Ramadan and the sheep on my porch

Living in Kazakhstan, I’m learning a lot about Islam this year. For example, did you know that Ramadan has occurred in the month of September? Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam. During Ramadan, Muslims fast and pray. One night during Ramadan, translated, the “Night of Power,” is a night many will stay awake to pray all night. It coincided with my birthday this year.

Ramadan ends with Eid, which is the breaking of fast. For Eid at my house this week a lot of food was cooked and we had guests for two days! We also, in our tiny kitchen, chopped up a whole sheep from the village. I watched only out of morbid curiosity as my Mom dug through the innards and salted it down. The whole caboodle is now on our porch…who knows what the future holds for it now!