Barbies, Mud Puddles, and a Cambodian Wedding

Quite the interesting title, huh? It will all make sense by the end of this post-- I promise!

The past few days have been pretty eventful! I am now living with Jill and Kevin Kane. They have graciously opened up their home to me, and it certainly feels like home.  I am having a wonderful time getting to know them better and learning about the missionary life. The one thing that's a little harder adjusting is sleeping in 90 degree heat with no air-conditioning! I thought I was being a wimp and not handling it well, but the next morning, Jill came out of their room and said "Man! That was one hot night!" So that made me feel better that Kevin and Jill still have moments where the extremely hot weather is uncomfortable at times for them too. I am staying in Cambodia at one of the two hottest months of the year!! 

Today was a funny day. First thing this morning, Jill and I went to the market to get our "wedding outfits" that we designed and had tailored earlier this week. I enjoy picking out the silk and figuring out what to wear. Weddings are a HUGE deal here in Cambodia and I mean HUGE. First off, Cambodians say that people in the states don't dress up for weddings. Here in Cambodia, you wear silk and your best dressed outfits which for women consists of bright colors, beads, sequins, pearls, etc. Some women even wear dresses that we would wear to prom in the U.S. 

Once we had our newly made wedding outfits, we went to a place to get our hair and make-up done. Bright make-up and big hair is the common thing in these parts. They didn't know what to do with my short blonde hair so they just straightened it. ha. We looked like painted Barbie dolls after it was all done! At first, I thought I looked like a drag queen to be honest but then the girl toned down the eye make-up. The false eyelashes felt so funny all night. Jill and I also got "professional" Khmer pictures at the Film place where we got our hair done at. I will post those pictures up as soon as we go back to pick them up. 

Driving on the moto to the wedding was nothing  live I've ever experienced before. Typically, because I am a fair-skinned, blonde, american, I get stared at a lot.. especially by the men. It's taken me a while to get used to that here because I just don't like it. But tonight's ride was much different!! I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that every person we drove by stared at us. We got whistled at, people were in awe, many different phrases came out of the Cambodians mouths. We were turning heads.. literally! I'm surprised we did not see a moto accident becuase people were turning their heads so quickly and would stare for a good few seconds too many.

The wedding reception was in a metal tent right outside the parents of the bride's house and as soon as Jill and I got there, it rained. Hard. Very very hard and it rained for a few hours. Water was coming from everywhere. The ground underneath us was flooding, water from the canopy of the tent was leaking through.  This was no wimpy rain, it was a comeplete and utter downpour.

 

(Rain streaming down the tin roof of the house right beside the tent).

(The rain leaking/ gushing to the inside of tent... do you see the tent falling in the background)?

(Right beside our table...).

(Jill and my feet underneath the table as the water kept rising. It got up to about 6 inches by the end of the evening).

(The bride-left in the blue in high spirits despite the flooding and rain).

The poor bride and groom! After a few hours the rain stopped and more people came later and eat. 

(The appetizers to our 8-course meal this evening).

(Dinner by candlelight, which was quite fun! Do you see our classy beercan candle holders? The genorator wasn't working while it was raining so terribly).

(Just throwing this idea out there, but one would think that fire and a plastic bottle combination wouldn't be the best idea.. right? Wrong!!!.. not in Cambodia! Anything goes!)

(We cooked our own meat over a little fire).

There was dancing-which is an experience in and of itself because the live band is so loud and expressive, the people are enjoying their lives and just dancing the night away in a sense. They danced in giant mud puddle from the rain and also dance around this flower and veggie table around and around in a circle. Why? I have no idea... I need to ask Jill that. It was a very different scene than to a typical "American Wedding."  I witnessed so many different personalities tonight and how the Cambodian people handle certain situations. I'm learning how to pray more specifically for the hearts of the Cambodians. I hope, despite the turning of heads toward Jill and I tonight because of our outside beauty, that they saw something so different in us that radiated through that entire reception this evening.

(Jill and I all dolled up at the reception. Post rain..)

(Ohn and Jill- Ohn lives with Kevin and Jill and is like another son to them. His best friend's daugther is the one that got married).

(Ohn and I at the reception).

We drove home on a few flooded streets and I am so thankful for the long rain, it has cooled off and it will be a comfortable temp. for me to sleep tonight--- only 85 degrees!!! 

Goodnight all. 

Happy Mother's Day tomorrow Momma!!! :)