Soroti Wedding

I did go to Soroti with Dr. Opol and his wife, and while I’m now worried about finishing his take-home exam (his words this weekend: “oh, don’t worry about that.”) in sufficient time to keep studying for Pentateuch on Wednesday, I’m glad I went.

The bride, of course, was lovely, and it was a wonderful service. Yes, I’ll post pictures eventually. Dr. Opol used a lot of the liturgy from the Book of Common Prayer, so it was very familiar. But wow – our services seem positively sterile compared with the African exuberant joy! You’ve never heard such carousing in a church, and it was fabulous.

Time-wise, the service was three hours, and the reception was probably about four-five, which by African standards is making good time. I was gratified that the MCs kept the reception moving along.

Two differences really stood out in the reception: the speeches (which actually were cut short because the speakers blew; otherwise, we could still be there), and the presentation of the presents. Some presents came with speeches, but there was a line to give the presents to the speeches. This included the chickens and a goat. Someone announced a cow, but we never did see her. The page boy (ring bearer?) kept trying to feed the goat, who wanted nothing to do with the grass the little guy was offering.

Then we went to Serere, Dr. Opol’s village, for the night. They have a lovely house there, though it lacks electricty and running water (which is common in the village). Driving through the bush is quite an experience, and Dr. Opol just has a car, not a truck or an SUV like many have. At one point he was marveling at some scratches on the hood, and I had to remind him that he’d been driving through the bush, for goodness sake! It is stunningly beautiful there; I understand why people like to go there, though I’d really prefer to have running water.

One of Dr. Opol’s nephews had died a few days prior, so we went to pay condolences for the family, and were only there for about four hours. The kids were fairly star-struck to be around a muzungu; there were a couple who sat on the ground and just watched me read my notes. Most of them got up the nerve to shake my hand – I was quite proud of them.

We arrived back at campus about 11:30 Sunday night. I probably have more to say, like about the school Dr. Opol is building in the village, but 1. am tired, and 2. need to conquer his exam. More later!

Nice day!