Sunday I attended church and was surprised that there was a wedding. A young couple had their church ceremony. In Macedonia you are legally married at the government registry, so the church wedding is a take it or leave it affair. This was the most unusual church wedding I had seen. It began with a musical presentation with the kids, the pastor and his wife and the couple dancing with somewhat suggestive moves. But I hadn't laughed so hard in a long time. The groom is the tall guy on the right and the bride is in the brown skirt and beige blouse on the left. The pastor is in the dark suit in the middle.
After the dance, they said their vows with their hands on the Bible. Then the couple sat in chairs and were prayed over by all the pastors present. (We had several visiting pastors from Bulgaria that day.) Then there was a short skit to instruct them about married life. Two people started off remeniecing about their wedding and honeymoon. Then we see them at home; he is watching TV and she is trying to keep the house neat. They start listing all the things they have discovered about the other that they do not like, body odor, sleep patterns and so forth. Then they were reminded that bringing God into the marriage allows for a way to get through these and other difficulties.
Monday I went to the American Corner, a small lending library and meeting room sponsored by the US State Department. About 20 kids from a local school were invited to decorate and eat Christmas cookies. I brought the cookies and gave a short presentation about Christmas in the US. It was a fun time.
Tuesday was the office Christmas lunch. I arrived on time and no one else was there. This is Macedonia. The first person to arrive after me was the department secretary. We sat down and created the women's table, with the men sitting at the other one. I was a little surprised that they served alcohol, all on the department's tab.After the women's table cleared out, I spent an hour or so talking with my male colleagues, an enjoyable afternoon
The department of economics and the music school were also having their luncheons that day. The economics department was decidedly more festive, with singing and dancing. Perhaps they drank more than the law department.
Wednesday, Christmas, was bittersweet. My room mate decided to wait for her work permit in Japan, since it still had not come and her tourist visa had expired. So, I spent the day helping her pack and seeing her off. In the evening, I went to a celebration at my church. This year it was on a regular meeting day, so it was a little more formal than last year, but still very fun. I brought cookies, the chocolate chip ones were a real hit, and they brought enough to fill the large table. They sang Christmas carols and we had a very good time. (They have a translation of Jingle Bells that I really like. Rather than jingling the bells go bim bam bong.)
Thursday I went to the bath like I usually do on that day of the week. Soaking in the hot water was just what I needed to relax. When I got home, I opened the gifts that my aunt had sent with me last summer. They were a number of small, useful items. You can see the cards I got. I also received several text messages of merry Christmas. It was a good time.
Friday I did my weekly grocery shopping and came home to enjoy the tree that Yuko had gotten and decorated. That is just one of the several wonderful things she has done for me. One day I mentioned that, this being my second Christmas here, I was ready to make some commitment to the holiday. I would bring back a small tree next year. The next day I come into the house and see that Yuko has gotten this one and decorated it with origami. It makes a beautiful end to Christmas week.
Kristine, I enjoyed going through your week with you. Hilarious wedding. Sounds like you have been keeping the oven hot producing chocolate chip cookies. Always a winner. Thanks for sharing your blog. Maxine
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