Eid Mubarak!

Anyone who knows my wife knows she has real presence and is extremely smart. Two qualities of hers I most appreciate, however, are her kindness and generosity. She became a nurse to serve and serve she does - whether it's in the jungles of Vietnam, a hospital, teaching in universities, or the many colleagues and students and Jordanian locals she helps - never taking credit, never taking a penny. Today I had the unique experience of wishing a huge extended family "Eid Mubarak" ("Happy Holiday") thanks to my wife's generosity. The family she helped insisted she (and by extension, me) become a part of their family for this important feast day. I can't believe this incredible adventure we're on. Wednesday was the first day of the four day holiday in Islam commemorating God's test of Abraham's devotion. After God ordered Abraham to kill his only son as proof of sincerity, and Abraham didn't hesitate, an angel stepped in to stop the son's slaughter and told Abraham to slaughter a lamb instead (Genesis 22:2).

Prior to our arrival, the men of the family went to morning prayers, then stopped by a large outdoor gathering of sheep herded into the city by Bedouin. The patriarch did the honors, selecting the perfect sheep, which was then slaughtered according to Halal laws, which engender a merciful death for food animals that occurs as swiftly (and thus painlessly) as possible. The sheep was skinned, cleaned, and quartered, with a portion given to the poor, all to commemorate the test Abraham passed in proving his love of God (Abraham is recognized as a prophet in Islam). By the time we arrived the sheep had been magically transformed into Mansef, the Jordanian national dish, consisting of chunks of mutton served over a bed of rice and sprinkled liberally with toasted almonds. Goat milk is used to make a quasi-yogurt sauce which is used like gravy. The entire dish is covered not with aluminum foil, but with a large covering made from a type of bread rolled out so flat and thin it is almost transparent. After some socializing with Arabic coffee, but before sitting down to a wonderful feast, Terry was whisked away to the kitchen where the women presented her with an extravagant gift of hand embroidered items. She told me later she was shown how the meal was prepared. Slowly the different families comprising the extended family entered. Everyone was in a festive mood. I was seated with the men of the extended family and we talked about Jordan and the region. The feast was, well, amazing. One culturally noteworthy incident during the meal was when I was asked whether I needed more food. I indicated I was full, but would accept a very small additional portion (I didn't want to be rude and refusing food is considered rude), one of the men immediately stood up and put 3 heaping serving spoons of rice on my plate and then topped it off with a huge chunk of mutton. The food was delicious. After the meal we retired to a sitting room where Arabic coffee (cardamom and cloves)and small cakes filled with pistachios and figs (made by the women of the family) were served. The extended family was all there including a passel of little children of all ages who really livened up the party. Terry kept the conversation moving through a discussion of Arabic words and customs. Another culturally noteworthy moment was when I whispered to Terry to switch hands because she was drinking her tea with her right hand and eating the little cakes with her left, a big no-no here. Terry's efforts generated much respect, a few laughs at her Arabic pronunciation, and great goodwill. She is a wonderful ambassador for the United States.

The Hajj is observed as part of this holiday in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. All Muslims pay attention to news of the Hajj from Mecca, so the television was tuned to a Saudi channel. Unfortunately, there was a stampede killing over 700 (as of this writing), an incident that was somewhat sobering since the family's patriarch plans to go to Hajj (one of the 5 pillars of Islam) next year, as they say "Inshallah!" ("God willing!") Every Muslim who is capable of doing so is obligated to make a pilgrimage to Hajj once. Saudi Arabia, keeper of the sacred sites, sets national quotas each year to keep the numbers of pilgrims in check. The numbers are still in the millions. Jordan allocates slots with preference to the elderly. Our host will qualify for the Hajj next year and his wife and oldest son may accompany him as his helpers. After many more rounds of Arabic coffee, tea with nana (mint), and small cakes, we departed to hugs and kisses from the women (for Terry) and solemn handshakes from all of the men (for me). Our hosts were extremely welcoming and insisted we return soon. Inshallah!