cultural differences

On Friday the kids and I went to a birthday party for a neighbors little boy. Birthday parties aren't very common here, but in recent years more and more people have started having them. (My teacher doesn't even know when her birthday is, and that is pretty common). Anyway, I received and invitation to this party a few days before and the girls friends really wanted us to come. So Friday after fellowship and after lunch with one of Kirk's friends that owns a small restaurant here me and girls headed out. The girls they play with were waiting on the street for us and showed me where the house was. I thought it was funny even though not unusual that I did not know any of the ladies there. I may have met the mom at another party, like shook her hand, but I did not remember her at all. She seemed very happy I was there and the girls did great playing with the other kids, Addie even came and said, "I made a friend!" I was really happy for her because she is the one that usually has the hardest time. Anyway, after we settled in the house I asked the mom where her little boy was, the one who's birthday it was, she said, "he is at a friends house changing clothes." This was at 4:00 he did not show up to his party until 7:00. Crazy, or at least crazy for us. No one other than me seemed to wonder or even notice that he was not there. Finally at 7:00 he arrived and shortly after we all sang and ate. Finally at 8:00 I said my goodbyes and we headed home. We were one of the first to leave. No opening presents, they usually don't do that in front of people and no men. I did think, how sad that his dad will not ever be at his birthday party. The electricity was out from about 5:00-8:00 so most of our time there was in the dark talking and playing by candlelight. It was a good visit for me, I met some new neighbors and got some phone numbers so hopefully I'll get to see some of these ladies again. Even though it was a birthday party for a four year old little boy, some of the ladies were in very "dressy" clothes. The mom was wearing a low cut very short red dress with black stocking and lots of makeup. Some of the guest were also in those kinds of clothes. We with our western mindsets would think that was inappropriate, but here if she had not been dressed that way for a party at her house, it would have been inappropriate. It always amazing me what is under all that black! So what was different about this b-day party and all the ones I have been to in America: EVERYTHING!!! the clothes, the food, the activities, the fact that the guest of honor wasn't even there most the time! But different does not mean wrong, just different.