Engagement

As the love-renegades that we are, Andy and I did not follow the rules of engagement.

We did not assemble any clan leaders or great uncles to speak for us.
We did not allow any receipt or offer of a dowry.
We did not allow for much time for anything traditional.

Instead, we enquired on any relationship that may block or union. Then we told our parents that we wanted to see them in person to tell them of our intention to marry. We did not leave much room for "no." :-)

On the 20th of March, Andy arrived in Kisumu. He stayed with my family and I in Kajulu. We did not mention anything regarding our engagement because it was clear that his family should officially know first... a luo tradition. I guess, it was one of the few traditional things we did correctly. On Good Friday, Andy and I borrowed my parents’ car and drove about 70 km to Karachuonyo, where the Amadi homestead is located. We got there...eventually at 5 pm, after picking up his mother on the way and overcoming some car trouble.

Again, Andrew and I do not believe in accidents. We both believe the car trouble kept us where we needed to be. Who knows what drama we avoided. Thank you, Universe!

Visiting the Amadis was pleasant. They live as short drive to Homa Bay and the hot springs. The view of the sunset was breathtaking! Mama-Dan (Andy's mom) was a great host. She fed us and made sure we were comfortable. Andy managed to tell them of our intentions to marry by the the first evening, which was received well.

By Sunday morning, Andy and I were feeling good and were ready to share the good vibrations with my family in Kajulu. We drove the some odd 70 km back to my homestead where a great feast was waiting for us. My mother had gone all out. After dinner, we had a chat with my parents. Andy did his part in asking for my hand in marriage... and my father did his part in resisting... just a bit! I think that is tradition! By the end of a nice chat about how they got married, my parents gave us their blessings.

Phew!

I was surprised how easy the process seemed to be without the many hoops we would have had to jump through if we followed the process by the letter. By the time Andy and I were on a bus back to Nairobi, we knew the date of our nuptials...May 28, 2008. All we had to do now was figure out what other traditions were going to be left by the wayside!