Firsts

Hello everyone! This week included several firsts for J and she really wanted to share them with you. This past weekend, like I mentioned in the last post, J went with a friend to a ceremony called “Idu Adha.” Basically, Idu Adha is a ceremony remembering Abraham, but with an emphasis on Ishmael instead of Isaac. One family brings a goat or a cow that will be the sacrifice, and the ritual includes bleeding out the animal as much as possible. They do this because they believe that the more blood that is spilled, the more sins that are forgiven. J said that it was not fun to watch because they let the goat or cow stay alive (so that it was kicking around) as long as possible so that more blood will spill out. After, the people hang up the animal and skin it. The family that brought the goat or cow gets some of the meat from the animal, and the rest of the meat is given to the poor after the family gets their share.

J said that the ceremony was really interesting and she was able to have some good conversations both with her friend and with some other people at the ceremony. The biggest thing that came out of her going to the ceremony was that she was able to share a little bit with another person that was also at the ceremony. J asked that everyone keep the friend that invited her to the ceremony in their thoughts.

Aside from getting to attend the Idu Adha this past weekend, another first for J was that she started teaching her first English class on Tuesday. Up to this point, she has been just getting to know the people who visit the center on a regular basis while she gets acclimated and so that the people will be comfortable with her. She was really looking forward to starting to teach her own group of students.

Aside from teaching at the center, J is getting used to being in her house by herself for the first time since she’s been in her city. Her roommate is gone for a little while, so J is on her own until her roommate comes home. She didn’t seem too upset about it, but she does currently have the company of some workers who are currently fixing the roof of the house close by hers. So, everything isn’t as quiet as she thought it would be while her roommate is gone!

Thank you all again for taking the time to see what J is up to in her city; she seems to be settling in really well and is glad she can share what she’s doing with her friends. Keep her in your thoughts this coming week!