So, I guess its about time I wrote another one of these ;). Seeing as I have done nothing... NOTHING this past week, I shall now procrastinate on all the reading I didn't do by writing a post.
So, this past week was Eid al-Adha, somewhat akin to Thanksgiving in that all Egyptians (and Muslims, for that matter), go kill sheep/goats and hang out with their families for a few days. It is the 2nd Eid holiday of the Muslim calendar. Whereas the first Eid brings the month of Ramadan to an end (where Muslims fast/eat/refrain from worldly pleasures like sex/ during daylight hours, and stay up all night/gorge themselves/bone/ during the night), this Eid commemorates when Abraham almost sacrificed Isaac because of his devotion to the Big Guy. As Honest Abe's knife was a-comin' down, the BG was all like, "Yo Dude, this shit's whack. And Rack of Lamb/Goat sounds a whole lot more appetizing than Rack of Isaac." And so, we sacrifice a goat or lamb in honor of our undead children.
On the roof across from my window, they had a goat tied up for a couple days before hand. Unfortunately, I slept through the slaughter. They do it WAY early in the morning, because killing, skinning, draining, butchering, cooking, and eating is kind of a to-do. However, when I woke up, there was a nice wet spot where the slaughter had been and some goat skins drying on the roof. With the goat, a third of the meat is reserved for you/your family, a third for friends and relatives, and the final third for the poor. I didn't take pictures, unfortunately. I was reminded only after the goat disappeared of an art project my sister did based on a news article about an Egyptian guy who got kicked off his roof by a goat awaiting slaughter. Served him!
In Ma'adi, becuase it's streets are wider and there's generally more space, the blood was not really flowing through the streets. However, you could definitely see and smell the remnants for quite a few days after the actual Eid. In other, and especially in poorer parts of Cairo, the streets apparently flow with the blood of sacrificed goats. It was on Sunday in most Arab countries except Morocco, where it was on Monday- according to Hisham- who's family lives in Rabat- Morocco claims that things are usually a day later becuase the phases of the moon hit later. The Muslim calendar, like the Jewish calendar, is lunar, so the Gregorian date's don't matter as much.
As my friend Michelle put it, Eid is a great time to really reflect on the preciousness of all life, and a time to give thanks and appreciate all that we get from animals. As for me, it was a time to reflect on and appreciate a week off, not that I am particularly lacking down time, but still. Unfortunately, all my travel plans were waylaid by illness. First by me with a nasty head cold and what I think was a mild case of food poisoning, and then both Jenny AND Hisham got sick. So, for most of the week we were all cooped up in the apartment either being sick or helping each other out. Also, Jenny and I were considering going to Petra but researching what it entailed to get there put us off. To get there, it would be a 12ish hour bus ride to Taba, a ferry from Taba to Aqaba in Jordan (which, by the way could take all day, only leaves twice a day, and only takes US dollars), and then another 3 hour bus ride to Wadi Musa, the town right outside of Petra. It was really the Ferry that put us off, becuase the other option would be to go through Israel which could potentially take just as long. After we realized that Petra might not be the best option, we decided that Alexandria would be the best place to get out of Cairo for a bit, as its a quick easy day/overnight trip. However, we all got sick, so there was no traveling at all. We did, however, find some good new cafes around Ma'adi, and I went to a dinner party where the host made some delicious chili.
So, all in all it was a good break that could have been better, but was ultimately impeded by things out of my control. Thus, I am at peace with it. But more traveling needs to be done!
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