kill the fattened calf...

Okay, so I don't have pictures yet. But I will, don't you worry. I just wanted to share a recent story. Our boss, Rory, is leaving Honduras. He is going to be working for CAUSE in Canada. So he threw a going away party in the village. But this was no ordinary going away party. I want to tell you about it. There must have been over 200 people there! And at these parties, everyone has to eat. So this is what we made. 75 POUNDS of rice! That's right...75 pounds of rice and beans! Also, we made like 200 of these things that are like tamales, if you don't know what that is, I'm not sure how to explain it to you, besides to say this. They are like a gooey mush that you pour into a banana leaf. You wrap up the leaf, tie it up with string, put it in a huge pot to boil, and then it turns out to be this yummy corn-based food, that looks a little like poo but tastes awesome! We also made three huge TUBS of coleslaw, and this is the best part. You know in the Bible, the story about the prodigal son who comes home and then the father is like "let's kill the fattened calf and have a party"?? That's what we did! The day before the party, they went and bought a cow. Yes, they bought a cow. They had it tied up near the beach. At about 2pm, they killed the cow. I wasn't there, thank the Lord, but they tell me that they broke it's back, hit it on the head with an axe, and then stabbed it through the heart. Then I arrived just in time to see them skinning the poor thing...and let me tell you, I have never seen anything quite like it. The poor animal's muscles were still moving, and they were like ripping it's skin off. Then a lot more gross stuff happened, and I left, because I felt like puking! Then later that night, I went to the kitchen where they were going to cook it, and it looked exactly like a butcher's shop, you know with the huge sides of beef hanging up?! Only there's no such thing as refrigeration! Early the next morning they were at it, cutting it up, seasoning it, and cooking it over fire in these HUGE VATS...three huge vats of cow. Wow. It was definitely an experience I will NEVER forget. I am going to post pictures. But I don't have my camera right now. Tomorrow. Anyway, the party itself was unforgettable. Lots of food, music, Punta dancing (which incidentally, I'm not a big fan of...I like watching, but I can't for the life of me make my body do the same as them! My bum just doesn't wiggle like theirs do!), and then when there was almost no one left except me and my friends, they put on some dance music! It was a very fun night. Pictures to follow!