The Donkey Ride

So, the much anticipated donkey ride happened.  For those who do not know what I am talking about let me explain; The Moringa Donkey Rally was the official name (sometimes known as the South of the Border Donkey Show For Kids)  Was an idea inspired by our fallen friend David Shamis (he literally fell from the top of the Kolda house, and had to be medically separated).   The idea was to ride donkeys from village to village along a 90 km (55.9 miles) mainroad and give a small presentation about the nutritional benefits of Moringa Oleifera.  Why on earth were we riding donkeys you ask?  excellent question.  We rode them because it is hilarious for senegalese vilalgers to see a bunch of white people riding donkeys.  it brought more people to the event.  At first we also believed that we could actually ride the donkeys the whole time and thought that it would be easier than walking.  We were wrong. So, here is the story of the Donkey Rally...for kids.
It was a fresh cool spring morning.  Only a mere 85 degrees when Curtis and I left from Velingara.  We get to the garage and eat an egg sandwich and hop into a car and we go a whole 3 km before a wheel falls off the car.  The driver fixes the wheel enough and drives us all back to the garage.  Curtis and I then have to get into an Al-ham.  (for those outside of senegal, its like a tiny bus but still can fit the same amount of people as a big bus because you are squeezed inside like sardines)  instead of the usual 30 minutes it would take in a car, it took us 2 hours to get to Kounkane, the beginning of the donkey ride.  Once we stepped off the bus we went to grab some cold water, and as we start walking over the Geoffs place where the donkey's are we notice an Al-ham with a cow tied to the roof.  now we have seen chickens, sheep, and goats on an Al-ham before, hell I've been peed on by a sheep tied to the top of a car I was in.  I had never seen a cow before.  Naturally as all Americans do Curtis took out his camera and started taking pictures of the scene.  No more than 2 maybe 3 pictures in we are surrounded by 5 large senegalese yelling at curtis about how he did not have authorization to take the picture of the cow.  I just stood next to him and laughed.  Curtis didn't even flinch.  he just put the camera into his bag, and we started walking while they yelled at us from a distance.  We got to Geoffs and I was finally introduced to my Donkey.  I named her Princess Sparkles, which turned out to be a great name for her.  She was a really bitchy, like a princess!  Geoff had bought her a few days before for 38,000 (I went for 45,000 in the date auction).  As I went up to pet her and tell her how beautiful she looked she turned her back to me and tried to kick at me.  We waited there with the donkeys for the rest of the crew to arrive.  in total at the beginning of the ride, we had 4 donkeys, 4 riders, 3 bikers, and 2 senegalese to help with donkeys, and talking to the villagers.  at about 5:00 we rode out to the center of Kounkane and did out first meeting (in french/pulaar we called them sensibilizations, or formations). It started off great with some dancing to attract more people which kind of worked.  The sensibilization went kind of long and we went back after dark walking the donkeys.  I helped to feed the donkeys, and charlene and I gave them water.  it was a quiet night, and we all fell right to sleep.
 The next day we woke up at around 7:00 got the to the main road by 7:30 on donkey back.  the bikers had gone ahead and bought some sandwiches and water.  after breakfast we started the long journey.  After about an hour of riding it started to hurt.  I had thought ahead and brought a blanket to sit on, but still the pain persisted.  we arrived to our first destination.  it was some town between Kounkane and diaobe.  i made friends with the children, and we played music and did our sensibilization.  then we got back on our asses and continued for about another hour or two until we got to Diaobe.  We hung around the health post and did another sensibilization, and a few of us went to the market.  I bought my Obama President of Space '08 hat there.  Staying overnight at the health post was great.  There was a robinete (water tap) and best of all was that it had a shower instead of a bucket and a hole in the ground.  we all went to sleep a little early, and the next day we woke up bright and early around 6:00

              After spending the night in Diaobe we continued on to Medina Cherif.  The villagers there really enjoyed the presentation and filled the health post.  It was there that one villager asked us if we can eat cucumbers because her mother said that if you eat cucumbers you will get river blindness. Geoffs relais took that question.  After that, we filled up on water and began what is now known as the death march.  We walked 10 km in the sun to the mampatim checkpoint.  I kept the group entertained by telling some of my excellent Native American fables about turtle and beaver.  At the first boutique we collapsed and drank a lot of water.  After the small break we made our way to the Mampatim health post.  The health post there is very nice, but it didn’t have a shower like at Diaobe.  Lets just say, I’ve seen better bathrooms.  Before the presentation began there were lots of children staring at us as if we were animals at the zoo.  I decided to take the initiative and I chased them all away for a good 5 minutes.  They were terrified at a white guy running after them.  Then the presentation began.  I stayed back for a moment to gather my things and drink some water when suddenly there was a bee near me.  Me being the smart guy that I am decided to swat at the bee.  That didn’t really work to my advantage because a few seconds later I was running like a headless chicken trying to get away from the bee that would not stop chasing me.  Eventually it stung Cara in the forehead.  Her face swelled up.  That was the end of Cara riding her donkey Shackleton.  Charlene took Cara’s place.  Dinner was late that night.  The next day I woke up full of energy. 

We had to get up at 6:00 because we didn’t want another death march.  We made our way all the way to Temento, we were in luck because it was luumo day!  We were able to get lots of water, and crèmes, and dibi.  Unfortunately we weren’t doing the sensibilization there, we were doing it way in the village at the chiefs house.  So we all had to walk another 2-3 km into the village to do the sensibilization.  After the sensibilization we went back to the market and ate at a not very good or filling cheb shack.  Then we backtracked into dabo another 3 km to Glovskys house.  That was a good place.  We were finally able to sit down and eat some Biscreme.  Geoff however did another sensibilization because he is somehow never tired (rumour has it that he never sleeps.  I was with him for the whole donkey ride I never once saw him asleep).  Martin joined us here, and we had a good time.

The next day wasn’t too bad.  We started the day off going to bagadadji.  I got into a wrestling match with the children there.  They won (there were also 20 of them and they teamed up on me).  At this point it was finally realized that we had all become slap happy.  Geoffs relais was dancing and saying silly things through the megaphone.  We had an excellent turnout for the sensibilization, and the health post there gave us some really great food.  We then went on to the most beautiful village in Senegal, Mamadou Badeifa.  It was Wilmas village, and all week she had been hyping us up for her place.  It was just beautiful there, and we got lacciri for dinner!  It was delicious!  If you have never gone to Wilma’s village I highly recommend it.  There is a baobab forest, and tiny bridges, and she has a really nice puppy.  I had a small problem with her bathroom though.  As an Urban volunteer I am used to using a western style toilet.  I am generally ok using Turkish toilets, and most holes in the ground.  Her hole in the ground however was soo small!  I don’t know how she uses it everyday.   It was like a two-inch diameter!  Mamadou Badeifa is also were we had to leave Princess Sparkles.  The last couple of days she had been getting a little sick, and she had been just getting bitchier and bitchier.  She was kicking at me a little bit, and I wasn’t able to ride her at all.  She would just stop, sometimes in the middle of the road.  It was sad that we had to sell her.  I cried a little bit (but only on the inside) she was my everything.  I might have cried myself to sleep…

The next day we started off a little on the late side.  We stopped at Wilma’s dad’s boutique for some delicious egg sandwiches.  We stopped first in Sare Lountang, and had an excellent sensibilization.  We continued on to Martins village Sare Sara, did a sensibilization and had an expensive lunch there.  We walked on in the heat to Jason’s village.  I chased children around there too, and Curtis tried teaching them American songs.  We were all exhausted.  Geoff did another sensibilization.  I rested, talked to the girls and ate cookies.  Dinner at Jason’s was excellent, I think we had lacciri again.  We had a good time at Jason’s.

The next day we woke up early at 6:00.  It was the last day of the ride Kolda Day!!! I think I forgot sunscreen that morning.  We were making really good time probably 5 km an hour.  Jason’s dog decided to follow us.  I ended up walking his dog 10 km into Kolda once Wilma showed up with the leash.  But at about 12:30 we made it! We lost one donkey, only minor injuries, and we had completely lost our minds.  A few hours later we were sippin beers at the Kolda pool.  To my knowledge Shackleton has been sold to a Chinese man in Kolda as meat, and the other two donkeys were sold as well, but to people that want to use them for work…not food.

Although this might have been a terrible idea, and we will never do this again.  We all had a lot of fun.  

Sheep

So, today is the beginning of that wonderful month, Moustache March.  I hope everyone had a good fuzzy february to lead into Moustache march.  yes I do have a moustache, yes I do look a little creepy.  when I first shaved down to just the 'stache I thought that i would look very similar to the brawny man, or Tom Selleck.  this was not the case.  instead I think I look more like the character Mario, from Super Mario Brothers nintendo games.  I look very italian.  hopefully the "stache will grow in a bit more and by the end of the month I will have something to be proud of.

So, heres a funny story.  I am on my way to Kolda on official PC business (I have to meet with a guy about doing a workshop at a garden of mine). and I am sitting in my car, minding my own business when suddenly I feel something wet on my arm.  I think to myself "oh thats strange" since it had not rained for many months, and is not supposed to rain for many months.  but then I was getting wetter, and noticed that the wetness was dripping from the roof of the car.  I started to scream, as I knew what was happening.  As I was getting into the car an hour before I noticed that they had tied some sheep down to the roof, which is a very common practice, after all how else are you supposed to transport your sheep? (roof is really the only way to travel nowadays, with the price of gas rising and all...) so you guessed it, one of the sheep decided that is was time to pee and was pissing on me.  great. so I started screaming at the driver and he freaked out a bit cause all of a sudden the white guy is yelling about piss, and everyone else in the car is waiting to see what happens.  I roll up the window, and the pain was finally over...or so I thought.  after about an hour of sitting in the hot car, now with my window up (no AC, this is senegal) I figure I am in the clear, and I don't have to worry bout anything, but then it happened...I look out the window to see what looked like a waterfall of sheep piss, cascading down the outside of the window.  I freak at first, but then I realize its outside and do not pay much attention to it.  To my surprise however there was so much piss, and the car was in such bad shape that between the door and the car, sheep piss started trickling through onto me again.  I start to scream again, and cause a scene (after all, this is now the second time the same sheep has pissed on me, in the same place) I was given a rag and I clean up what I can and just try to forget, but the nightmare I am sure will never leave me.

-Mike

WAIST

So, where to begin.  At first I had thought that WAIST (West African Invitational Softball Tournament) was just some big hyped up party, after all I am quite used to going to overly hyped parties by having been in a frat. This was not over hyped in the least bit.  It was extremely enjoyable.  Even if I was a bit depressed for parts, it was mostly the beers fault.  I even had a good time playing softball. 

I would like to take this time, to apologize.  I know that I am going to miss a lot of details to this blog post.

Went up from Kolda on a pretty fun car, we got in pretty early and went to hit up the American club.  My homestay for the tournament was my bosses house, the country director for PC Senegal, I didn’t want to really be at his house too much.  Would you want to hang at your bosses house? 

So there I was in Dakar, again.  The next day started out really great.  I went to a super market!  If you know me well enough then you know that one of my favorite things to do in America is walking around grocery stores.  Even if I am not going to buy anything, I still enjoy the free samples and the way the wall coolers give me goosebumps as I walk by staring deeply into the cheeses.   I could probably write a whole blog about the supermarket and its cheeses and different kinds of meats and breads, and how it had lox and cream cheese but no bagels. (I went into three different Casino^tm Super Markets they all had cream cheese and lox but no bagels, which is truly a travesty!)I could also talk about the aisles of snack foods and beer, and the one aisle that had board games and fake guns for children, but this blog is not about going to a wonderfully clean and fresh smelling supermarket, with more than 8 kinds of apples from all over the world (but no peaches); This post is about WAIST.  So…I am in the supermarket, the shelves glistening with frost and dew, and then I see it.  Yes you guessed it a box of Magnum ice cream bars, but not just one box, but tens of boxes all different flavors and sizes! It was a dream come true.  By 9:00 am I had eaten 2.  I bought the hazelnut chocolate coating with the vanilla ice cream.  It was amazing.  So after a healthy breakfast it was time for the all-volunteer conference where we wandered the halls of the Peace Corps building looking at the projects from other regions and NGOs that work in Senegal.  It was… well it was what you would expect it to be.   I headed out a little early after snagging a free t-shirt, and hung at the Dakar regional house for a bit for a nice nap and to pick up my ridiculous costume. 

The next day began waist.

Waist is a beautiful thing.  Dollar beers, cheap burgers and hotdogs, real Cheetos It’s a lot of meat and beer and softball.  I hate softball.  Its not really my sport.  WAIST is special not just because of the cheap beers and real food, each team that plays (or at least the cool teams) dresses up in themed costumes.  My region did space corps.  We had aliens and lots of Starwars themed stuff.  I was a storm trooper, but my costume didn’t really fit me all too well.  One of the arms was skinner and the “helmet” was absolutely ridiculous.  My pants also ripped during stretching.  But I think we all looked pretty good.   So I find out in my first game after a few beers, I am actually pretty good for a team that is on its 3^rd-4^th beer of the day.   I played first base; I made a lot of outs no errors that first game.  I also was the only one that scored for either team.  I hit the ball every time I was up…that game.  Lots of singles. Like maybe 2 or 3.  And that was great.  We played against PC Gambia they were dressed as Gambian zombies or something.  They looked pretty good too.  After the game I learned that we had just won our first game since becoming a region.  It was a very beautiful moment.

 I would like to mention that even through my drunken stupor, I kept hearing my dads voice (yes like Luke and obi-wan in Starwars) from when I was a child as he would be very frustrated with me.  I really hated softball, but he kept pushing me.  When I was hitting I remembered him telling me to keep my eye on the ball, and to watch it hit the bat, when I was fielding I used two hands to catch the ball, even for grounders I kept two hands down and ran up towards the ball.  I remember watching my dad come home from his  (very) old man league all battered up cause a grounder popped up and caught him in the chest or face.   He looked ridiculous, and I didn’t want to look more ridiculous than I already did.

We then played against a real team.  I hit the ball once and struck out.  It was not a fun game.  The team actually practices.  They were meanies.

So, that night was great!  It was the annual PC talent show!  As always, I needed a little more attention and so I had planned far ahead with a silly Senegal themed parody, to the tune of Wagon Wheel.  I also accompanied my friend Geoff as he sang Neil Youngs Heart of Gold.  It was quite an excellent show.  It was a big night for me.  I really screwed up a solo guitar act a few years ago and hadn’t really performed in front of a lot of people like that since then.  I was really nervous, but in the end I nailed it. 

SO the next day, started out terribly early at like 1030 playing that same mean team.  I got a few hits, an RBI and a walk (we were playing a little better against them this time, probably because there wasn’t much beer on the field yet)  we lost by a lot.  Then there was my greatest softball moment ever  in the next game we played.   It was Kolda Space Corps vs Linguere cowboys (It had something to do with cows). We were down by one in the bottom of the 9^th, our DH got a single and then I was up to bat.  I step up let a few pitches go by, and then I caught a piece of it, line drive down the first base line through the hands of the first baseman, and then through the legs of the outfielder.  I just start screaming at the girl running in front of me to run.  She ran! And she ran fast! And I ran fast stepping on every base, and then home plate.  My first homerun.   It was magical.  For the win and the second win for my region.  From what I can remember I had only one strike out, one walk and besides the homerun all singles.  My batting average is awesome!

So then there was the date auction.  Yes imagine me in a date auction…big surprise.   The money was being raised for gender rights stuff through PC Senegal, and the group gives out nice gift certificates to swanky restaurants in Dakar. (I get a free dinner no matter what just by standing up and letting people pay money for me) So some girl bought me for like 90 dollars (yes that’s USD), and then told me that she wanted to give me away to her friend.  It wasn’t very nice of her, but I don’t care that much cause I haven’t seen her since that night, and I have 20,000 CFA to a swanky Dakar restaurant.  In my book, I win double.

So that was about it.  I got sunburned a bit.  Went back to the super market OH! So I went back to the super market, and I found one of the greatest inventions ever created!  So you know how I love bacon? And you know how I love Cheetos? Yeah that’s right!  In the super market I found some French brand of snack foods, that combines the crunchyness and cheesyness of cheetos, with the crispy oily taste of bacon. I bought two bags, I couldn’t help myself.  Two of my favorite things!  I found out about another one of my favorite things, Mountain Dew.  There’s a new rumour on the street that there is Mountain Dew in Banjul Gambia.  I will be taking a trip up there asap.  I also have a new friend that lives just outside the city, who happens to be pretty cool.

A trip to Dakar, can’t be complete without me running into my most evil nemesis CBAO(Central Banque de Afrique Ou’est aka the bank).  So on the next to last day the rumour mill begins that our allowances have come in.  so me being the responsible one that I am, I take out a little extra money than I needed thinking that I now had my allowance in the bank (I was trying to have a good time with a girl I met it was legit)  the next day I find out that I have 3 dollars.  Yeah that’s right I didn’t get my allowance on time.  I was screwed, and stuck in Dakar the most expensive city this side of the Nile (don’t quote me on that) eventually I got my friends to cover me for food and the ride back to Kolda.  The next day in Kolda I was able to access my allowance.

When I got back to Kolda, I got to watch Kung Fu Panda, make a fake thxgiving dinner with David’s old food (he left the country cause he fell off the roof), and throughouly enjoyed myself for a day with a big nap.

Here in Velingara, My family got a puppy! It’s adorable and has a stupid name “B.M.” yeah its weird.  Its pronounced like CJ, or DJ in America except they use the French pronunciation. Of B and M.  I don’t have the heart to tell them that it stands for bowel movement in the US.

-Mike 

Superbowl!

So, recently it was one of Americas greatest holidays, The Superbowl.  This years Superbowl was especially great because the Pittsburgh Steelers would be playing in it.  Yes, I do believe that the Superbowl is greater than just a sporting event, it is the sporting event, and has become such an important day to Americans that I consider it a holiday.  When I become emperor of the world, I plan on making sure that there is no school or work on the monday after the Superbowl, so that everyone can have the appropriate amount of rest one needs after celebrating the Superbowl.  I decided that the best way for me to celebrate such an extravagant holiday would be to celebrate with the other americans in my region.  So, I arrive to Kolda and when I enter the PC compound the guard looks at me and says "Demba welani"  (David is not well)  I was not sure I heard him correctly and so I responded "Demba welani?" the guard says yes, and I merely think it strange and enter the house.  upon entering I quickly find out that my good friend David had fallen off the roof and was in the hospital, in africa, in the middle of nowhere.  This made me very worried, for two reasons.  the first was any permanent damage to my friend and the second was of course the holiday being ruined, after all we are talking about the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Superbowl.  Amazingly an hour later he was back in the house, walking, and swearing just like normal.  it was absolutely unbelievable that he was not seriously injured.  he screwed up his knee, but will be fine.  The next day was a saturday, and I just kinda hung out with people.

Isn't it a beautiful pig?

 Then there was the Superbowl.  oh what an excellent day it was!  For breakfast I made a delicious salami and egg sandwich (thank you for the salami mom) and when I thought it couldnt get any better, someone had been able to get a copy of the greatest movie ever created, yes thats right, Kung Fu Panda. We watched that all morning.  after the movie it was time to get serious about the holiday, the day before, a few people went out and bought a pig, and we took that pig and Geoff and I slow roasted it in a pit.  After many hours, the pig was finally complete.  I then went on to fry 6 lbs of potatoes.  Dinner was a delicious feast.  Pulled bbq pork (Geoff and I had Sweet Baby Rays bbq sauce we donated to the meal, again thankyou mom) there were beers, frenchfries, sweetpotato fries, mac n cheese, beans, and all sorts of good ole fashioned American stuff.  Then the main event.  for me it started late at 11:30, but it was worth it.  The game did not turn out how I had expected it too, but I had a good time anyways.  One of the best parts was during the halftime show, we switched channels and got to watch the puppy bowl!  I was going to be so upset that I missed the puppy bowl, but miraculously we were able to watch it.  the puppies were adorable. (for those of you that do not know what the puppy bowl is, I highly encourage you to watch it).  This was my best Superbowl ever.

When I got back home, I finally finished reading Atlas Shrugged.  yes I actually read the whole thing.  there were some points in time that I thought about quitting, but i made it all the way through.  it was the longest book I have ever read.  It was pretty entertaining.  sometimes Ayn Rand had these ridiculous rants about capitalism, and they got kind of boring, but I trudged on through.  It was a much dirtier book than I had thought it was going to be.  There is a surprising amount of sex for a book written in the 50's.  at least, I was surprised.  I am very pleased with myself to have finished it.  It was a big book, and now I get to read other books that are not quite so hard to get through.  So far I have read 8 books.  I think that I can get to 80 by the end of my service.  I am going to start recording all the books I read.

My site mate has been sick the last few days. and I have been checking up on her.  I hope she gets better soon.  She cooked a delicious omelet the other day for breakfast for us.  It was really good.  She is a lot of fun to hang with, but she needs to stop coming into my room whenever she feels like it.  One of these days she is going to catch me naked, and it is going to be very uncomfortable.  She almost did today, as I was getting ready to shower.

-Mike

More Weird Stuff

So, within the first hour of waking up, I saw some strange things.  So I went to a quaint little restaurant near the mosque.  It is smaller than a dorm room and not much nicer.  the walls are merely woven bamboo, and have a few pictures of islamic figures.  its my favorite restaurant.  you can get an egg sandwich with tomato, onion, mayo (no cheese or bacon), and a cup of coffee for only 450 cfa (thats 90 cents).  so I sit down, and without saying anything the restaurant owner (Maimona) brings me my sandwich and coffee (I didn't really want coffee today cause I found a peach drink and the foreign people store, made with real peaches, and has small pieces of peach in it, I really miss peaches. It was also in a refrigerator which made it so much better) and so I am sitting down, waiting and I notice by the door Maimona's son (who also works there he looks like he is 12) is hanging a strip of meat on a nail in the doorway.  I think to myself "oh! thats a little strange I wonder what he is going to do..." so he grabs a knife, and begins to cu the meat into small pieces, and puts them all in a bowl.  I just can't help but wonder, "why doesn't he use a cutting board?" it just doesn't make sense.  my sandwich was delicious btw.

So, the second weird thing that happened to me today within one hour of waking up was that as I walked away from the restaurant, I was walking behind some lady with her baby strapped to her back by way of a sheet (which is very common, but probably wouldn't fly too well in the states)  and the baby is like half out of the sheet crying, and so what does the mother do? she thinks to herself "what is it that my baby could possibly want at this moment, what can I do to make my child stop crying in an appropriate and healthy way?"this woman looks on the ground and sees a flattened plastic bottle she picks it up dumps the sand out of it, and hands it to the baby to play with. "WHAT!?" I thought to myself. in the end, the baby did stop crying, although I do not expect it to stay very healthy.

Speaking of babies, Shout-out to my new baby cousin Eliana.  your gunna do great kid!  just stay away from garbage.

-Mike

A Taste of Retirement...

So, It seems as though I am retired.  Yes retired at the age of 23.  Isn’t life wonderful?  When one really thinks about it, my job is a volunteer retiree.  I wake up kind of late, work in the garden, read some books, yell at kids to get out of the garden, and complain to my friends about the weather and how my parents never call.  People also think I am crazy.  I live on a check I get from the government once a month like social security.

-Mike

Being a Man

So,  There are times in a mans life that makes him a man.  It is different depending on the culture you are in.  I have become a man in many cultures.  As a jew I had my bar mitzvah, as an american I turned 18 and voted, when I was in china, I climbed the great wall (Chairman Mao says that you are not a true man until you have climbed the wall).  But the most gruesome and toughest thing I have ever had to do to become a man, was slaughter a chicken.

So, once a week, because I enjoy eating chicken I give my host mother 2500-3000 CFA (5-6 USD) Usually by the time I get home from my tough strenuous job (note sarcasm) the chicken is already slaughtered and stewing with some vegetables.  today however this was not the case.  I get back from work and during lunch my host mom says that she has bought a big chicken (and it was a big chicken compared to what I normally see here.)  I say "oh good, I can't wait to eat some chicken tonight!" then she looks at me and says, "you will slaughter the chicken".  I look at her and lean in and say "but i have never done that before". Then she said "you will slaughter the chicken".  I say ok and get very excited and even call my dad and friends to let them know, and to see if there is a certain prayer that I should say.  apparently there isn't a prayer to say before slaughtering an animal.  So of course I want to get pictures of all of this, so I try to explain how to use a camera to our house maid.  she is 16 and from the village and may have never held a camera before.  I show her how to use the zoom, and how to take a picture.  for some reason, she could not figure it out. ( it is an easy point and click digital camera too...)  she practiced by trying to take a picture of my head.  for some reason she was not able to get my head centered in the photograph.  something was always cut off.  eventually I got antsy and just forgot about it, and gave her the camera to take pictures.  then there was the chicken.  I took out my tactical knife, and sharpened it.  then I grabbed the chicken.  I asked for some instruction mostly to reassure me that what I was doing was right.  and I proceeded to cut the throat but then my host mom quickly stopped me, and told me to go do it outside.  she was right.  and so I took it outside grabbed the head in one hand, and stepped on its feet, and with one clean stroke I slit the throat.  I look up at Aisatu the maid and say "it is dead, I have slaughtered the chicken!"  she looks at me and says "you have not slaughtered the chicken".    I look back down at my feet, and of course to my surprise, there is the chicken still alive, and now it is bleeding all over me.  I give out a little shout and the chicken starts to flop a little bit.  I grab it again and slice it again, and look up all happy and say "Now I have killed the chicken!" Aisatu looks at me and then back at the chicken and says "no, you have not slaughtered the chicken"  thats when I freak out.  and I grab the chicken and really slice its head off.  then I look at Aisatu and she looks up at me and says "there, now you have killed a chicken.  you are a man".  Now that I have killed a chicken, I believe that I can kill bigger things, like rabbits and goats, but I think that I will need to practice on a few more chickens before I get to a goat.

-Mike