So since I am in a new city, it is my duty as a traveler to explore. I have Fridays off so I decided to explorer downtown Campo Grande on my first day off. My mode of transportation of course is the bus. Before deciding to take the bus to explore I tried to ask people different questions about getting downtown and about downtown in general. No one knew what bus I had to take because most people in the hospital drive or have a motorcycle. One person told me to take one of the blue buses from the bus stop in front of the hospital to the bus terminal and then take one of the red buses from there because they all go downtown. This information was helpful but not very helpful. Most of the buses are either blue or red and some red buses do not go downtown.
I had a breakthrough when the secretary of the Hospital Director told me that one of the hospital drivers could take me downtown Friday morning and that he could tell me how to get back to the hospital. Friday came and we were on our way to downtown, when I asked him about getting back to the Hospital. It took a while for him to answer the question only to have him tell me he didn't know. His suggestion was that I ask the people downtown and they would tell me how to get back to the hospital. I thought to myself, "Great, I'm going to get lost downtown, and it's too late to go back to the hospital."
When we got downtown, the driver dropped me off on one of the main roads and I started exploring. Downtown Campo Grade reminded me a lot of Anapolis in Goias. There were a lot clothing stores and several Latin American type diners. I don't know if I mentioned this before but in Brazil the favorite snack is something called pastel pronounced pasteu. When I was originally invited to have some I thought it would be sweet because the equivalent in English pastry, which is usually sweet. Here, pastel is flat rectanglur shaped deep fried pastry which is stuffed usually with cheese and/or meat/vegetable. It can be found in any and every Brazilian city or town. In downtown Campo Grande there are a lot of these diners that sell pastel.
I walked around the downtown area just exploring. I bought myself some lunch and drank coconut water and then decided it was time to head back to the hospital. I was not quite sure of how to get back to the hospital or where to get the bus but I decided to walk to a park where I had seen several buses parked. As I walked to the park I noticed that several buses passed by me with signs that said they were going to Aereo Rancho. I also remembered seeing a bus terminal near the hospital with the name Aereo Rancho Terminal. I, therefore, assumed that that was the bus I was suppose to take to get back to the hospital. The only problem was that I could not find the bus stop for that bus. I decided to stick to the original plan of walking to the park. When I got to the parked I asked someone who was selling bus passes what bus to take and he directed me to one of the bus stops.
My bus came and I took it feeling proud of getting on the right bus and going home. The thing is I was on the right bus but I was going in the wrong direction. I didn't know this until the bus got its final stop and I realized I was not in Aereo Rancho. I got off the bus with the other passengers and decided to get some information. I was told to take the same bus line to the final stop. I was upset because it had already taken almost an hr to get to that station and I had to get back on the bus. It would take me an hour to get back to the place I had originally taken the bus and possibly another hour back to the hospital. On top of that I would have pay another fare.
The bus I taken to the station had already left so I had to wait for another one. When another one finally came, I noticed that everyone rushed on the bus as soon as the bus rider and conductor exited to, I guess, use the bathroom or get a drink. I was wondering why no one was paying the fare. Then it dawned on me that once you were in the bus station you could get bus transfers for free. I didn't have to pay another fare because it was counted as a transfer. When I finally got to the final stop in the other direction it was over an hour later and I had to take another bus to get to the hospital but that bus ride was only 10 minutes.
Even though I got lost, I learned about the bus system in Campo Grande. While I was waiting for the bus, I saw a bus that went to the shopping/mall so next week I'll be going to the mall. Thanks for reading!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
I am Living in a Hospital!
I'm really living in a hospital! Check out my room! Here I am testing out my bed. I also have a ready supply of extra oxygen above my bed if ever I need it. Cool uh?{}
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As you can see, I am not sick. Anyways let me explain why I am living in a hospital.
Here goes....
I have embarked on a new adventure here in Brazil. This new adventure is an answer to many prayers. Even though I loved being at IABC I was feeling bored and for a while unhappy. God answered my prayers right about the time I was at widst end. I am now going to be a traveling teacher. I will be traveling over the Central East Region of Brazil. This region includes the states of Goias, where I originally was, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Tocantins and the Federal District-Brasilia. I will spend a month at a time in the capital of each of these states . I am excited about this new adventure, because I will get to see more of Brazil. It’s also kind of sad to leave IABC because there has been home.
My first stop is Campo Grande in the state Mato Grosso do Sul (MS). Ok the translation of name of the state is funny. It is translated Thick Brush of the South, not to be confused the state Mato Grosso, which is translated thick bush. The funny thing about these names is that IABC is more of a mato or bush than where I am now.
Given that I will only be here for only a month, I was given a room in the Adventist Hospital of Pênfigo in Campo Grande. When I first learnt I would be staying in a hospital for a month I was somewhat uncomfortable. But what could I do? The first night I
was laying in bed and I was thinking to myself, “I wonder how many people died on this bed” and “Did the last person who was in this bed die?” Luckily, I was very tired because I was traveling all day so I went to bed soon after to stop my imagination from running away with me. The next day I realized that it was not too bad being here. The hospital has a lot of acreage and has many different fruit trees so I get to walk around and explore. On my second day here, I found a june plum tree. This is a fruit that we also have in Jamaica. It is shaped like a large oblong egg and is usually yellowish-green.
The seed is somewhat strange because it has sprickles so you have to be careful when you eating the meat of the fruit closest to the seed. We usually have them in the summer. I haven’t eaten a june plum in probably 4/5 years, so seeing a tree with almost ripe ones is a big treat for me. There is also a family atmosphere here because the hospital is surrounded with houses for staff. Many of the staff members have children, so children are always riding around on bicycles.Another positive thing about being here is the fact that the hospital has the Health Living Spa. This spa is for people who want to improve their lifestyle. It has a gym, massage therapists, pool and other spa amenities and I get access
to them, so I guess it not too bad to be staying in the hospital. I also get to eat at the spa which has great food, so I don’t have to eat hospital food. Overall I am happy to be here and the good thing about being in a hospital is that if I do get sick I can be treated in my own room. I start teaching in a few days so I will share more of my adventures and thank you for reading! Tuesday, February 17, 2009
The Education System
Students at IABC besides belonging to different grade levels fall into two categories, the bolsistas and the regular paying students. The bolsistas (scholarship recipients) are students who pay their way through school by working at the school in different capacities. Some work in the kitchen, laundry, administrative office, other work as teachers’ assistants, IT personnel, gardeners, janitors among other jobs. They came back to school two weeks before the other students, in order to help prepare the school for new school year. From what I have noticed, though, there are more student workers than actually actual IABC staff.
There are different levels of bolsistas and the level determines the length of the work day. There are many students who would like to become bolsistas but there are only a few spaces because the school needs a specific number of students to pay the tuition to meet the demands of the school. The process is therefore very competitive. The students’ grades are very important and past behavior weigh a lot in the selection process. As a result of working for the school, bolsistas are called on to set an example for other students. Bad behavior or bad grades are grounds for losing their bolsa or scholarship.
I spent all of first week of school helping the school’s English teacher with his classes and I had first hand knowledge into the day-to-day operations of the school. The first very obvious difference between schools here and those in the
The school system is divided in three levels: our equivalent of Kindergarten, elementary/middle school (1-9) and high school (1-3). I was helping to teach middle school grades 6 to 9 and high school grades 1 to 3. Given that it was the first week of classes and there were several new students, the students had to introduce themselves. During this process, I was surprised at the age differences and the classroom behavior. In many classes the age disparity was as much as 4 years. As you know I love to ask questions, so I wanted to know why the ages differed so much in each grade level. I was told that students sometimes changed several schools during the school year and did not bring up to date school records. As a result, they are placed in specific classes. Also sometimes students are forced to repeat different grade levels because they did not do well in the classes.
The classroom behavior was another shock. IABC is a coed school and off course there will be couples. Given that this was situation, I thought the teachers and school would have rules about how students are to interact with each other in class. Well maybe there are rules, but since it was only the first week they have not been enforced. Anyways in several class couples were sitting together, hugging each other, holding hands and whispering and talking to each other rather than paying attention. I felt like the students here have less respect for the teachers within the classroom. They see their teachers more as friends rather than as an authority figure.
I hope I am not giving the impression the school system here is terrible. There are positives and negatives as in any country also I was only in the classroom for a week so my impressions may be skewed. The good thing though is that the teachers have realized that some of the students are disrespectful and that this is obviously something that has to be improved. The school just hired a new person who is in charge of discipline so they are trying to improve the situation. I must say I admire, the work ethic being developed in the students through the bolsas (scholarships). These students learn to value their education. Many of the bolsistas who have administrative positions gain valuable work experience. One cool thing I learnt about Adventist Education in
Unfortunately, I was only able to help out in the school for a week. I am leaving IABC for a several months to work on a special project. I will tell you more about this project in upcoming blog posts.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
The Aliança de Compromisso
I discovered a very interesting custom in Brazil that I just have to share. It has to do with the tradition of having a dating ring. The aliança do compromisso is a ring that couples wears to show that they are in a relationship. It doesn’t mean the couple are engaged but rather that they are dating. This ring is a normal band without a stone so it looks like a wedding band. Interesting isn’t it?
My first real experience here with this tradition was with the students at IABC. So just imagine, I am in a school with teenagers most of whom are wearing rings which look like wedding bands. It is also obvious that the ones with the rings were in a relationship with someone. In my head I was wondering if in Brazil kids could get married before they finished high school. Then, I am thinking that the school was crazy for having married teenagers for boarding students. Teenage pregnancy and young and inexperienced parents came to mind. My imagination was getting away with me.
After observing that male students sat on one side of the church and female students sat on the other and that some unmarried teachers had the same type of ring, I realized that the rings didn’t mean the couples were married but rather they were dating. This was later confirmed when I was able to speak enough Portuguese to inquire about the tradition.
There is however a scheme to the whole ring situation. A silver band signifies that the couples are only dating. A gold band on the right hand means they are engaged while a gold band on the left hand means the couples are married. Brazilians don’t usually wear engagement rings like there is in the US. Most couples only have a wedding band.
I was curious to know if persons had to buy these rings at specific jewelry stores or if they were available most places. According my friends, the rings are available at many jewelry stores and are somewhat inexpensive. But it costs more to have have the rings engraved. That’s another tradition. The rings can also be engraved with the couple’s names.
I guess in a sense this tradition has its purpose, for a single person looking for someone, he/she can know without asking if another person is single by the absence of a ring. The ring makes the dating process get off the ground easily. This tradition also generates a lot of income for jewelers. On the other side, it seems like quite a lot of trouble for dating especially if the persons are young and likely not to get married.
Ok, since I am on the topic of rings I must share another interesting discovery I made about Brazilian weddings. Unfortunately, I was not able attend my friend’s wedding because it was in the South of Brazil which is several days away. I did however learn a lot about Brazilian weddings which I must share.
In weddings I am accustomed to, the couple chooses bridesmaids and groomsmen and they are usually dress alike. In Brazil, they do not have this type of tradition. Here, the equivalent of bridesmaids and groomsmen are godmothers and godfathers for the wedding. The couple chooses usually several persons to stand up for them. Sometimes these persons are married to each other but regardless these persons are paired with another person because they walk in the wedding in pairs like bridesmaids and groomsmen.
These godparents don’t just walk in the wedding they have a very important role. They are expected to contribute a very large and expensive gift to the couple. One would think a large gift would be an appliance or some money. Not here! The gift is usually a piece of furniture. They buy the couple either a bedroom set, furnish the entire kitchen with small appliances, a refrigerator, a stove, a dining room table or a living room set. Basically, when a person is asked to be a padrino/madrino of a wedding they know they have to contribute very expensive gift. It is also considered an honor because they are blessing the union.
I have to lift my hat to Brazilians for this custom because when a couple gets married they basically go home to a furnished house, because at the cha bar they get the small appliances and at the wedding they get the bigger stuff. All the couple has to worry about is the wedding, but some of the cost is offset by the tradition of giving money to the couple at the reception. It looks like here is the place to get married. You’ll get everything you’ll need to start your new life!
My first real experience here with this tradition was with the students at IABC. So just imagine, I am in a school with teenagers most of whom are wearing rings which look like wedding bands. It is also obvious that the ones with the rings were in a relationship with someone. In my head I was wondering if in Brazil kids could get married before they finished high school. Then, I am thinking that the school was crazy for having married teenagers for boarding students. Teenage pregnancy and young and inexperienced parents came to mind. My imagination was getting away with me.
After observing that male students sat on one side of the church and female students sat on the other and that some unmarried teachers had the same type of ring, I realized that the rings didn’t mean the couples were married but rather they were dating. This was later confirmed when I was able to speak enough Portuguese to inquire about the tradition.
There is however a scheme to the whole ring situation. A silver band signifies that the couples are only dating. A gold band on the right hand means they are engaged while a gold band on the left hand means the couples are married. Brazilians don’t usually wear engagement rings like there is in the US. Most couples only have a wedding band.
I was curious to know if persons had to buy these rings at specific jewelry stores or if they were available most places. According my friends, the rings are available at many jewelry stores and are somewhat inexpensive. But it costs more to have have the rings engraved. That’s another tradition. The rings can also be engraved with the couple’s names.
I guess in a sense this tradition has its purpose, for a single person looking for someone, he/she can know without asking if another person is single by the absence of a ring. The ring makes the dating process get off the ground easily. This tradition also generates a lot of income for jewelers. On the other side, it seems like quite a lot of trouble for dating especially if the persons are young and likely not to get married.
Ok, since I am on the topic of rings I must share another interesting discovery I made about Brazilian weddings. Unfortunately, I was not able attend my friend’s wedding because it was in the South of Brazil which is several days away. I did however learn a lot about Brazilian weddings which I must share.
In weddings I am accustomed to, the couple chooses bridesmaids and groomsmen and they are usually dress alike. In Brazil, they do not have this type of tradition. Here, the equivalent of bridesmaids and groomsmen are godmothers and godfathers for the wedding. The couple chooses usually several persons to stand up for them. Sometimes these persons are married to each other but regardless these persons are paired with another person because they walk in the wedding in pairs like bridesmaids and groomsmen.
These godparents don’t just walk in the wedding they have a very important role. They are expected to contribute a very large and expensive gift to the couple. One would think a large gift would be an appliance or some money. Not here! The gift is usually a piece of furniture. They buy the couple either a bedroom set, furnish the entire kitchen with small appliances, a refrigerator, a stove, a dining room table or a living room set. Basically, when a person is asked to be a padrino/madrino of a wedding they know they have to contribute very expensive gift. It is also considered an honor because they are blessing the union.
I have to lift my hat to Brazilians for this custom because when a couple gets married they basically go home to a furnished house, because at the cha bar they get the small appliances and at the wedding they get the bigger stuff. All the couple has to worry about is the wedding, but some of the cost is offset by the tradition of giving money to the couple at the reception. It looks like here is the place to get married. You’ll get everything you’ll need to start your new life!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Christmas and New Years in Hortolandia
I spent the holidays with my friend and her family in the city of Hortolandia in the state of Sao Paolo. I arrived there a few days before Christmas so everybody was busy getting ready for Christmas. I went with my friend to city center to buy gifts and the place was packed. There was hardly anywhere to walk. All the stores were crowded. I could not imagine how it would have been in a bigger city. Christmas here in Brazil is one of the biggest holidays and is a time of great celebration. It is also a time for getting together with family and unfortunately a time of over indulgence.
The family I was staying with consisted of mother, father and three adult children. One of the children my friend lives in Abadiânia with me, the other female lives at home and the older child, the son is recently married and lives 20 minutes away. The Christmas dinner was held at the son’s home on the 25th in the night. Traditionally, Christmas is celebrated on the 24th at midnight. At that time people eat a huge Christmas dinner and open presents.
Given that family I stayed and I are vegetarians we did not have traditional, Brazilian Christmas dinner. The traditional meal consists of a lot of meat and in particular turkey. One traditional food that we did enjoy was panetone. This food is very similar to fruit cake. The really cool thing about panetone is the way it sold. They are usually sold in a bright colored box to match the festivities of the season. It’s like a gift box with a little cake inside. Many years ago, when I spent Christmas in Peru I was introduced to panetone, but I did not particularly like it because of the dried fruits. This experience with panetone was totally different! Now, panetone comes with either chocolate chips or dried fruits. The chocolate panetone is called chocotone. I totally enjoyed the chocotone because it was like eating cake with chocolate chips, and I love chocolate.
There was one downside to Christmas in Brazil. As you know Brazil is in the southern hemisphere, so this time of year is also summertime. Besides being summer, it is also the rainy season for many areas. For the two weeks that I was in Hortolandia, the rained probably most of the time and two of the days it rained was Christmas and New Years. I love the rain but it sort of put a damper on the holiday for me. I am used to having either sun or snow for the holiday season.
The New Year’s tradition in Brazil I think is more or less similar to many places in the world. We went to church at sunset to welcome the New Year. After the church service, the church had a large feast with fruits, nuts and bread, which is a tradition in the church. The family that I stayed with had a laid back family dinner and watched the New Year's concert and fire works on television. The rain dampened everyone’s enthusiasm to leave the house.
One New Year’s tradition in Brazil has to do with cloths. It is a tradition to welcome the New Year, in white. Usually all garments of cloths is white down to the underwear. This tradition helped explain why many of the clothing stores had mannequins dressed in white in the store windows.
I have to say all in all, Christmas and New Year was good. Even though I was not with my biological family, I felt like I was with family, because the family made me feel right at home and welcomed. Thanks to the Gonçalves Family!
The family I was staying with consisted of mother, father and three adult children. One of the children my friend lives in Abadiânia with me, the other female lives at home and the older child, the son is recently married and lives 20 minutes away. The Christmas dinner was held at the son’s home on the 25th in the night. Traditionally, Christmas is celebrated on the 24th at midnight. At that time people eat a huge Christmas dinner and open presents.
Given that family I stayed and I are vegetarians we did not have traditional, Brazilian Christmas dinner. The traditional meal consists of a lot of meat and in particular turkey. One traditional food that we did enjoy was panetone. This food is very similar to fruit cake. The really cool thing about panetone is the way it sold. They are usually sold in a bright colored box to match the festivities of the season. It’s like a gift box with a little cake inside. Many years ago, when I spent Christmas in Peru I was introduced to panetone, but I did not particularly like it because of the dried fruits. This experience with panetone was totally different! Now, panetone comes with either chocolate chips or dried fruits. The chocolate panetone is called chocotone. I totally enjoyed the chocotone because it was like eating cake with chocolate chips, and I love chocolate.
There was one downside to Christmas in Brazil. As you know Brazil is in the southern hemisphere, so this time of year is also summertime. Besides being summer, it is also the rainy season for many areas. For the two weeks that I was in Hortolandia, the rained probably most of the time and two of the days it rained was Christmas and New Years. I love the rain but it sort of put a damper on the holiday for me. I am used to having either sun or snow for the holiday season.
The New Year’s tradition in Brazil I think is more or less similar to many places in the world. We went to church at sunset to welcome the New Year. After the church service, the church had a large feast with fruits, nuts and bread, which is a tradition in the church. The family that I stayed with had a laid back family dinner and watched the New Year's concert and fire works on television. The rain dampened everyone’s enthusiasm to leave the house.
One New Year’s tradition in Brazil has to do with cloths. It is a tradition to welcome the New Year, in white. Usually all garments of cloths is white down to the underwear. This tradition helped explain why many of the clothing stores had mannequins dressed in white in the store windows.
I have to say all in all, Christmas and New Year was good. Even though I was not with my biological family, I felt like I was with family, because the family made me feel right at home and welcomed. Thanks to the Gonçalves Family!
A Bus Ride to Hortolandia, Sao Paulo
For the holidays a friend of mine, a fellow teacher, invited me to spend the holidays with her and her family. She lives in the State of Sao Paulo in the city of Hortolandia which is approximately 1 hour from the city of Sao Paulo. Rather than flying I decided to use the more affordable and longer way. I took the bus, 12hrs in all! My friend went a few days before. So, I took the bus alone, which was fine by me.
I bought my tickets the day before I had planned to go. Prior taking the trip, everyone warned me that the bus was punctual so I had to on time and that I had to be vigilant in the bus because people would try to rob me. I felt like they were trying to scare me but I know they just wanted me to be careful. Anyways, the most interesting thing about the busride, ironically, was the security and safety measures implemented by the government and bus company.
When I bought my ticket a form was stapled to the ticket, where the passengers had to fill in their name, address, phone number, date of birth etc. The bus driver would not allow any passenger on the bus who did not fill out the entire form. That was a first for me! I have taken the bus in several other Latin American countries and I had never had such an experience. Once in the bus, I noticed that all the seats were equipped with seat belts. Before leaving the bus station, the driver instructed all passengers to fasten their seat belts, because it was federal law. He, then, walked about the bus to ensure that all the passengers did as they were told. There were several stops on the way and before leaving each of the bus stations someone from the bus company did a walk through of the bus to ensure that no one had snuck into the bus and reminded the passengers to fasten our seat belts.
The bus ride was fine I had not problems with missing the bus or being robbed. Even though the bus ride was long I happy I took the bus because I had the opportunity to see the Brazilian landscape. The State of Goais, where I am living is in the center of Brazil while the State of Sao Paulo is in the South East of Brazil. Most of the areas we drove agricultural area, I saw several sugar cane field, soy beans field and other I could not quite identify. Driving through the countryside allowed me to see just how larger Brazil is. There were several towns and city spread over the Brazilian landscape. One interesting things I notices was that with every city we drove through there was a large sign with name of the city or town. The signs were not just a metal sign. The name was either chiseled in stone standing several feet high or was artistically done a the hedge.
As we approached the state of Sao Paulo I could notice the difference from the other states we drove though. Sao Paulo is an industrial state. There were several plants for various makes and models of cars and there were factories for several well known companies such as Dell and IBM. The cars in the area of Sao Paulo were also different. Many different makes, several Europeans models and there were larger cars than other places I had been in Brazil. Without a doubt you could see that this state is the industrial state of Brazil.
I bought my tickets the day before I had planned to go. Prior taking the trip, everyone warned me that the bus was punctual so I had to on time and that I had to be vigilant in the bus because people would try to rob me. I felt like they were trying to scare me but I know they just wanted me to be careful. Anyways, the most interesting thing about the busride, ironically, was the security and safety measures implemented by the government and bus company.
When I bought my ticket a form was stapled to the ticket, where the passengers had to fill in their name, address, phone number, date of birth etc. The bus driver would not allow any passenger on the bus who did not fill out the entire form. That was a first for me! I have taken the bus in several other Latin American countries and I had never had such an experience. Once in the bus, I noticed that all the seats were equipped with seat belts. Before leaving the bus station, the driver instructed all passengers to fasten their seat belts, because it was federal law. He, then, walked about the bus to ensure that all the passengers did as they were told. There were several stops on the way and before leaving each of the bus stations someone from the bus company did a walk through of the bus to ensure that no one had snuck into the bus and reminded the passengers to fasten our seat belts.
The bus ride was fine I had not problems with missing the bus or being robbed. Even though the bus ride was long I happy I took the bus because I had the opportunity to see the Brazilian landscape. The State of Goais, where I am living is in the center of Brazil while the State of Sao Paulo is in the South East of Brazil. Most of the areas we drove agricultural area, I saw several sugar cane field, soy beans field and other I could not quite identify. Driving through the countryside allowed me to see just how larger Brazil is. There were several towns and city spread over the Brazilian landscape. One interesting things I notices was that with every city we drove through there was a large sign with name of the city or town. The signs were not just a metal sign. The name was either chiseled in stone standing several feet high or was artistically done a the hedge.
As we approached the state of Sao Paulo I could notice the difference from the other states we drove though. Sao Paulo is an industrial state. There were several plants for various makes and models of cars and there were factories for several well known companies such as Dell and IBM. The cars in the area of Sao Paulo were also different. Many different makes, several Europeans models and there were larger cars than other places I had been in Brazil. Without a doubt you could see that this state is the industrial state of Brazil.
Monday, December 8, 2008
The Cha Bars
A few weeks ago, I went to two Chá Bars. I know must be wondering what is Chá Bar so let me explain. The direct translation for this phase is tea bar, but this has nothing to do with tea or a bar. Chá Bar is the name given to the equivalent of our engagement, bachelorette or bachelor party. I had the honor of attending two of these types of parties. One was suppose was a bachelorette party and the other was an engagement party. These parties were for one of my friends who will be getting married in January. She is a teacher at IABC.
The bachelorette party was organized by several of the female students of my friend and two other teachers. The students wanted to celebrate with their teacher and wanted give her gifts, because many of them will not be attending the wedding. Off course, I was very curious to see what type of party this was going to be, because the students’ ages ranged from 14-18 years.
This party was nothing I imagined. The party was not a time to celebrate the upcoming marriage but rather a time for the bride to make a fool of herself. Everyone is expected to bring a wrapped gift. I was surprised at the type of gifts the bride-to-be received. The gifts were household items nothing really personal. I thought household items were the things you would give as wedding presents. I was beginning to wonder what the couple would get as wedding gifts. Anyways, the bride-to-be had to guess what each of the gifts was and if she was wrong they would do different things to her to make her look ridiculous. For example they painted her face with various colors and gave her very horrible make up. They also dressed her up in men clothes to resemble her fiancé also making fun of him in the process.
When she has finished opening her presents and the students were finished dressing her up and painting her face as a clown, she had to do these dances which I assume were dances from songs kids usually sing. After she finished acting as a clown in her house, they escorted her to the school campus. It was dinner time and she went to cafeteria and she walked around the cafeteria looking as a clown. I must say this party was different and a little of a shock to me. I am not fan of the fact that people made fun of the bride-to-be and that she also enjoyed it! It should be a happy time not a time of ridicule but I’m in a different culture so I have to learn to appreciate the differences.
The engagement party I thought would be different but it was not at all. I was all about making fun of the couple as a whole. This was another culture shock. This party was very similar to the previous party. The couple was blindfolded and was given 5 seconds to feel each gift and then guess what it was and who had given it. If they did not guess the gift or the name of the giver correctly, the gift giver had an opportunity to either paint both the faces of the bride and groom to be or choose some ridiculous article of clothing for them each to wear. Some of the things done to bride and groom to be, I admit were funny but I just can’t get over the fact that the entire party was about to make fun of the couple.
The ironic thing about the guessing of the gift and giver was that, the bride-to-be was the one who had put all the gifts on the table when the guests arrived. Also, on the invitation for the party, you were asked to bring a specific gift. The other thing about gift aspect of the party was that you were sort of obligated to bring a gift because, couple during the game called almost everyone’s name in the process of finding the gift giver. If you had not brought a gift and they kept calling your name saying it was gift and it was never your gift, it would look bad. That was what sort of happened to me. For several gifts in a row, they kept saying the gift they kept saying that the gift they were opening was mine because I had not claimed to be the giver of any of the gifts that were already open. On top of that several of the other guests started to ask me which of the gifts was mine and whether the gift that was being opened was my gift. I was just glad when they finally opened my gift because I felt like I was on a hot seat.
In all honesty I was not planning to bring a gift because I was told about the party on Wednesday when it was suppose to be the following Sunday. I had been sick with a cold and had no ride to go to
I guess different cultures celebrate engagements in different ways. The party was a happy event but to me it did not seem to be a time to celebrate the upcoming event or the fact that the couple had made the decision to get married. I felt like it was like mocking the couple. One thing that was surprising was that the party was filled with married people and not one of them offered any word of advice to this couple. Probably that will happen at the wedding at the reception. I received an informal invitation to the wedding so I might be going and I will let you know.
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