Saturday was our introduction to KR culture and really the more I see, the stranger this culture gets. Our KR coordinators put on a festival for usat a holy monument, or a 25 meter tower in the middle of nowhere. To start things off, we of course had to slaughter a sheep and drain its blood...you knowthe usual. Later on I find out its going to be lunch. Honestly, it wasnt that horrible and was very ceremonial. There was a prayer and song before and thewhole thing was over really quick.
but, then they bring around a goat and they wont tell us what's for.....it's a surprise.
We got an introduction to traditional KR sports. One game involves two men on horses trying to wrestle the other off his horse. Another, is yourtypical guy-chases-girl game, except that its on horses and the guys have to try and get the girl and kiss her. The best part is though, is that if theguy misses the girl she gets to chase him with a whip and beat him up! The other game was sort of like polo, there were two teams on horses, wrestling overwhat we thought was a burlap bag. Ha, we were wrong- wondering what happened to that goat....well it was also slaughtered beheaded and it became the "ball". You've just got to wonder, out of all the things that could of been used as the ball, how a headless goat was chosen. I mean if you really want to get messy, one could always bust out a watermelon.....

The rest of the day was filled with lots of music, dancing and food, including chunks of sheep fat (which I politely declined)....apparently it's a real treat. But my favorite was the fermented mares milk. In the slight chance you ever get offered fermented mares milk I would highly recommend that you pass it up...it tastedlike carbonated spoiled milk. I suppose that if one was really desperate for an alchoholic drink it would do, but what a price to pay for a buzz!
Since we're on the subject of food anyways, I just have to say that I am quickly getting tired of the food here. Fruits and veggies are scarce, and in the winter I hear that it's even worse. On a typical day I will have bread with butter and tea for breakfast, for lunch bread with some salami and cucumbers and an apple or two, then dinner its bread, some noodle soup or fried potatoes, and some cucumbers and tomatoes. Seeing a trend? I know thatI need to get used to it, and it's not that it tastes bad, but it all tastes the same! I am hoping that once I get to my permanent site that I willbe able to cook for myself....or attempt to cook for myself.

the photo is my house....will try and post more later
k