Shopping -- Basotho female style!

Ah, yesterday was a bit of fun! I must preface this entry by stating that Basotho, despite the fact that they will wear gumboots or bedroom slippers anywhere, or plastic grocery bags on their heads in the rain, ARE very--very fashion conscious. I know it. I SEE how fashionably women here dress. Make us Westerners look like dishrags!

So...yesterday, Benno got a lovely (fashionable) gift. Now, anyone who truly KNOWS Benno would understand that fashion is on the bottom of his priority list; and I've given up and left him to fend for himself on that front (which may not be the wisest wifely thing to do). Anyway, we are blessed with people who ARE fashion conscious and care! So...yesterday, Benno's Basotho 'daughter', Bokang brought him a present. You see, a few weeks back she heard that we are going to a wedding this weekend--today actually--and she just kept asking Ntate Benno, "What are you wearing". His responses, not surprisingly, were less than satisfactory to her, so she devised a plan. 'Fixing his collar' one Sunday in church, she was actually checking his shirt size ;-) So...yesterday she presented him with a lovely present of a shirt and tie.

Benno and his fashion benefactor.

Whew! He looks GOOD! She was right, bless her loving heart! He NEEDED that shirt and tie.

Wow, now he's stylin'.

Then...my Basotho daughter, 'M'e Lerato gave me her Seshoeshoe (special Basotho dress) a few weeks back, because, well...she's expanded out of it. I was touched and blessed...and, well, yesterday was payback time. She was pouting because she had NOTHING to wear to the wedding, so, "Maybe I just won't go".

My response, in true Wendy style, was sympathetic, of course ;-) "Good grief, this is a wedding! They're looking at the bride and groom. Not you! Isn't your friendship with Ntate more important than how you look? Eeish! ..." (Now those of you who truly know and love me will understand that that's a pretty typical Wendy-type response ;-)

Anyway, she tried on whatever I had that MIGHT work (giggle, giggle...NO, come on, seriously, we tried. Let's just say, it was a squeeze) and the two Basotho women present: Bokang and one of my students...WELL! The words were FLYIN' in Sesotho. Apparently I was crazy to even THINK that these items looked EVEN HALF decent! "Come on, Mrs. Fath," retorts my student, "you dress well all the time. Can't you SEE..." was the gist of it.

So... we had about half an hour before the shops closed. We piled into the car. I drove furiously downtown. We jumped out. Told the parkin' lot guy. "NO, don't wash the car. We'll be right back!" Yeh! Walked into the FIRST shop. Paced the aisles. Sesotho...Sesotho...Sesotho. Something, something... Dress down. Jacket down. 'M'e Lerato into the change room...Dress on. Too small. Bigger size. Dress on. Jacket on. Jacket too small. Bigger jacket. Different jacket. Money from me ;-) to Bokang. Bokang at the till paying. 'M'e Lerato getting dressed into her street clothes. DONE! Gosh! I SHOULD have timed it. No kidding, it could not have been more than fifteen minutes! Never, never in my life have I seen such efficiency in shopping. These women are a wonder! Basotho women rule! My jaw is just now getting realigned.

And we're stylin, too'.

So... we're off to wedding pretty soon! It'll be an all-day affair. The last one we went to was stunningly beautiful. Gorgeous blend of Basotho and Western traditions. White, black, gold... lovely. Invitation indicated it would begin and 10 am. Began at noon. This one: invitation indicates will begin at 10 am... Well, we'll enjoy visiting while we wait. It'll be worth the wait. Wonderful young man from Beautiful Gate is getting married ;-) It'll be worth the wait. It'll be good to reconnect with BG folks.

Cheers and a toast to the bride and groom!

Wendy