WRITING ON WEDDINGS by Shibo

1. Differences between American and Korean wedding.

There are some differences between American weddings and those of Korea. First of all there are no speeches except blessing from an officiator at normal wedding in Korea.

Second thing is reception. These days, in Korean wedding, we can hardly find a reception like that of American wedding. The bride and the groom treat guests with meals and give appreciative words for their coming. It is kind of calm reception without no dancing and singing.

Meanwhile, Korean people usually thinks the more guests come to wedding, the better the ceremony is. That is why brides and grooms, also their parents, are make an effort to invite more guests. Because of that Some people point out some weddings look like a business.

2. Someone who should not get married.

Does Marriage need for life? For some people, yes, but for some people, no.

The one who cannot get along with other people because of his/her freaky personality or extremely abnormal lifestyle should not be getting married.

The man or the woman who can't understand differences of each other had better not getting married.

If those people, I mentioned above, would get married, it were a disaster not only to himself/herself, but also to the partner and children.

Men and women need to prepare to make a successful marriage. Males and females are like Arctic and Antarctic. Some specialists say they come from different planets : a man from Mars, a woman from Venus, so we need not love but understanding also for a 'sustainable' marriage.

Chapter 2 summary of The Trap, from Shibo...

This is a summary of The Trap, Chapter 2.

       Indians who live in the northland respect the old people not only because they have wisdom but they have survived the tough world.

      Johnny, Albert's grandson, also reveres the elders. When he get a lot of salmon, he give the biggest and the best one to the elders. Also, he always helps his grandmother. It is the way of Indians life.

      Meanwhile, Indians have specific stories handed down from generation to generation about animals, which means a strong connection with nature.

        Warmth is very important to life in the north land. That's why Indians, including Johnny, are skillful at handling fire and wood. The cabin his grandfather and grandmother live in, is not a good house but it is a comfortable and warm house.

A Wedding Without a Priest by Carlos Cortissoz

              I won’t say what the best wedding I have been to is, but I will say what the craziest no-wedding I have been to is. Let me make myself clear. My wife and I have a friend in common named Nicolas. Actually, he is the friend who introduced me to her for the first time. Two years ago, may be more, he started to date a girl nobody knew, and just two months after that he told everybody they had decided to live together as an unmarried couple.

               They argued they were not going to get married because they wanted to know each other more deeply and so on and so forth but, indeed, they showed a very negative opinion regarding marriage. They said they did not believe in marriage because marriage is an obsolete religious institution, and no one needs to sign a paper or to participate in a religious ceremony to make a spiritual commitment with another person, etc., etc.

                The day came in which they were going to move in together and they decided to invite their relatives and friends to a lunch to celebrate the “union”. It was supposed to be nothing special, just being together, eating lunch, drinking a couple of beers and so, but when my wife and I came to this house, dressed informally and ready to eat, we suddenly found ourselves in the most hilarious situation.

                We knock on the door and my friend’s girlfriend came out dressed in a white, long dress, almost like a bribe. We were in jeans and shirt of course, we never thought it was a formal thing. But that is not all. When we get into the house, we found tables arranged in white tablecloths and, at the center of the living room, a wedding cake with the traditional tiny figures of a couple. The “bribe’s” parents were dressed formally too, and we could not believe, having heard from them too many bad things about marriage, that we were involved in a marriage-like ceremony.

                Well, there was a lot of food, champagne—the “bribe’s” father made a toast—, and the time was for the speeches. His father spoke, his mother too, then her father and mother. They kissed each other in front of the central table, etc. All the traditional wedding things, except for the priest. The strange situation surprised a lot of people. But other people seemed to be perfectly prepared for this “marriage” thing; as a mater of fact, some people, mostly the “bribe’s” relatives and friends gave wedding presents, which made us feel very ashamed.

               Well, that is the story of the no-wedding we were to. Of course, after that  we spoke to our friend and told him “You did not want to get married but, whether you want it or not, you are already married in God and everybody’s eyes.”