Emiko & Marat invited their family & many friends to join their nuptials on a lovely Friday evening in Georgetown, after a courtship that began in May 1999. One of the most touching parts of the evening, for me, were the testimonials that the bride (from Japan) & the groom (from Russia) made to their respective American "parents" - host families who welcomed them to America & into their homes & hearts a decade ago. Washington, DC is a sometimes hectic, cold, transient town, but on this evening I was reminded once again that it can indeed be very fertile ground for the friendship, love & marriage of our friends, these travelers from distant corners of the globe.