THIS is a wedding reception?

Thursday, 13 January 2005

Okay, I've been to a lot of weddings, but this is the first wedding where I've seen half naked women dancing and gyrating their hips to pop music. It didn't shock me when we walked to one of our staff member's wedding reception tonight and I saw children in flourescent green dresses with white feathers on their head, dancing to pop music. But, for the next hour after that, the wedding reception entertainment (while we were eating dinner I might add) included half a dozen women dancing in string bikinis, while a guy paraded around the stage like Ricky Martin. The women climbed on the scaffolding, danced on the speakers...all they were missing were the poles! It was like they were at a strip bar! IT was the most shocking thing I've seen at a wedding before, and I know this is not common, as I've been to a Thai wedding before. Matt said sometimes after the party, the women will continue dancing and people will give them money. A bit strange to see such entertainment at a wedding with hundreds of guests, families, children, and relatives.

After we ate, we came home to hear P'Lek hacking away. The poor guy (our neighbor and computer teacher) has been sick with the measles or something. We tried to tell him to go to the hospital, but the stubborn man wouldn't go. (Last night, his parents both caught the train down from their home in Chiang Mai - a 15 hour train ride - to take care of him for one night. His mother, who has been a nurse for over 45 years, was the sweetest thing, and gave me her own concoction to relieve itching from insect bites...although she added, "Works for all insect bites, except for men. Sorry I can't cure a broken heart." She was hilarious!)