Spring...

Today is Pahela Falgun, the first day of Spring in Bangladesh.

Women are wearing bright yellow Saris, men are dressed up in lavish Panjabis... although Bangladesh is quite a conservative society, fabrics and dress seem to follow the rule of 'louder is better'...

Last night I joined my fellow AYADS at Mahmuda's wedding celebration.  Mahmuda is part of the In-Country Team here in Bangladesh, and was instrumental in acclimatising us to this country.  I expected a ceremony, some traditional dancing, maybe some speeches... but no, that's not how it works.  According to Jez, the ceremony itself is quite private, with only close family attending.  What we were seeing was essentially the wedding reception.  It was a spectacular affair, with 2,000 people (according to Mahmuda's mother) sitting down dinner.  It seems the central purpose of teh evening was to eat, have an awkward picture taken with the bride and groom, and then leave...

I'd like to think we made the evening a little more relaxing for Mahmuda by having some fun with the pictures, which will be posted shortly... the official photographer is my bondou (friend), and was delighted when we suggested that perhaps we shouldn't be quite so 'formal' in the picture...

My Junior Wolves have a tournament tonight, and this weekend will be spent coaching the Senior Wolves to victory (hopefully).

On another sidebar, I'm still waiting on my textbooks from home, which prompted a visit to the local post office... expect a feature on how the postal system here works, I think that will be my new pet project...

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