So. I am new here, as you all know, and thus just getting to know the people with whom I work. I was told by my fellow intern Julia that one of the Vietnamese women from the office was getting married, and that she was throwing a party to celebrate. I assumed it was like a pre-wedding party, a wedding shower of sorts, not too formal but not too casual. Just a big happy party.
I knew that it would start around 6:45, so I got off work at 5 and went straight home (via motorbike taxi, which I still love, but more on that later) to change into a dress. I got a call from Julia telling me where to go, and I headed downstairs where Ha, the woman at the front desk, helped me hail another motorbike taxi (my usual guy not having been warned...I have a usual guy! ahem, sorry, I just like the idea that I have a "driver." On a motorcycle.). Since I was wearing a dress, I knew I might have some...difficulty with the risk of indecent exposure on the bike. I'd seen some women riding sidesaddle, so I decided to throw caution to the wind (whoa, pun not intended) and try it. I hopped on cautiously, held my dress between my knees to fight off the wind, put one hand on the back of the bike, and held on for dear life. Did I mention it was raining? It was raining. So we jostled and splashed around until we arrived at a big giant fancy-looking hotel, where I paid the guy and was
left.This was definitely not just a party. It was a full-on, big production Vietnamese wedding reception. And when I say big production, I truly mean it. I found my coworkers all at one table, accepted that for me this would not be a social affair (since I really knew only Julia and my boss, and since I could not communicate with other people) and decided to sit back and take it all in.
This had everything. Bridesmaids and groomsmen carrying giant sparklers, bubbles coming out of the ceiling, towers of balloons that were popped at just the right time to terrify any small children in attendance, a champagne glass tower with dry ice (and no one drank the champagne), the ceremonial cutting of the cake (which happened before dinner, and which also no one ate), and then a lot of people getting drunk, like at every wedding. They were serving beer, and I swear that every time anyone took one tiny sip there was a waiter at your elbow waiting to fill the void in your glass. That, and every few minutes groups of happy wedding guests would do a Vietnamese drinking chant that basically means, "1, 2, 3, GO!" and chug their beer. Which would be promptly refilled.
After a big procession of the wedding party (with the sparklers and bubbles and popping balloons), and many many words were said, and the champagne was poured and the cake was cut, there was some sort of big announcement and the side doors to the banquet hall burst open. In comes a parade of waiters, as momentous movie music is playing, with trays to distribute. We are rushed through 5 courses in an hour and then suddenly everyone is leaving. It was kind of eerie: no one really paid attention to the announcements and the ceremony because they were too busy drinking and carousing, and then we all inhaled our food and left, just like that.
Thus, about an hour and a half after getting there, Julia and I shared a cab home. It was definitely an interesting experience, I'll give you that. I got free food AND a spectacle. And potentially a lot of beer; Julia and I started putting our hands over our glasses when lurking waiters approached. A good call, I think. But I wasn't about to attempt sidesaddle again, not in the steady rain.
An adventure, to say the least.
No comments:
Post a Comment