From Greeting Line to Airline

Today I had one of the most abrupt transitions ever. For the last couple of days Kim and I have been helping out at a wedding across the street from our house. When I say across the street I mean LITERALLY across the street. So close they used our front yard as a parking lot.

Saturday was the official wedding ceremony and Sunday the reception. But really, between the two days, there hasn’t been a break. After the wedding on Saturday they played techno-ish music from the huge loudspeakers into the whee hours of the morning. People sang karaoke to their hearts content. It was so loud that Kim and I couldn’t sit in our living room and hear each other speaking. So we had a restless night.

Sunday it started up again around 8am. The music started playing indicating it was time to get ready. When we arrived I was invited to stand in the greeting line while Kim went to go help out in the kitchen area. I greeted guests for a couple hours as they came in. Kim handed out drinks at one of the serving tables.

Now the hard part of all this is that immediately following the wedding and reception we had to hop on a couple planes to Singapore- no time to catch our breath in between. We’re getting our new visa and have to leave the country. But because the wedding was across the street from us we had to do that too. So one minute I’m immersed in the culture, greeting guests, speaking the language, and the next I’m back in my American clothes, passport in hand, on my way to the airport. Whoa Josh!! Slow down! Even now as I write this, it’s late at night, we’re in Singapore and I’m still trying to get my head on straight. Who am I anyway? Can I really just jump worlds like that so quickly? Can I go from the village to international flights all within a couple hours?

Perhaps I need a good nights rest. Tonight I have the soft purr of a quiet AC unit in the high rise apartment. Last night, the thunderous booming of karaoke from across the street. Tomorrow is a new day.