Welcome back to the Steppe!! Time for the last installment of wedding frivolity. To recap, it was a wonderful evening of great food, and lots of it, blessings for the couple that went on forever, well, ok, for hours, dancing, music, and toasts.

At 11:00 we were still having a wonderful time, but beginning to wear out. The kids were home alone (something we don't like to do very often) and frankly we were tired of having to speak a foreign language. For those of you who don't, it is actually quite an exhausting thing physically, as well as mentally!

So, as soon as these were passed around:

(Every table was given a very large bundle of gifts of all sorts. Inside was yardage of fabric, costume jewelry, combs (for the men), traditional hats, even a collared shirt, and a plastic serving platter. None of it was very expensive, but the thought was nice and the elderly women table guests had fun deciding who would receive what.)

And this man:

said his blessing, we decided it was time to go. See behind him, the tables were starting to thin out. We heard the next day, at the second party, that the party didn't fully end until about 1:00 AM.

So, there you have it; a traditional wedding done with all the generosity of a warm host. It is not often that foreigners are allowed into such intimate moments in a family, so we feel very privelleged to have been invited!!

I haven't decided where I'm going to take you next, perhaps a visit to the hospital, where I was recently allowed to visit the premature baby whom my friend is going through the adoption process to get.

Until then,

Your SteppeSister