Several nights ago, I was sitting in the garden working on making friends with my favorite feral kitten, aided by a bowl of leftover fish. (Pictures soon)
It was about 8:30 and one of our national staff came outside for a break from a late night at the office. We chatted a bit, and I noticed the sound of music, drums, whistles, and yelling and cheering from up the street. I had heard this combination of sounds on a fairly regular basis since arriving, and had always wondered what it meant. So I asked my colleague Sa'ad what the noise was all about.
"It's a wedding," he said. "There is a reception hall at the end of the street where people have weddings." I didn't think much of it, but he continued, "This is new, only in the last three months, to hear this kind of thing. Before, it was not allowed." I was surprised that merry-making, even at weddings, had been outlawed and too dangerous when militias were running the city, and so recently at that. "Yes," he continued, "It was very bad for a while. But it is getting better. Now, we can listen to music."
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