A love story.

Last weekend I went to a wedding!

At 7pm we arrived at the Cathedral in downtown Guaranda for the mass. My host grandmother had invited the family to come (her niece was the bride-to-be). So, Nancy and I decided to tag along with the family. We came equipped with a juice-maker and pressure cooker as presents and rice to throw on the newly weds as they exited the church. When we got to the church, people outside told us the mass started at 8pm. It seemed a little strange, but it's Ecuador and everything starts late! We took the time to stop in at my favorite cafe downtown – Siete Santos - and order hot chocolate and cheese (Gemma – you have to try this!!), which is delicious and my new favorite treat. The cubed cheese turns soft and chewy in the hot chocolate. Just trust me, you have to try it!

When we returned to the Cathedral there was lots of commotion going on inside and outside. Inside, at the front near the alter, there were a group of people crowding around the groom. There was a rumor going around that someone didn't want to marry someone. (Pause for *gasp*) My host grandmother and aunts quickly took off to assess the evening's happenings. A few men came into the church and were directed (rather forcefully for being inside a Cathedral) to sit in the pews at the front. The news came back to us that the friend's of someone didn't want them to get married. (Another pause for *gasp*) A few short minutes later, the bride came in running and in what appeared a confused state. She was wearing her wedding gown, and rushed to the front of the church where the priest and groom were. Soon the couple was talking to the priest. People started to be shushed out of the Cathedral, and as we made our way to the back, the lights turned out and after the last person left, the large doors were closed. The couple and the priest still inside. (*Gasp*) Outside, everyone tried find an explanation for what was happening - we figured out it was the groom's friends who didn't want the couple to wed.

In Ecuador, it's tradition for both the groom's and bride's parents to give their blessings to the couple before they wed. When the couple came out and hopped into a camioneta, everyone said – to the party. The priest had married the couple alone in the church! So, off we went, to the mother of the bride's house.

Once we got to the house, the pain of the newly-weds was present. The importance of family and friends here in Ecuador was displayed strongly as the bride was consoled by all. However, soon, as well, the love of the fiesta shone threw, and all began to dance the night away.

The next morning, I learned more of the previous night from my host mother, in fact, it turned out to be more explosive and thought-provoking than I initially anticipated. (Pause for *Gasp*) It was the groom's friend's who were protesting the wedding. The reason - the groom comes from a lighter skinned family and his friend's didn't want him to marry a woman with dark skin. (*gasp*) They had gotten him wasted before the wedding and locked him in a room. (*gasp **gasp*) Finally he escaped and called his fiance and told her to meet him at the church, that he still wanted to marry her. (Hence why the wedding was delayed an hour.) At the Cathedral, the same friends came to protest the wedding. With too much confrontation and anger, the priest had hold everyone to leave while he privately married the desiring couple. *SIGH*

I send out my best wishes to the newly-weds. I can only imagine the difficulties of trying to start a new life together without the support of your friends. This degree of discrimination is not often seen in Ecuador. However, it is a county of extreme differences – cultures, geography, history, climate, and skin color. I find it respectable and amazing that a small country, the size of Colorado, is still uncovering these differences and learning how to live peacefully with them.