Lublana

Namibia: Rooster Yelling In My Ear

At the crack of 2:37AM, I'm startled by a rooster yelling in my ear, not more than a few feet away. Then, just as I find sleep, the rooster calls out again. 3:21AM. Did someone import this rooster and forget to reset his clock? Ever half hour thereafter, the rooster reminds me how annoying he is.

With an unstoppable alarm clock on the fritz, I give up and step outside the tent. 5:00AM, a desperate moan comes from the other side of a barbed fence, so naturally I find myself walking over. Five kids are running through a herd of cattle, long stick and ropes in hand. Singling out a large cow with sharp curved horns, the boys throw the rope and proceed to run circles around the terrified animal, winding him with rope. As soon as the cow trips, a brave boy dodges the horns and lunges out with a long knife, stabbing him in the back of the head. I try to turn away, but can't... The most ugly cry gurgles from the dying cow, but I stand, trying to sensitize myself to how the rest of the world feeds themselves.

Calvin 

(to be continued)