Any Excuse for a Party
The day before the wedding was also Marwaan's
birthday.
I woke up at a decent hour and Marwaan met me at my
hotel, the Indra Regent. The hotel is very nice, rather basic. The most
embarassing thing, for me, is that there is just a shower stall, with a sliding
door, wedged into a corner of the bathroom, with the marble lip of the sink
blocking it in part. Due to my girth, I have to turn sideways to wedge myself
between the open parts of the shower door. Thank god I was able to get in and
out. Showers are essential in these
climates!
We set out to do a few errands. We had lunch at a great Indian restaurant called the Mango Tree. We both did some banking--I went to get cash at Citibank. We got around initially via a car from his brother-in-law, driven by an employee, Prasantha.
We went to Marwaan's mother's house after lunch. We took a tuk-tuk there. Tuk-tuk's are small taxis with no doors and small wheels. Almost like a motorized rickshaw with three wheels. Quite dangerout, but prevalent here. At the family home are Marwaan's mother, Aunty Nufoos, his sister Faahima, her husband Mohideen Cader, and their daughters, Sabrina and Thahira. Also there was Eddie Carp, Marwaan's friend from Hofstra, who graduated four years after I did.
I went back to the hotel for a while after buying a sarong at Odel's, a rather modern emporium. It sells clothes mostly, and sickening items for teen girls, like purses that say "hottie." Eddie denounced the globalization of the sexualixing of children. He hired a drive for the week and he dropped me off at the hotel.
Later that night, I returned to the family home for Marwaan's birthday. Most of his relatives and friends were there, as were many of Naoko's Japanese friends from other countries. She works for an NGO as do many of these girls.
Through the evening, I met Marwaan's many aunties and uncles, and a multitude of cousins. Some, like Suha and Uncle Hilmi, discussed politics with me. Many of the aunties are widowed and told me of the travels they made when their husbands went abroad for business. This is a muslim family and many of the women keep their heads covered, and in general, it is customary not to greet married women with hugs, kisses, or even handshakes. But, one woman, Aunty Thufa, was so glad I brought chocolates for her, later greeted me by clasping my hands at the wedding the next day.
In Sri Lanka, elders are respected and to Marwaan's nieces, I was "Uncle Seth," which is respectful yet familiar, so much nicer than "Mr. Bookey." And I was expected to call Marwaan's mother and her sisters "Aunty" as well.
Caterers cooked for us, and hoppers were made to order. Hoppers are a Sri Lankan specialty, a crepe of sorts onto which you load other foods.
Click here to see photos of the party. Click here for more photos.
We set out to do a few errands. We had lunch at a great Indian restaurant called the Mango Tree. We both did some banking--I went to get cash at Citibank. We got around initially via a car from his brother-in-law, driven by an employee, Prasantha.
We went to Marwaan's mother's house after lunch. We took a tuk-tuk there. Tuk-tuk's are small taxis with no doors and small wheels. Almost like a motorized rickshaw with three wheels. Quite dangerout, but prevalent here. At the family home are Marwaan's mother, Aunty Nufoos, his sister Faahima, her husband Mohideen Cader, and their daughters, Sabrina and Thahira. Also there was Eddie Carp, Marwaan's friend from Hofstra, who graduated four years after I did.
I went back to the hotel for a while after buying a sarong at Odel's, a rather modern emporium. It sells clothes mostly, and sickening items for teen girls, like purses that say "hottie." Eddie denounced the globalization of the sexualixing of children. He hired a drive for the week and he dropped me off at the hotel.
Later that night, I returned to the family home for Marwaan's birthday. Most of his relatives and friends were there, as were many of Naoko's Japanese friends from other countries. She works for an NGO as do many of these girls.
Through the evening, I met Marwaan's many aunties and uncles, and a multitude of cousins. Some, like Suha and Uncle Hilmi, discussed politics with me. Many of the aunties are widowed and told me of the travels they made when their husbands went abroad for business. This is a muslim family and many of the women keep their heads covered, and in general, it is customary not to greet married women with hugs, kisses, or even handshakes. But, one woman, Aunty Thufa, was so glad I brought chocolates for her, later greeted me by clasping my hands at the wedding the next day.
In Sri Lanka, elders are respected and to Marwaan's nieces, I was "Uncle Seth," which is respectful yet familiar, so much nicer than "Mr. Bookey." And I was expected to call Marwaan's mother and her sisters "Aunty" as well.
Caterers cooked for us, and hoppers were made to order. Hoppers are a Sri Lankan specialty, a crepe of sorts onto which you load other foods.
Click here to see photos of the party. Click here for more photos.
Posted: Fri - March 18, 2005 at 03:14 PM
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