I wasn't successful earlier today in getting a picture of the animals about to be slaughtered.  The fruit and vegetable street a few blocks over was PACKED with people buying and selling fruits and vegetables in prep for the feast tomorrow after the morning prayers.  The markey area had an air of excitement about it. There were more cows over there than sheep, tied to lamp posts.  Two or three cows passed me at eye level before I realized they were in a small sized pickup truck bed, munching on hay as the driver slowly weaved through the crowd.  I bought some tomatoes and bananas from the street vendors (itnayn wa nus for a half kilo of bananas, about 50 cents, and wahid wa robaa for a half a kilo of tomatoes, about 22 cents) But I was too shy to pull out my camera to photograph the animals waiting to be killed, I didn't want to draw a ton more attention to myself.  I find that in this neighborhood, my neighborhood, I care alot about how I'm perceived. I worry about our neighbors seeing Drinkies Co.

Tomorrow is Eid al-Adha.  Click on that link for more info on the holday. 

Briefly, the holiday is in remembrance of God telling Abraham to sacrafice his own son to show his faith, then when God sees that Abraham will actually do it, last minute steps in and says "nevermind, slaughter this prize lamb instead".  Today, for this holiday, animals are sacrificed.  Lots of animals. And meat is divided in three (1/3 to keep, 1/3 to share with family and friends and 1/3 to give to the poor).  Originally this holiday seemed pretty cool to me, the idea of sharing meat and such. 

That is, until I started noticing the sheep in my neighborhood. Tied to the lamp post outside the dry cleaners.  Being led by two men in business suits to keep in the car port under the apartment building until tomorrow.  Yeah, when they said ritual sacrafice I sort of assumed it was out in the country.  Didn't realize it'd be happening on my streets!

As a follow up on Cara's earlier post on our desert expedition, I'd like to talk a bit more about the nitty-gritty of the science!

Whales don't walk, silly!

Wadi al-Hitan (Valley of the Whales) is one of the major paleontological sites in the world for understanding the evolution of whales & their migration 40 million years ago from land into the ocean.

But Justin, I thought that life started in the oceans, then moved to land... why would whales go backward?

Well, yeah, life did start in the oceans, but mammals evolved on land, breathing air. First little rat-like things while the dinosaurs were around, which later evolved into the diversity of mammals we know today (and the ones that we knew earlier in the 20th century that are now extinct). But then there are all of the ocean mammals... whales, dolphins, manatees, seals... they must have evolved from land-based mammals.

Whales don't walk, silly! How could they do that with fins? -Lara

Justin and I put up Christmas decorations this morning.  A few weeks ago we attended one of many Christmas bazaars that churches and community centers (both Egyptian and expat focused) host here in Cairo every year. Local Egyptian crafts are sold as well as imported Christmas themed items.  We purchased a few items at the Christmas bazaar at All Saints a few weeks ago (An episcopal church. The priest wears a standard clerical collar and shirt but a black skirt on the bottom).  We purchased a painting by a local Sudanese artist named Willam, and some sewn fabric pieces created and sold as a fundraiser for deaf children at a local deaf school. I also bought a snowman pillow I later found out was imported from China and the snowman is actually filthy with Cairo dirt.  And then, earlier this week I was so excited to find Christmas trees at the local Alfa Market!  Our (thin) fake Christmas tree was only six USD, and a packet of ornaments 5 USD...so we're pleased with our little Christmas tree on a budget!  Ahmed informed me his Muslim family puts up a Christmas tree every year so I shouldn't be surprised that we found a Christmas tree here.

I'm enjoying some leftover Macoroni and Cheese Casserole and cornbread-pine nut dressing as I write this.