We spent the morning visiting aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, grandma, and the newest addition to the family, a beautiful baby boy. Everyone was thrilled to see each other, offering heartfelt greetings and mass amounts of food and drink - a steaming hotpot, green sticky rice with beans, seafood and beef cooked on a tabletop grill, noodles and vegetables, spicy peanut sauce that left my nose dripping, dried beef, and Beer Lao. The conversation was lively (Dana's mother and father translated for me) and the food was delicious!
Later that evening, I agreed to join several family members and attend a wedding! We set off to the market to collect the necessary clothes and accessories for the evening. We wound through the maze-like market for hours, stopping for a smoothie and fried bananas to refuel our energy. With the persistence of Dana's mother, I finally walked away with a traditional green, knee-length Lao skirt, a white blouse with buttons cutting diagonally across the chest, and gold sandals. Several of the girls and I also stopped at a small salon sitting just inside the market parking garage. With my hair curled and pinned up, along with a touch of lipstick, I was deemed ready for the evening!
Men and women in all sorts of beautiful and brightly colored skirts, suits and blouses entered the wedding hall. The wedding party greeted us at the entrance with bows and welcome shots of whiskey. We found an open table and spent the night enjoying a buffet dinner, chatting with new friends, and attempting to dance. Standing quite a bit taller than every other Lao women and most Lao men, I stumbled my way through the dance routines with my hand movements looking anything but eloquent. Those around me moved effortlessly in perfect unison with grace. After the wedding, several new friends and I slipped off our sandals for some bare-foot bowling and then hit the local club for some great dance music to continue the festivities!
Thank you Douangphachanh (and extended) family for hosting me! I enjoyed meeting all of you! The day was truly memorable in many ways.
