Eid-Murabak

Owen talks with young men dressed in their new Eid clothes as we walked to visit a friend.

 During Eid, the tradition is to visit neighbors and friends, briefly.  I was invited to go with Debbie to her friend's home and so I met Zakia and family....her Mullah brother, elderly father, husband , sister and 7children and a few cousins. She was excited that another 'elderly' lady had come to her home.  Debbie translated for me though I pretty much knew what was transpiring.   They begin to prepare a room for guests by laying a tablecloth on the floor surrounded by toshaks.....long pillows to sit on.  Then they put plates of nuts, raisins, cookies, cake on the cloth and wait with tea to serve guests. So, you nibble and sip and visit!  They were kind to stack two dense pillows for me to sit on.  The lower to the floor I sit, the harder  the rising up is!  We learned her story as children milled around and the men talked among themselves.  When the 84 yr. old grandfather entered the room, everyone, including me, stood and bowed....same when he left....except they insisted I stay put!  After an hour or so, we took pictures of  Debbie and Zakia and the children before rising to leave.  It still took awhile and she promised to have me back and feed me something that would not make me fat!  Debbie said to not take it wrongly....ha.  Zakia has a house business of making and selling tortillas and chips.  I told her I wanted to buy some soon!  I was glad I'd gone!  Thank you, Debbie.

Marita with Zakria and her 14-yr-old daughter

Kite-flying
on our way
home.











Jon and Bill decided to make an Eid visit of their own....to the
Police station in front of our house!

"Since our biggest neighbor is  district 3 Police Station, I thought it would be fair enough to take them some goodies.  I have no idea how many policemen are actually behind the 15 foot high razor wired walls with turrets on the corners.  Usually only 2 or 3 armed officers stand by the steel cross arm at the north entrance of the half block complex, it's bare south wall facing our gate.  

Trying out her newly set up gas range, Jan made two batches of brownies.

When Dr. Bill and I first carried our bag of freshly baked brownies up the street, there was some obvious event going on at the intersection.  The situation was unclear, but seemed more than just a minor traffic accident with several cars blocking the way and at least three of the large forest green armored pickups each with a gun turret mounted on it's bed, surrounded by over 50 attentive policemen with a few on the corners keeping watch.  I saw one guard on the third  floor balcony of a neighboring house alert to the process.  Bill had an appointment to keep;  he went on ahead.  I returned home with our gift to wait for a calmer season.

Indeed, later this afternoon the street was quiet after the first day of rain since our arrival.  We walked along the edge of the now muddied street , around the corner and up to the armed sentry.  "Eid Mubarak"  I said,  "Happiness to you at Eid".  He was suspicious, took the bag without looking and passed it to the 5 soldiers having tea sitting behind the steel swing arm but in front of the concrete and stucco wall.  One invited us to join them with "Chai", but obviously did not have authority to do that.  Reassuring  them the gift  was not a bomb, we told them it certainly was good to eat as they cautiously viewed the dark brown crumbly chunks.  Another took a taste with subdued response.   They were politely grateful, but we likely will never know if it was a hit in the barracks. or even made it inside the wall.  Nevertheless, we visited our neighbors with a blessing of brownies."