and then we slaughtered a goat.

technically, Ryan and Brandon killed the goats. maggie got pictures, and i took the video for ryan.
we were celebrating Tabaski (sp?) which is a Muslim tradition celebrating when Abraham didn't have to sacrifice Issac because God provided a lamb instead. there aren't many sheep in Rwanda, so we used a goat. some of the LCFs (and one of the drivers) helped direct how to go about skinning and cleaning, and most of the Mauritania girls were figuring out what to cook.
we had such a Great Time working together! talk about a bonding experience - making your own meal completely from start to finish. well, we didn't grow the vegetables, but we washed (twice), cut (only 1 finger!), and made stew (and frites / hashbrowns) with them. I helped hold one of the goats while it was being skinned, and found other jobs across the afternoon. I didn't see who hacked it to pieces, but I would assume the boys. Lindsay and Michelle then expertly carved out usable meat, and the Rwandans cleaned the intestines (which they are cooking up back at the house for lunch today). Marta and I helped cut small pieces for the brochettes - and someone had sent pulled pork barbecue sauce, which was delicious. Austin wrapped 2 of the legs in foil and let them slow roast, and they were amazingly tender (goat legs! tender! whoda thunk it). ribs and other large pieces were straight grilled with a garlic/butter sauce Austin made. finally, large chunks of meat (and stuff that was still on the bone) went into this stew (has an official name - don't remember it). Megan kept saying it looked like she had killed a small child for her witches brew - which is true. every time you took the lid off, it was so steamy inside, you couldn't see what was in the pan - except for the bones sticking out. and she kept stirring it with a large, long wooden paddle/spoon thing.
all of this was topped off with pineapple. delicious.

model school finished this week - i learned you can make spontaneous lesson plans out of any topic they don't know. especially animals. specifically - penguins. you write a paragraph on the board, you read it to them, you read it with them, you go over vocabulary, and you ask comprehension questions. awesome. ryan has one on camels which inspired the penguin lesson, but i was very excited to come up with one on my own.
so the next two weeks are back to language classes. who knows, i may learn to communicate yet...

read the Poisonwood Bible. SO DEPRESSING!!! maybe it's because i'm in africa. maybe it's because you want to smack half of the cast. beautifully written, intense truths that anyone who is trying to live on the dark continent can confirm, but depressing. i will probably read it again a few months in and start taking notes on quotes to share.
and i'm almost done with Fitzgerald. i like him a lot better in small doses. i don't mind his philosophy, and i can understand where he's coming from in short stories. still hate Gatsby (stupid symbolism)

finally, my exciting news of the week (and this is what I am truly thrilled with) I have made it all the way through world 1 on Donkey Kong Country. BY MY SELF!!! ok, i know this sounds totally irrelevant, but Casey and Kelly and CJ - who Always had to bail me out halfway through a level - will hopefully get this. I can't tell you how many vacations and how many summers I spent watching all my cousins progress through Nintendo games like they were watching television. and i always tried, and always died. or ruined their saved games because i ran out all their lives. but as i bounce through the jungle, i remembered EVERY extra banana spot, and where to jump, and that it was better to get the golden ostrich than the shark or the frog. and i'm in the middle of bouncing bonanza, and i am Psyched! all y'all better be smiling with me, because here, it's all about finding the small successes.

ok, i'm running up a bill here, and i'm not even taking the time to proofread or capitalize (obviously).

love you all!
write me!