The day after we arrived in Tanzania, we made a surprise visit to LOAMO. The welcome was better than I could have hoped for, as I had only spent two days at the school last year. The staff was so happy to see us and we were so happy to see them. Lisa Marie and I were surprised with an invite to a wedding send-off party for Rehema, the school’s secretary. A send-off is similar to a rehearsal dinner, it is an event put on and paid for by the bride’s family, whereas the wedding is put on by the groom’s family. We did not know what to expect! As per custom, we donated to the gift being purchased by the LOAMO staff and were told to arrive promptly at 6:30pm.
The day of the send-off was spent preparing for our students arrival, grocery shopping and setting up the bedrooms. Since we were planning on teaching at the school, we had brought nicer clothes to wear, however even in our nice clothes we were under dressed. It also turned out that we had been told to arrive a good hour early.
The decorations were so bright and elaborate! Pink, yellow and blue cloth was draped over chairs, tables and hung from the ceiling. Crystal candle holders adorned the tables. As the guests began to arrive, I felt as though I was at a red carpet event. All the men were dressed in their nicest suits with polished shoes. The women, oh the women… The younger crowd of women were dressed modernly; dresses were strappy, short, poofy and sparkly. Elaborate weaves sat upon their heads. The older women were adorned in stunning tribal patterns and ketengas. Layers of vibrant fabrics draped over their shoulders. Beaded jewelry hung from their ears and necks. Jewelry that they had no doubt made themselves. The elder Maasai women greet each other with a “gili gili”, a clicking noise made with their tongues to show extreme happiness.
The night progressed unlike any night I had ever experienced. There was a soup reception, where we all awaited Rehema’s arrival and conga-lined around her car to a live band. After all the guests were seated, she came dancing down the aisle with her brother and they took their place at the front of the room in two large white chairs, where they would remain for the remainder of the ceremony. A man with a very large old video camera walked around, projecting brightly lit video of the guests onto two large screens at the back of the room. Nearly the whole ceremony was in Swahili, but apparently the MC was quite funny, occasionally at our expense. Rehema and her family presented gifts to her husbands family, in the form of cakes and ketengas. Traditional dances and songs were performed by guests. Toasts were made and significant food was displayed; in particular a goat who’s entire body minus the head had been roasted, and was wheeled out with a mouth full of greens, adorned in orange and lime slices, kneeling on a dolly. Around 11pm, dinner was being served and Lisa Marie and I were beyond exhausted. Upon confirming it would not be rude for us to leave at this point, we snuck away from the festivities, our minds reeling from the once in a lifetime night we had just had.
