Hello! Happy Thanksgiving!
We are still in Arusha, but no longer with the Maasai anymore. We have been staying with Black Panther, Pete O’Neil for the past 3 days. For everybody who doesn’t know who Pete O’Neil is, he started the Black Panther Kansas City chapter. After being exiled from the United States, he and his wife Charlotte moved to Tanzania and started the United African Alliance Community Center. We have been catching up on some much needed rest and relaxation.
For all of you who are wondering what the title to this blog means, well…it’s a tribute to our goat. Six days ago, we had the opportunity to sacrifice a goat that we had bought previously in the market. After a long day of swahili class and numerous hours of playing soccer with the Maasai, it was “goat time.” One of the customs to the Maasai culture is to sacrifice a goat and drink the blood.
The first step is to smother the goat so he can’t breathe. Cliff volunteered to do this. After the goat died, you get a knife and stab the heart so the blood coagulates into the goats ribs. After skinning the goat, it was time to cut him/her open. Once the goat was cut open, it was time to take out the organs. It first started with the kidney. The kidney was offered to many of us to eat raw. Only a few of us had the stomach to eat it. Next, the intestines were taken out and put on the fire. Once they were smoked, the Maasai passed around the intestines for anybody who wanted to try. They were full of fat and I recommend not eating them! Next, we took out the liver and threw that on the fire to cook. While waiting for the liver to cook, it was time for the blood. I’ve never seen anybody drink blood of an animal before, but watching the Maasai drink the blood, it was like watching a savage eat/drink. They put the blood and a few other chunks into a large cup for us to try. Taylor, Cliff, Karen, Alexa, Zoe, Jess, Will, Izzy, Becca, Charlotte, and myself all drank it. Sadly, some of us even went back for seconds. It had a little barbecue taste to it, so it was a shock to me how good it was. After all the meat had been cut off the goat, they put it on sticks and let the fire barbecue it. Once it was done, it was chow time. I’ve never had goat before, but hey, there’s a first time for everything.
One our final day with the Maasai, some people went to church while others went to herd cattle. After making our way back into Arusha, we decided to stay out a hostel called Backpackers. Everybody was happy because there were HOT showers which we had all missed. After a long night of rest, we were set to go to the UAACC. Godwin, drove us there and after telling us goodbye, it was home sweet home.
We’ve been watching documentaries on Pete O’Neil, participating in art classes, hanging out with kids, and even playing pool for hours. Well, it’s Thanksgiving and we’re all cooking different things tonight. So until next time…HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
-Chris (HI MOM)
