The nicest wedding ever!!

I have to say - even with the string of bad luck that I had most of yesterday, everything was forgotten once I arrived at the wedding coz what a NICE wedding!! (I will complain about the bad luck first since I had no one to complain to yesterday)

So, in my usual effiecient way, I worked out precisely how late I had to leave to get to the wedding venue by 14h00, and with my four train changes more or less committed to memory, I set off.. 5seconds after the door of the train closed (but before we actually set off) I realise I had brought the wedding clothes but forgotten the shoes!!! So I wonder if I can quickly grab my bag and press the emergency open-door button - as I hesitated, the train begun to pull out of the station so I had no choice but to wait for the next stop and get off there (this was 5minutes away) On getting off the train, I discovered that the train back to Leuven was 40minutes later!! So as I waited in this little deserted train station I realised that this ensured one thing: I wouldn't be back in time to get the shoes and back to catch the next once-hourly train to Holland, and so I would have to wait for the 2nd train after that - so in a stroke, I was two hours late!! STRESS!!! And then, when I finaly got onto THAT train, it decides to cope it half way through and I lose another half hour!! Basically at this point I just resigned myself to arriving three hours late - Dutch people are deeply disapproving of such antics - but I decide to just relax and enjoy the ride..

Arriving at the venue, no one in sight!! I am told the wedding party had moved to another location that the guys at this venue didn't know!! Luckily the invitation card contained the master of ceremonies' number so we rang him up and he came and picked me up in the bridal car!! A very nice honey coloured sports car!! (And it was precisely at this point that my luck completely changed!!) On arriving at the groom's parents' house where the cake cutting was being held, I go around saying hello to guests but half way through notice that the wrapper that I had used as an underskirt was unravelling!! (did I say my luck had changed?) - so I have to move off to the side (though still in view) and discretely hoist my skirt and re-fasten the wrapper (even tuck the end into the band of my panty as for good meassure - but everyone politely looked away)

ANYWAY

A few minutes after I arrived they changed venue again but this time they decided to boat there - what a scenic ride that was!! Through mash and past pretty cottages - eh??? TOOOO romantic!! And the group was also really nice - we talked, took pictures, basically!! On getting to the dinner venue I was glad to find that for once, there was no weird food with unindentifiable ingredients, just straight up meat, potatoes and vegetables - but oh-so tasty!!! (ok, with an irritating table member thrown in but neutralised by the constant flow of wine!! :-)) After dinner we went on to yet another venue for the 'afterparty', where the rest of the people had been invited! The main party was only about 20 people, and this swelled to about 50 at the afterparty where there were nuts and wine and beer and juices and soda and coffee.. and a performance by some red-indian looking types and salsa dancing by the couple and powerpoint slides of the groom growing up and some more nice company..

I'll say it again - a veeery nice wedding!! It was a pity I had to leave so early!! Anyway, I was struck by one thing - and ofcourse the couple pay for their own wedding so they are more in control of who they invite but really for these guys, a wedding is about close family and friends!! I mean the groom and bride were able to sit and chat with each guest, we could all walk up to them anytime and chat, hand over presents individually, and even in some cases have them open the present there and then (a Dutch habit)... When I had to leave, I went up to say goodbye to the couple but the groom tried to persuade me to stay saying he had an option on a hotel room and I could use it if I wanted!! And I mean I can't say I know this guy much but his wife and I were classmates and I was one of only four or five people from her side (the rest being in back Kuwait) so I guess he was being extra solicitous to her guests - my point is - he could afford to do so!!

Ah well, I'd promised Zhanara I would spend the night at her place and we also had a looong open talk - that was very nice!! (She gave me perfume as a present - isn't she the greatest??) This morning I accompanied my hosts and their two children to an indoor climbing place, had another nice talk with the wife - about the complications of combining work and family and in her case, she had to do her medical studies, Phd, specialisation and super specialisation so that she was only ready to start a family at age 37!! In the meantime her great love got away due to some problems with distance... Actually that was a story straight out of a movie!! Two years after they decided the distance was too great (Germany and Holland - imagine) - the guy contacted her and asked if she wanted to reconsider - and at this time she was willing and so sent him a postcard saying sure, let them try again but it was intercepted by an Italian woman in his building who was also interested in him.. So my host waited and waited, sent more letters, nothing!! Finally she contacted the guy's mother to see what was happening only to be told that he had been badly heartbroken not to hear from her and had gone on to get into a relationship with this Italian woman - who was by now pregnant!!! And that was that!! Can you imagine a sadder story?? Anyway, that was nice talking to her and recieving some perspective from someone who's been there and done that!!

I got back onto the train and during the three hour journey even managed to nail the concept for the poster presentation that I will make in Ireland in about a week's time... It had been eluding me for a while so I arrived back in Leuven feeling very accomplished - I had had a nice break but had also made an unexpected breakthrough - thanks mainly to my determination to do some work on the train back - I was very tempted to just read the very interesting book I am currently reading but valiantly resisted - making me feel even prouder!!!

Tonight I have a phone date so I guess that is also adding to my general happiness, though on that front I still feel that there is little hope - but I think the whole quarrel brought us closer somehow - we are much better and more real friends (as in real with one another) - so whatever tonight brings I feel we are getting closer to a mutually agreeable decision.. This is also tempered by my new found hope for many other relationship opportunities - early last week I got spammed by match.com, and just for fun decided to post a profile - and man the matches that I got, just here in Belgium - it was incredible!! The profiles read sooo well, some of these guys really look like they could be fun.. Ok, people write all sorts of things on the internet, but since I met one happily married woman who met her spouse online, I have become much more open (granted she said she had to wade through a lot of weeds on her way there!!) - for that matter that's one more thing that we tend to have a negative perception of, but that is a very common, accepted and successful practice in the west..