Last Night's Dinner Preparations

Yesterday was the end of our first real week of work. I taught a few English classes and really enjoyed them. The students make me laugh, one of them raised her hand and said, "I thought Americans were all supposed to be fat. Why are you so skinny?" Another, after discovering that for three of my first four years out of university will be spent as a volunteer, asked, "Will you ever actually try to make any money?" They are often more excited to learn about American pop culture than then English language, but their eagerness to learn about everything is encouraging. The school day typically ends at 4:00. Yesterday, the headmistress announced that there would be a prayer service for the teachers from 3:30 to 4:30. Instead of an uproar about the final day of our week being extended by another half of an hour, there was a buzz of excitement and many of the teachers approached Mary Beth and I, inviting us to be a part of it. We sang, we read a psalm, we prayed and we reflected. It was the perfect culmination of a work week. When the prayer service ended, Sister Njau wanted to celebrate the ten year anniversary of the school once more, so she brough out soda and wine for everyone. It was a pleasant little social gathering that enabled Mary Beth and I to interact with more of the teachers on a different level.

When we went to the Jesuit Residence that night for dinner, one of the Jesuit scholastics, James, said that he wanted to have a nice meal to end our first week of work. We were in luck. Christopher, the other scholastic, had gone over to another teacher's home after school and that teacher had sent a chicken home with him. I had witnessed Christopher walk into the house holding a live chicken by its feet. We decided to eat it that night. I asked, half jokingly, if I could be the one to kill it. James and Christopher got really excited about this idea and before I knew it I was outside with knife in hand. Christopher gave me very thorough instructions on the logistics of killing the chicken, but also spoke about the Muslim traditions of respecting the life we were about to take and praising God for it. I was hesitant and nervous, but I did it. Thankfully Christopher was right there to step on the neck after I severed the head, or else blood would have spurted all over me. James then arrived to dance a celebratory jig. This is all on film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaDjXr3MdtY

Next, I learned out to pluck and clean the chicken and I helped James cut it into pieces and cook it. During this process he made a comment about reconsidering his vows now that he knew what I was capable of. Christopher agreed. I made them both take it back immediately, I don't want God to be on my bad side by taking some soon-to-be priests from them! I informed James that when I had asked him the week prior to marry me that I thought I had made it clear he was to be the priest in the ceremony and not the groom.

It was a memorable experience as a whole. I feel as if every meat eater in the world should have the experience of taking the life of what they are to eat, so as to appreciate more fully what it is they are consuming. It was a bonding experience for me and the Jesuits (they were quite surprised at my willingness and enthusiasm towards learning about and doing the dirty work), further strengthening the sense of community that we are developing. And the chicken was delicious.