Goats in Trees

I was uploading some video to my computer last night and realized how much stuff I have. Not your 'typical' Peace Corps living in a mud hut experience huh?

Yesterday my brother and I went to an old missionary church that has been long abandoned and only half-remembered because of the weekly soccer match held behind its crumbling walls. In fact, the only thing still holy about it is the ritualistic futbol game as the devoted onlookers worship their favorite players. The windows and doorways are now full of brick and mortar and the cross long removed from atop the steeple. It makes me wonder what happened to the convent which once inhabited its walls. They were probably French and left with the rest of the lot after Morocco gained its independence. Whatever the case, they and their cause are now a distant memory (if that) of the people here. I sometimes wonder if I am the only foreigner who has lived here since as some of their behaviors would lead me to believe.

Christmas is around the corner and I only know that because I know what day it is on the Gregorian calendar. Although they follow the western calendar, they also follow the lunar calendar as dictated by Islam, and according to that calendar a much more important holiday is coming up. L-Eid Kbir. My family has already started telling me about it and telling me that I am going to be the one that slaughters the sheep. Who needs Christmas when you can ritualistically slaughter sheep? I'm actually really excited for it because we're going to hang out with my entire family. I found out yesterday my mom has 22 brothers and sisters, which would explain why every 5 minutes I'm being introduced to a new family member who wanders in to the house. Turns out my Mom's father had 6 wives (4 in Morocco, 1 in France, and 1 somewhere else)! Don't worry, I'm slowly compiling information for a grand post on the intricacies of Islam. Look for it soon inshallah.

While in Marrakesh I also bought Fred Claus and 3:10 to Yuma to watch on Christmas day, but found out once I got back to site that it's all in French. So, I don't exactly know what I'm going to be doing for Christmas. It will most likely pass like an other day here. I tried telling my family about it, well I told them that on Christmas day I wasn't going to be doing much as proselytizing is illegal here and I could get in trouble if I explained everything about a Christian holiday. Thus, feel free to E-mail, send a letter, send gifts, or whatever on Christmas! I'll most likely come to the cyber and check my E-mail and be lazy. I still don't know if they celebrate New Years and I don't know what I'm going to be doing for my birthday, January 5th. We'll see!