Arifa and Yusuf

I think the first thing you realise about Arfia is how much of a mixed bag she is. She's obviously highly intelligent, being at the top of her game both at work and during her time at ICSS where I met her. Highly organised and professional, she knows how to manage and get things done. On the other hand it must be her simple Mauritian roots that ensure Arifa is a girl who, perhaps, remains amusingly naive and ignorant about certain other practicalities of life. This was no bad thing; in a world where people are confused by all the noise it was actually refreshing to see someone who was able to filter out all the unnecessary complications.

I suspect that it was this same simple outlook of life which always had Arifa take the role of a woman in a situation - despite having an excellent career (something due to her innate smarts more than drive perhaps), she knew exactly what else she wanted in life and furthermore didn't see it as a weakness to to say so. This is demonstrated by the way she takes care of her friends and family, and more recently by the way she's regressed to a schoolgirl during this, her wedding week. It's quite funny actually, but at the same time more evidence at how good she's going to be at being a wife.

Unlike recent weddings with other friends I actually had a chance to spend some time in the company of the other half of this union. We're staying in the same apartments and so had the opportunity to meet Yusuf's close friends and family outside of a wedding hall. Like their future in-laws they are easily able to balance traditionalism with modernity, knowing when to be serious and when to joke; it's a nice and reassuring environment to be in. But the nicest thing I noticed was how much concern Yusuf had for Arifa's well-being this week, even when it came to things like logistics and wedding planning. Clearly a good sign for the future.

But it's seeing them together that gives the biggest indication of how great this match is. Excuse the soppiness, but it's all so cute and so sweet that you can't help but go "aww" every time you see them. There's no awkwardness here, and it's the little things like the in-jokes and whisperings that demonstrate the friendship that underlies the marriage. They're clearly happy and ultimately that's what counts.