Indian Wedding and More: October 2019 Reflections

The front passenger car door suddenly opened. Our driver was noticeably relieved to have his companion back in the car. Martin and I stared at him in disbelief. The passenger had just bought something to drink, probably used the bathroom, and gotten back into the car while we sat in traffic. Creeping through Mumbai in a hired car was the only way to get around in this city. At least moving slowly in a car afforded us a fantastic tour of the city. Colors, music, people, and chaos flooded my senses. I thought China was chaotic. I was wrong.

Our 7 days in India was a whirlwind adventure culminating in our friend’s wedding.

Indian weddings are a multi-day affair involving visits to the temple, baths in rose water, baths in turmeric paste, a dancing parade through the village streets, and of course a wedding ceremony, food, and more dancing. But that’s just the part that I saw.

I’m used to not knowing what’s going on or going to happen, and it was a joy to experience my friend’s wedding and meet his new bride without having any expectations. Everyone at the wedding (and in India in general) was so friendly; many people came to talk with us. While not everyone spoke English (and I didn’t speak any Hindi or Marathi), I still was able to make connections with many people and found my way into a plethora of selfies.

My mouth waters when I think of the food I ate in India. Yes, it is spicy. Yes, I had to be more careful to avoid dairy. But vegetarian food was plentiful, and the flavors were so complex. I remember sitting on the floor of the groom’s family’s house with the nine other friends who had also come on this crazy journey trying to figure out how to eat rice with dal (a lentil soup) by only using my hands. It’s a skill, just like using chopsticks.

Getting eight girls ready for the wedding ceremony was no small feat. The girls all wore sarees, which the groom’s mother had prepared for us. It took hours for all of us to get the saree securely tucked and pinned onto the coordinating petticoat and blouse.

Once ready, I stepped outside the house to find two horses ready to pull a beautiful carriage. The next thing I knew, someone had grabbed Martin and wrapped pink fabric around his head and he suddenly had a new pink hat matching most of the other men. During the actual marriage ceremony, an important community leader even gave Martin an important white hat.

The dancing parade was probably my favorite part of the wedding, even though it was also the most uncomfortable. With all the fabric from my saree as well as the energy from dancing and the hot sun, I was slowly melting into a puddle of sweat. I had also picked up a terrible head cold. Despite this, I loved how all the people who loved the bride and groom were literally dancing for joy. It was truely a celebration of their marriage and everyone in the village was able to see this happiness. I’ve also never seen Martin dance so much in my life. He was the only foreign man in our group, and he made friends with everyone.

The dancing parade ended at the marriage ceremony venue. Thousands of us filled the large room. For some reason, fireworks were set off inside the building, which explains the look on our faces in the picture on the left below. In the picture on the right, we have been relocated to sit on the stage with the wedding couple. The look on my face is a mixture of amazement at the number of people here and not being able to breath with my mouth closed.

India is truly a place like no other. I hope this video helps you experience the wedding with us.

In addition to the wedding festivities, we also spent a day in Mumbai and a day in Nasik. In Mumbai a small group of us took a ferry to Elephanta Island to check out the stone carvings in some caves. The actual carvings were a bit underwhelming, but what I remember the most are the viscous monkeys! If you even think about getting something wrapped in plastic out of your bag they will aggressively try to take it from you. One monkey was so aggressive, our friend threw her water bottle at him to defend herself. Viscous.

Nasik is a much smaller city than Mumbai, but it provides a lot of the beyond basic necessities for the neighboring villages. Martin got a haircut there, I found a dress in a local dress shop, but we spent most of our time inadvertently at the mall getting henna done and avoiding the rain.

After India, the rest of the month pales in comparison.

We spent a weekend in Huizhou/Da Peng at the home of our friend’s parents. At one point during that weekend our group rented ridiculous quadcycles that were not easier than walking but were more fun. We also ended one day at a seafood market where I was thankful for the three Chinese friends who navigated the purchasing of the fresh seafood and then skillfully instructed the restaurant across the street how we wanted it cooked.

Our month ended with meeting up with an old 4-H friend and her husband on their trip to Hong Kong. Their China vacation included several other cities too, but we joined them for an adventure in Sai Kung and took a boat to Sharp Island for the afternoon.

I’ve been quite overwhelmed with work and school and socializing this month that I’m trying to hideaway for a few days. I’m teaching more this semester than last semester, so balancing work and school has been difficult. I’m looking forward to a quieter November – hopefully.