It could be debated that the fear of what is known is greater than the fear of the unknown, but this is exactly the thought that crosses my mind as I make my final preparations for our last chapter in the Indian wedding saga. Since returning from their visit here in August, my mother in law and youngest sister in law have been able to track down a worthy suitor in which they have determined is fit for a marriage which will take place in just over a week.
Having been through the process before and knowing this will be our final time dealing with all the complexities of an Indian marriage, I have a lot of mixed feelings about attending. Experience buys you a certain amount of knowledge which can be reapplied to make things easier the second time around, but then again I am fully aware that some things are just simply challenging with no way around it.
I understand that many of the same cast of characters have signed on for this sequel which should make things consistent and interesting and likely consistently interesting: The cook, the priest, the candlestick maker- jk. But most of the same aunts and uncles will be making an appearance- Naked Uncle, Short Uncle, South African Uncle, I love you Aunt, Oldest Aunt who eats these weird leaves.
I have also learned of some new supporting roles which have been cast: Someone I call Town Uncle who will play the part of: Unmarried town troublemaker from the village the Roy family grew up in. A hybrid family friend/town elder/dirty old man. I've heard enough stories about this person to know that you can rest assured that the first appearance of Town Uncle will be as notorious as the Joker from Batman. Stay tuned.
Another new Aunt will also be joining the show: Projector cousin's mom. She wasn't able to attend the first family wedding due to the apparent need to attend a wedding on her daughter's in-law family side which apparently has since become a non issue due to 'divorce'. (meaning: the husband and wife don't live together and nobody will tell you why, nor are you allowed to talk about it)
There are several other distant relatives and family friends who have yet to be specifically named, but I feel confident they will add a good dynamic to the already chaotic atmosphere. And before you ask, yes they are all staying with us in the tiny 2 bedroom/2 bathroom apartment where the festivities took place last screening. We have apparently secured 2 rooms in the downstairs neighbor's apartment for some of the guests, which I assumed meant they were not going to be home but as always I guessed wrong. You may think it is odd for random relatives to stay with random neighbors, but once again nobody else does.
My biggest apprehensions about this final production:
Having been through the process before and knowing this will be our final time dealing with all the complexities of an Indian marriage, I have a lot of mixed feelings about attending. Experience buys you a certain amount of knowledge which can be reapplied to make things easier the second time around, but then again I am fully aware that some things are just simply challenging with no way around it.
I understand that many of the same cast of characters have signed on for this sequel which should make things consistent and interesting and likely consistently interesting: The cook, the priest, the candlestick maker- jk. But most of the same aunts and uncles will be making an appearance- Naked Uncle, Short Uncle, South African Uncle, I love you Aunt, Oldest Aunt who eats these weird leaves.
I have also learned of some new supporting roles which have been cast: Someone I call Town Uncle who will play the part of: Unmarried town troublemaker from the village the Roy family grew up in. A hybrid family friend/town elder/dirty old man. I've heard enough stories about this person to know that you can rest assured that the first appearance of Town Uncle will be as notorious as the Joker from Batman. Stay tuned.
Another new Aunt will also be joining the show: Projector cousin's mom. She wasn't able to attend the first family wedding due to the apparent need to attend a wedding on her daughter's in-law family side which apparently has since become a non issue due to 'divorce'. (meaning: the husband and wife don't live together and nobody will tell you why, nor are you allowed to talk about it)
There are several other distant relatives and family friends who have yet to be specifically named, but I feel confident they will add a good dynamic to the already chaotic atmosphere. And before you ask, yes they are all staying with us in the tiny 2 bedroom/2 bathroom apartment where the festivities took place last screening. We have apparently secured 2 rooms in the downstairs neighbor's apartment for some of the guests, which I assumed meant they were not going to be home but as always I guessed wrong. You may think it is odd for random relatives to stay with random neighbors, but once again nobody else does.
My biggest apprehensions about this final production:
- Weather. Just as it gets to be sunny and 70's here, I am trading that in for 108 and humid. (and yet someone will definitely be in a hat and coat- just watch)
- Loss of all personal space. This is normal in India so I should be prepared for it, but having just spent 2 weeks without Roy and Shivali I feel even less prepared at the moment.
- Chicken bones. As much as I enjoy Indian food here, the down home authentic stuff there sometimes ends up being a little disappointing to me. It might be the heat, or the preparation methods, or the 'confusion' over what is truly boneless, or possibly it is watching people shove their entire unwashed hand into a giant gooey pile of God knows what and then directly into their mouth. I guess any of those are possible.
- Zoo animal sympathy. I never thought about what it would be like to be a zoo animal until I visited a place where nobody looks like me and many people stare, take pictures, or point. Most is relatively harmless, but over time it makes me feel really annoyed.
- 'Nice' places. I have been fast to pick up on the fact that definitions of common words vary widely within the world based on who you ask. Something as simple as a nice place can easily turn into a major issue when you have one idea in your head and someone else has another. My biggest fear at the moment is the 'nice' hotel the groom's family booked for us for our stay in their hometown for the wedding reception.
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