Tabaski

So, I celebrated my first Tabaski.  For those of you that don't know about tabaski, it is the muslim holiday where they observe abraham sacrificing a ram instead of ishmael (for the jews, it was isaac, and I am not going to get into details) They observe this by slaughtering a ram and eating it.  The day before Tabaski my host father and I went to the sheep market and after an hour or so of walking around and looking at all the rams we settled on a good ram.  we took it back to the house, and as we left for my fathers home village out in the bush, we put the ram into the trunk of the taxi with all of our luggage.  After all the ram is essentially just a grocery item.  The day of Tabaski I had a delicious breakfast of insta coffee and a mayonnaise sandwich (please note the sarcasm) as someone whose former profession was making sandwiches, you can only imagine the thought going through my head. a mayonnaise sandwich!? it was kinda gross.  no lettuce, no tomato, definitely no bacon. just mayonnaise. we then all went to mosque and prayed.  I did the motions as to not offend.  then we returned home. the whole village gathered as we slaughtered two rams.  I have never seen an animal that big die before, especially in such a way.  it was really gruesome and I will admit I felt a little dizzy at the sight of the blood gushing out of the rams body.  there was a point that I had to look away.  we then went to other households and watched their rams get slaughtered.  when we got back, it was time to cut up some ram.  I helped a little bit holding a leg here or there, but I mostly just watched.  the rest of the day we sat around drinking tea, and eating a ram.  for the next 2 days we ate this same ram.  if you have ever eaten meat that has been sitting out all day, you kind of get a weird taste, this however was meat that was sitting out for three days without refrigeration, it was really gross.  This was also not just meat, but almost all of the organs.  the second day it was really nasty, and by the third day I could barely eat any of it. all in all I think it was a good Tabaski.

Heres a funny story!
So, its the evening before tabaski, my first time staying in a village.  my host mom says "you should wash" I said ok maybe in a little bit.  but she insisted that I wash, and because she is my mother, I do what she says, after all she does feed me.  so I go to the washing area.  it is this fenced in area behind one of the huts.  the fence is like nipple high, and has many holes in it.  I am not to comfortable with the situation.  I am in a village where many people may have never seen a white person, let alone a naked white person, they might be curious. I make a decision.  I look around a few times, quickly take off all my clothes, pour some water on my head and throw my clothes back on really fast.  I go and sit back down with everyone like it was no big deal.  my mom however, she asks me if I washed, and I said yeah I washed.  she asks me again did you really wash? and I said yeah I washed a little, I was scared of people watching me. she responds yeah I know, I watched you... Well isn't that great.  gee thx mom. the next morning however there was a new fence up without holes.  shes a good host mom.

I was also propositioned too during Tabaski (yes after I washed myself)  a few girls and their uncles came up to me to talk about marriage.  I told them that they are very pretty, but I have a wife in America.

I was also approached by a prostitute the other day.  that was awkward.  she was like 50.  she kept trying to grab at me.  it was very awkward and I ran away.

the moral of all this is, don't eat meat that has been sitting out for three days without refrigeration.

Mike