In Albuquerque...

And it is glorious!

not so afar

Oh my, August is here! August means green chile, ice cream, enchiladas, sushi, cold drinks, strawberries and raspberries, pretzels from that one sports bar, bowling, drinking from the tap without worrying about giardia, diet coke, slushies, turkey, chicken, steak, wheat bread, pizza from Saggio’s, banana drop cookies, chips and salsa, salad (bet you didn’t expect that one from me), the Owl Café and/or Route 66 Diner, oatmeal squares, Costco, cheetos, string cheese, strawberry yogurt, adobe bars, and lots of other goodies. I intend on gaining 30 pounds while I’m home.

August also means seeing my family again (with the exception of Dad, Shelly and Nathan—I love and miss you!) after 14 months. I’m so excited to see you! And of course, my animals: Waketa, Quasita, Susan and Kermita.

Alrighty then, moving on.

Last Saturday was Jillian and Ibe’s wedding, and it was a spectacular mix of American and Burkinabè culture. Jillian already had her mosque wedding a few weeks ago for Ibe’s family—a ten-hour fete of dancing, eating, and of marrying the two families. Jillian wore a traditional boubou and covered her head and mouth. That wedding wasn’t so much about Jillian and Ibe, but rather it celebrated the union of their two families. So for her official wedding—the one that’s recognized by Burkina and the U.S.—Jillian wanted it to be about her and Ibe. Understandably.

Jillian had a white dress made and Ibe a tux. The bouquet was thrown, the garter was removed, confetti was showered upon the happy couple. That part was actually quite amusing. Jillian and I made little bundles of shredded paper wrapped in mosquito netting for the confetti throwing, and then Emma and I passed them out before the start of the ceremony. No explanation necessary for the Americans who attended, but it was a little tricky trying to explain the purpose of the confetti to some Burkinabè. But it all worked out, and it was hilarious as some guests walked over to Jillian and Ibe and simply dumped the confetti right on top of their heads. Jillian told me later that she had a hell of a time trying to remove all the paper from her hair. I’m just grateful that no one threw the bundles at them—the confetti was at least removed from the netting before Jillian and Ibe were assaulted.

Typically the actual marriage ceremony has to take place inside the mayor’s office. But the interior design of such offices aren’t exactly aesthetically pleasing, so Jillian requested and argued for her wedding to be just outside the mayor’s office. And so Jillian and Ibe had an outdoor wedding that overlooked the hills of Gaoua. Under a champagne-colored canopy fashioned using pieces of wood and ribbon (we found all the materials in Gaoua!), Jillian and Ibe were married with Jenny and Issa as their witnesses. The guests sat under a larger striped tent that reminded me of the circus. I quite liked it! The morning of the wedding a few of us went to the mayor’s office to make sure Jillian had an aisle to walk down (by the end of the ceremony there was no longer an aisle. Not too surprising.) and to attach balloons to the wedding tent. When we arrived we saw men from the prison clearing the area for us (snakes are no bueno) and singing tunes while they worked. Ibe was there too, helping to set up. Poor kid, he looked exhausted. When we argued with him that the tent had to look a certain way or that one of the sticks of wood was lopsided, he’d sigh good-naturedly and say, “Oh, les americains…”

For the wedding Jillian selected a pagne for the guests to wear if they so desired. Lots of people had complets or boubous made with this pagne, and I even had a dress made. I promise to post pictures eventually. Since I was with Jillian a few days before the wedding, I had jabe done on my feet. I believe that this is traditionally a Muslim custom, but really anyone can have it done in celebration of a wedding. Designs are made on the feet and/or hands using tape and are then subsequently stained with ash. Emma, Jenny, Colleen and I have triangles on the tops of out feet and zebra-like stripes on our toes. Jillian has a more intricate flower and vine design on both her hands and feet, and it turned out just lovely. Now I’m just wondering how long this stuff is going to stay on my feet. Maybe I should get a pedicure when I’m home, though I don’t know if anyone will want to touch my feet. At least my toenail’s grown back.

The reception was held at one of Gaoua’s buvettes; the morning of the wedding we decorated it with balloons and streamers. Emma and I tried to cover up with balloons a slaughtered chicken that was painted on one of the walls. Unfortunately some of the balloons popped, leaving a half-decapitated chicken head in view. Tons of people came to the reception, lots of them uninvited children. But the owner of the buvette chased them out with a huge stick. Oh well, that’s Burkina. But the reception was a nice mix of Burkinabè and American music, so everyone got up to dance.

It was such a nice wedding and I’m very happy for Jillian and Ibe. Mazal tov!

And it’s likely that I’ll be attending at least another Burkinabè/American wedding before my service is over. But it won’t be my own.

Nuevo Mexico in one week!