A Sheep for Liam

This entry is for our nephew Liam. We just skyped with him and his family, explaining that we weren't at school today (Friday, Nov 27th) because it's a national holiday here: Kurban ayt. It's a muslim holiday that reminds people to be thankful for all blessings and to be especially mindful of the poor.

If you can afford it, you're compelled to buy three sheep: keep one for yourself and deliver the other two to people who are poor. There's also a connection to father Abraham and the sacrifice he offered after God spared Isaac's life.

So there were a lot of nervous sheep for sale in the city today. Some of them were taken away live, some were slaughtered right on the curb, and at least two in our neighbourhood were taken out back, dying by lethal 'lead poisoning' if I still accurately recognize the sound of gunfire (within city limits).

So, Liam, unlike the people below, we just couldn't get them into our backseat. Do you know how many air fresheners we'd have to buy? And besides, we don't have enough seat belts. Also, I don't think your mother would approve of the graphic method with which they would have been, how can I say, dispatched to the great wool basket in the sky. Baaa-ad joke?

Tonight, however, we're going to have dinner in an Uzbek(istan) restaraunt, where we'll be sure to pick wool out of our teeth. See you next summer.