With the ordination on Thursday there was a lot of preparation
to be done. On Wednesday I went to witness the slaughtering of the pig and
cows. It is a tough thing to watch, no doubt, but is necessary if you want to
eat meat. Nowadays I get excited when I get to eat rice so meat is a beautiful thing.
When we see rice or beans Zack and I turn to one another and yell “It’s bean
day!!” or “Know what day it is? It’s a rice day!” ha you have to create a good
time when all you have is rice or beans.
I won’t go into too much detail about the slaughtering but just
touch on the basics. The cow seems to know what is about to happen because it
isn’t very willing to go into the room. The farmers have to drag it in. They
use an axe and very sharp knives to harvest the meat. The axe is used to kill
the cow and the knives are used to skin and gather the meat. Just about everything
the cow has to offer can be used. For example, they use the skin to make drums
and both the meat and organs are eaten. I am almost positive they we had cow
intestine for dinner last night. We don’t ask, we just eat, but I am almost
positive that it was.
The slaughtering took place on Wednesday and that night we
all welcomed the archbishop to the monastery with a nice dinner. As the
archbishop was cutting the cake for dessert a big chant began. Zack and I were
confused, but we went along with it. There is a famous rapper called Eminem who
sings a song called “Lose Yourself” which was popular back in middle school.
For some reason Zack and I thought the song went well with the chant and so we
began rapping it to ourselves. It was absolutely hilarious. It was one of those
moments where you had to be there for it so you probably don’t care. However,
it made for a good time.
The ordination took place on Thursday and, as expected, was
a very big deal. We even had to dress up. We donned our button-up shirts and
jeans and even wore socks and shoes for the day. I think that was my first time
putting socks on while being here. Sandals are amazing!
There were hundreds of people who turned out for the
celebration. The mass and ordaining of the priest happened in the morning and
took place outside the church because it was unable to fit everyone. The
archbishop performed the ceremony and afterwards everyone lined the walls of
the monastery waiting to get food. While we all ate there was a children choir
that sang and other skits performed in Bemba. Br. Romanos performed two songs
and one was the song “Fireflies” by Owl City. Owl City happens to be based out
of Owatonna, Minnesota. He really wanted me to sing along with him so I decided
to join him which was a lot of fun.
As the night went on we all ate and celebrated with music
and dancing. The community piled into the refectory and danced until about
midnight. The monastery went all out for this celebration because there was
great food, pop, beer, and we even had dessert. It is rare to find dessert
around here so that was nice to have. I have some pictures from the ordination
that I plan to post to Facebook sometime in the next few weeks.
As for other things…
We are in the process of booking a hostel for our visit to
Victoria Falls. It should be all set by the end of today. We will be leaving on
Saturday, August 29th.
Chiara, Francesca, Zack, and I all went to Isassi Falls
again. Sundays are a nice day to do as you please because it is a day of
relaxation. The four of us made the trek over to Isassi Falls (5km there and
5km back). This time we brought our swimming suits so we went into the falls
and swam in the water. It was a lot of fun.
I hope to have the third book of the series “A Game of
Thrones” finished before our trip to Victoria Falls so I am able to start the
fourth one. It is nice to have time to read. In college you read things your
professors assign, but now we are able to read things we enjoy which makes a
huge difference.
We woke early this morning to see the sunrise. It was
amazing. It is fun to sit back and enjoy these kinds of things. Sometimes it’s
the small things in life.
I am still working in the clinic with Francesca and Chiara
and plan to work there throughout the next four months while in Zambia. It has
been nice to work there during August because it keeps me busy. Both Zack and I
are very excited to begin teaching in September as well. Zack can’t wait
because there isn’t much to do when you don’t have any work. It’s good to stay
busy while in Africa. If you wanted to you could sit around all day every day,
but that’s dangerous. Lying around all day can drive a man crazy in Africa. So a
solid and long-lasting job will be welcomed!
Well, today marks one month being away from home. In all
honesty, it has gone fairly quick. I believe once September rolls around things
will pick up even more speed. All in all things have been going well. Thanks
for the continued prayers!
I better get to the
clinic and then midday prayer. Thanks for reading!
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