Nancy's Notions, Not

There was a break in the wedding ceremonoies, so I suggested we go to Place Where Buy Sewing Machines,  I would keep this in my room for class prep and then give to a class. Mony is very good at selecting and setting up sewing machines.  A black bird whistleld loudly from its cage as we looked around.  Mony had his eye on a Janome with table for $110.00.  We would buy a treadle machine with electric motor conversion, oil, bobbins.  Then we would get black, white and grey thumb-sized spools of thread, seam rippers, buttons, scissors, metal measuring sticks, needles and pins. Mony put all this in the Toyota.  Arrum was very good during all the deliberations.  The accountant looked at all tlhe figures. Then he called anumber on his cell phone to get the conversion to U.S dollars pretty cool.  Then Mony dropped me at the hotel to glam up for the rest of the wedding.

I was glad to leave the hotel.

My room had two temperatures.  Meat locker and cannot breathe.  So I put a towel on top of my blanket and wrapped a scarf around my shoulders.  It was a special scarf from Sandy Sugden that she brought from Africa but could have been made in India or China.  My room had 2 windows.  One in the shower, blocked with cardboard and plastic, and the other, high above the closet, so I could not look out.  But I could tell il it was daylight.  I sneaked into the other room when it was unlocked, and looked out the window to the back yard.  I saw three women washing the sheets by hand and hanging them on the line to dry.  They were laughing and talking. 

I met Mony and Aarum in the dining room.  At the table there were some long donut looking things.  I had fabulous iced coffee made with sweetened condensed milk.  My food bill for 3 days, feeding Mony some times was $20.00.  Mony told me still not time to dress up (wrong), but I at least wore more make-up and some jewelry.  I also shouldn't have eaten breakfast, becasue we were offered porridge again! And top of that, we were almost late for the red string tying ceremony. 

This time silver outfits. Bright photo lights.the bride told me in perfect English not to cock my head to one side.  Those of you who know me know I always do that, oddly. 

The next ceremonoy was passing candles held by silver spoon things and wavinig the heat toward the bride and groom.  Everyone in circle.  There was a master of ceremony kind of guy that was like an M.C. and monk combined.  He explained everything under the hot lights.  He was wearaing a gold Nehru kind of suit.  He took apart one of the flower arrangemnts,  which surprised me.  He tore a large leaf in half and it revealed the seeds from a palm tree.  All of us in the circle took some of othe "fronds" and split them apart, dropping something like rice on the mats we were sitting on. Then we picked up the "rice" and threw it at the bride and groom.  I thought maybe fertility, but Mony said just new life and good luck.  Hmmmm.

This was also the big hint to give money.  Mony asked me how much was in my envelope.  He said it was not enough! But more than I would give in USA.  Hmmmmm.

We declined the porridge, and left. 

W had some time before the next event, so I suggested we go to sewing machine place.

The bride's house was swathed in yellow and hot pink acetate satin

We stood on gravel covered in blue tarp.  Just before the procession, someone put down a red plastic carpet. We were all invited to sit on the satin-covered chairs that were arranged in a T-shape.  They wobbled just a little.  Electric cords were strung everywhere.  They supplied the photographer with his bright white, intense lights that raised the sweltering temperature.   The cords also ran to microphones that sqeaked and wailed in our ear- drums.  Woofers and tweeters were supplied by a huffing generator as big as an escalade. 

The women looked like tropical birds, or butterflies.  If you waited a little while, the same women disappeared and returned in entirely new outfits. The colors were brillliant.  The skirts were traditional Khmer colors, like the red dirt, the brilliant green countryside, and the blue sky. 

Mony was accompanied by Aarom,  his 4-year-old son.  Mony explained everything to me and charmend everyone else.. 

We were offered silver-stemmed bowls filled with fruit and candy.  Then we moved out and away from the house and started processing down the street.  But Mony yelled to the crowd that we were processing the wrong way!  We must go the same direction as the river.  So we turned around and went up the block and to the right to a stop sign for a photo op.   Then Mony's cell phone rang.  It was the groom.  Could Mony come and give him a lift because it was too difficult to walk in his gold Thai groom pants.  So Mony left me temporarily and returned with the groom for the final photo.  Then we processed back to the bride's house for the next phase.

The bride looked like an Apsara dancer, (an angel), wrapped in silk. She was decorated in wrist and ankle bracelets and hair ornaments.  Her make-up was  inpeccable.  When we were invited to sit at the gold tables, I lost track of her.  I was treated like an honored guest.  I was with the parents of the bride and the aunties and uncles.  Breakfast was a pot of porridge.  (Watery rice with other stuff.)   It's really quite good, if you try not  to think about it too much.  It sort of grows on you.

Then we were entertained by a clown with drawn- on black eyebrows who said silly things to two other entertainers in pink outfits and lots of make-up.  They alluded to the next ceremonoy  which was the cutting of the bride's and groom's hair.  But each guest only pretended to cut their hair with scissors and comb to represent starting a new life.  We dipped a rose into water and shook it at them.  Then we squirted them with perfume.  The couple remained so composed.  For this photo op he entire party was dressed in hot pink. How was this hapening?

We were intsructed to move to tables again for more soup! The live entertainment began with two soloists and many instruments.  Mony said it was time for the monks to come and pray and we could go home.  I went back to my hotel room.  The best part about this room was that it only cost $11.00 U.S. a night. 
I fell into a deep jet-laggged sleep.  When I woke up I thought it was morning, but it was only  8:00 p.m.

I knew when I saw his face, I had made the right decision

Mr. Mony drove around and around.  He could not find the bride's  house.  So he called Kosahl.  He was waiting at the end of the "drive" when I first saw him.  Mr. Mony,  his son, Aarum, and I, crossed the street to become guests at his wedding.  I zig-zagged around 2 unmatched puppies and then looked at him.  "Thank you for coming",  he said softly.  His eyes were red with tears.  We began to walk ahead, between barbed wire, old wood fencing and swept dirt.  When I looked ahead, I saw bright yellow and hot pink acetate draped across the entrance to the yard that belonged to the bride's family and her neighbors.  In the middle, was a large heart with the names of the bride and groom written with the date of the wedding.  A blue plastic tarp  had been spread for us to walk on.  Chairs were covered with gold fabric and tied in bows.   They were arranged in a T-shape. At the edge of the tables, musicians, and guests, I saw drying laundry, a chicken coop, and the ususal stuff that people keep behind their houses.  There were hoofers and tweeters as big as an Escalade.  Guests arrived on moto bikes and parked them around the edges.  The music of the real musicians began to take over for the recordings.  Khmer music that is hard to explain, but used for weddings and funerals.  I cannot tell the difference yet, but everyone else can. 

Mony had told me to be ready at 6:00 a.m.  He arrivied at 5:30 a.m.  Do you think he was excited?  He was so excited that he told me to wear crop pants with baggy knees and a limp Kohl's top,  The other women all wore traditional Khmer wrap skirts and incredible tailor made tops.  Bright colors of silk organza, lace, sequins, flowers made of silk, each design was mor beautifiul than the next. Ther hair had been done in elaborate up-do's.  Ther nails were done in radical, involved patterns.  And they had impeccable make-up and false eyelashes.  I trust Mr. Mony with my life, but not my fashion.  The first ceremonooy was about to begin!