Weddings....Chapter 1

So July is full of weddings for  me.  The season kicked off last Saturday with my friend's daughter's wedding in a beautiful villa in Helsinki.  It was a perfect summer day, and the bride and groom were enchanting.  I translated between Finnish and English, since the groom was from Canada.

The next day, bright and early, I flew to Egypt, where I now find myself in the familiar living room of the Rozza house in Giza (internet now available!).  The steadily clicking fan above makes the hot day bearable.  Grandma is sleeping on the floor and the ladies of the house along with some neighbors are out on the patio.  We are waiting as the last cookies (to be taken to friends and wedding guests in honor of the impending celebrations) are baking in the large gas oven on the patio.  We have made hundreds of cookies--yes, I tried my hand at it!  Soon we will be headed to the new flat where the bride and groom will begin their lives together.  We have to do a last cleaning and make sure everything is perfectly in order.

Asmaa' is getting married!!  That is why I am here.  She is Mohammed's only daughter and the celebrations and preparations have been going on for some time already.  When I arrived we went to find the right hairdresser who will do her wedding make-up and hair.  This involved a trip to a wedding mall, crowded with little shops stuffed with wedding dresses of various colors and all kinds of bling, as well as coiffeurs as they call the hairdressers.  The hair salons enjoyed air-conditioning and were also stuffed...with brides!  All shapes, sizes and colors, but with one thing in common: a lot of make-up!  You would think they were headed to perform on Broadway!  In a sense though, they are preparing for their biggest show, as they will sit on a raised platform and be applauded, videoed and pictured to no end on their wedding evening by all the guests and friends. They're the stars of the show!

I have not only made cookies, but cooked some, and sat drinking tea with the neighbors who are all under the impression that I understand everything they say.  Hehe. The house is constantly full of people bringing things and helping with preparations.  It feels like a privilege to be part of it all (also tiring, as paying attention to the conversation takes a lot of brain power).  I wanted to update right now, as there is time, I don't know about the coming days though.  We'll see.  Just want to share the excitement with you all. :)