we all make sacrifices in life

Happy New Year everyone!

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! and if you don't celebrate that then hope you had a wonderful _________!

I celebrated l'Eid Kbir here in Midelt, Morocco. It is a large Muslim holiday celebrated over a 3 day period. Almost all the families sacrificed a lamb the day of l'Eid. You could say I was 'lucky' because my family not only sacrificed the lamb but 3 days earlier sacrificed a goat.

What exactly happens during this sacrifice? If this is a question you are asking then read on, but make sure you have a paper bag near by (I sure wish I did :-) I will tell you that after assisting my host dad with the goat, I randomly disappeared during the lamb sacrifice 3 days later...

It was a cold morning in Midelt and I was laying in my bed staring at the cieling thinking about 7th grade Biology class...
"It can't be that much different", I thought to myself.

"I disected a pig, a frog, a rat, whats a goat?"
"What's a goat!?!"
"A goats frickin huge and it won't be sitting pre-packed in a jar of fermaldyhide"

I began sweating as I paced back and forth in my room trying to decide what I would wear... My host dad said to put on 'old clothes'...

Old clothes? Who packs old clothes when they can only pack 2 bags for 2 years?

I put on some warmups that had a paint stain on them and then I sat on my bed stairing at my shoes... I had white gym shoes, brown timberlands, and sandals. I quickly narrowed it down to the gym shoes and the timberlands. I decided I liked my timberlands too much to risk the blood stains. So I threw on the gym shoes and put on black socks over my shoes. I was ready!?

I walked down stairs into the back room. There he was all happy and goat like, eating goat food, and getting the sheep all riled up. In that moment it all seemed so peaceful... I had thoughts of becoming a vegetarian... Next thing I know my host dad's got him by the horns and tells me to hold him down while he goes and gets the silver ware. The goat got away from me at first or maybe I let him go... I can't remember :-) Anyways my host dad put him back in his place and then all I remember was seeing blood hit the wall next to me, because I didn't want to watch the initial cut. The legs kicked for a good 5 minutes as I directed the blood down the drain with a sqwegie. The goat was soon hung up on a lader, butcher style. The hair/skin was removed and shortly after every organ was removed and cleaned. Seeing my host dad blow out the intestine was the point where I wished I had the barf bag.... and this is where I will stop telling you about my buthcering experience.

I will say my shoes are still white and lunch was still good. I just never thought I would make eye contact with what I was going to eat before. But there's a first time for everything right..... a first time and a last time!