. (That was a note to self. :-)
  
• Procrastinating from the work I set out to accomplish today.
  
• Ending this post so I can work.