I've got an awesome boss.

The director of my school invited me to her son's wedding this past weekend. I was really happy that she did so because attending a Ukrainian wedding is on my mental bucket list of things I must do while I'm here.

I want all the world to know that I absolutely love and adore my director. She is a major source of encouragement and inspiration for me. Despite not being able to communicate with her in English, I consider her a great friend and someone I can always go to for support. She tutors me in Russian a few times a week too. Together we're blazing through the standard classics in Russian literature and having some, or more likely the only, really intellectually stimulating conversations I've had since coming to site that are face to face. And by conversations, I mean I nod my head a lot and ask questions in hope that she'll explain in detail. I'm really good at asking questions; discussing and explaining in Russian is another detail although I do find myself when I'm upset or mad explaining why I'm frustrated with the world in Russian, to myself.

When I asked my director if she made all this, she said "yes" in a tone that suggested it wasn't a big deal. Mind you, typical Ukrainian kitchens are no bigger than those in loft apartments. Ukrainian women are truly miracle workers when it comes to producing massive amounts of food. This room is the school cafeteria.

Doing their rounds, honoring the dead at the veterans' memorial.

The wedding itself was short and simple. The groom (whom I'm on a nodding basis with on the street) and the bride got married at the municipal court. The court is a pleasant small room commonly used for this purpose. I remember reading in my Soviet history class about how back in the day these courts were basically wedding factories. Today, I believe it is still common to get married here or to have a ceremony in the church. The ceremony took all of about 15 minutes and was a unique mixture of technical language and tradition, including vows (Do you take him as your husband? Da), the parents presenting bread, thanking the parents, a first dance, seeing who steps on a cloth first (whoever does is seen as the head of a family), and champagne. Afterwords, the couple headed outside the building where they were showered with candy and coins for good luck and happiness.

After this, there was about an hour period where we went around town taking photos. Wedding photos in Ukraine contain the standard shots, but there's some surprises too. One of my favorite things to do when I was in Ukraine two years ago in the summer was to sit in a park and watch the bridal parties come by. It's common in former Soviet countries to take pictures next to statues and important monuments, in part to honor the dead.

A little after 1 PM the party started. I didn't know what I was in for. If there is one thing I can say to characterize the difference between American and Ukrainian festivities, it is this: Americans present things on the surface and leave their audience wanting more, Ukrainians on the other hand do whatever it is to death. I left the party at 9 PM and it wasn't near completion.

It is typical for a celebration to have "3 tables", meaning you sit down to eat three times. I've started to understand the general gist of the order of food. I tend to get excited when the голубци (cabbage rolls) appear because I know that the end is in sight. During these feasts, toasts are performed. A lot of toasts. When not at the table, we danced and took part in games. By games, I mean those types of things that I dread at bridal showers. I was surprised that the wedding had a sort of MC, who kept the party going and forced us into these games. I did have a lot of fun, especially because the relatives of the groom took really good care of me. I did feel like a fool though. Dancing to Russian pop classics is hard. I couldn't really get into it. Next time, I'll Youtube Moldovan and Ukrainian dances.