At Last

(Scroll down to see additional pics below...)

At last...I set foot on American soil after more than two years living overseas. And do you know what I found most shocking?

1. McDonalds packaging with an array of VEGGIE decor on the traditional white/red "M" to-go bags. Say what? McD's gone healthy?
2. Coffee maker. By the time I woke up my first day back in Seattle (2pm, ahem), my host (Mariah) was already at work, so I found myself in the kitchen having a staring contest with her coffee maker. It's a standard coffee maker. No bells or whistles. But it looked as foreign to me as a squat toilet. I cocked my head to the side thinking "How do I use this thing again?" Then I panicked. "Where's my instant coffee?" I managed to bring a pot of water to boil, then found one last single-serving packet of Nescafe 3-in-1 (sugar, milk, and coffee) buried in my purse. Happiness IS.
3. To flush the toilet paper, or not to flush the toilet paper? That was a big question. I got confused after two years of not flushing TP. 
4. Smart phones. I showed up in the U.S. phoneless. My Peace Corps issued Samsung flip-phone was not about to find service in America. So while waiting for my fourth and final flight home at the Chicago O'Hare airport (after 5 gate changes, a Terminal change, and 7 hours of being told my plane would be delayed another 40 minutes), I finally asked a girl sitting next to me at the gate if I could use her phone. I needed to call my ride in Seattle and let them know our flight was finally boarding. The very nice girl (a Seattleite on work in Chicago) generously handed me a very sophisticated looking device. Apparently it was a smart phone. As I stared blankly at the screen, I blurted out "OH!....I don't how to use this." She humored me and dialed for me.
5. US coins are SO tiny!

At last...my beautiful friend Beline has had her fairytale wedding.

Her love came along 5 years ago. His name is Yibeltal. I had the honor of being in Ethiopia with Beline when their relationship was blossoming in 2007. By the end of my two months there, she had a ring and a promise. That no matter the distance, they would be together. 

Beline lives in Seattle. Yibe lived in Addis Ababa. It took several years and several trips back to Ethiopia on Beline's part before Yibe got his Visa approved to come to the United States. When we waited at the SeaTac airport to welcome him to Seattle on January 1, 2011, they hadn't seen each other in nearly two years. During the Visa process, government officials asked them to turn in their email and phone call records. They had exchanged more than 500 emails, and the best part for Beline is that at the end of each email, Yibe had written "I love you more and more each day."  

Now, their lonely days are over. Five years after their first encounter, we were able to celebrate their great love. And a great wedding it was! Like Macedonian Orthodox weddings, which last from sunrise to well after sunset, so too was this wedding. The mass was celebrated in the Ethiopian Orthodox church, but not before a morning dance party at the bride's house with her family and friends. 

Once the groom arrived with his family and friends, a tradition began where the groomsmen must fight their way through the bride's family to reach the bride. The most poignant moment was when Yibe first saw Beline. She was sitting serenely on the living room couch upstairs her dress and veil train spread out royally, surrounded by bridesmaids and family members. The groomsmen had carved a path through the crowd so that Yibe could see his bride. Tears welled up in his eyes. Pure joy. His tears had a domino effect. As I struggled to hold mine back (to not disturb the professional makeup job we had risen before sunrise to have done), all it took was one look at fellow bridesmaid and good pal Aimee Khuu for the damn to break. 

Perhaps the most poignant lyric from Etta James At Last song is "And life is like a song." For Beline and Yibe's life is like a song. And dance. From the day I set foot in their home to the wee hours of the morning when I had to head to the airport a week later, we DANCED. Groomsmen had flown in from various parts of the world, family had flown in from Ethiopia, and we DANCED. Aunties who I had stayed with in Ethiopia came and DANCED.

At last...after two years of minimal dancing, I DANCED. It was glorious!  As the wedding party, we learned a simple, choreographed dance to the song "Wobble." We white girls also had to learn the Ethiopian shoulder dance called "Eskista." It took me a while to get started, but once I did, I couldn't stop. The best compliment I got was at the Ethiopian bar near Seattle University after the second day of wedding festivities. A gentleman asked me if I was from Gondar, a place in Ethiopia where castles remain from the days of King Fasilides. I appreciated the compliment.

At last...I was reunited with over 35 friends during my 10 short but oh-so-sweet days in Seattle.  As much as I feel compelled to extend my service in Macedonia for a 3rd year, there's not a day that goes by that I don't miss my people! My community! It was a delight to spend time with old friends (and their new additions). :) Thank you Seattle people and my parents who drove out for the wedding - thank you for blessing me with your friendship and time together during my brief trip home.