Another Wedding

On 25 February, my post was about the drama surrounding an 18 year old girl that was being forced into marriage. Today, just 18 days later, she's married.

Since the 25th, she had many miserable days crying over the fact that she had to get married. Obviously, she didn't feel ready. She was also a little afraid of living with her in-laws and felt that she would not know how to be a "good wife".

Fortunately, she grew to accept and I think, like the idea of getting married to her boyfriend. At least she didn't have to marry the guy that her father had picked for her.

The ceremony included short speeches by several representatives from both families. The two points that I understood and remembered from today were:

1) There will be times where you don't agree with your in-laws. Do not talk to your own parents about this. Do not talk to your friends. Just keep it all in your own stomach.

2) Specific advice to the groom: The most important job for you now is to ensure that you make enough money to support your new wife. It doesn't matter if you go about this through legal or illegal ways as long as you're earning some cash.

Here are a few of the photos from today. I didn't include many photos of the ceremony because the clothes and setup looked very similar to Iwan's wedding.

This "bridge" was wobbly and full of holes. Very scary to walk across especially when somebody else from the opposite direction pushes past you!



Here's a side view of the house where the wedding was held.



The wedding couple looked a little sad and bored but I did see them share a couple of genuine smiles.



It is sometimes insulting to pity a person but I really can't help feeling sorry for this girl. She has been forced into this situation and while she accepts it now, it probably means a hard life full of struggles to make ends meet. Her high school exams are in two months but I don't think she will be able to concentrate. So that means her chances of getting out of this rut are minimal. My hope for her is that her new husband will be fair, kind and faithful.