Eid Mubarak

Tomorrow is Eid al-Adha, one of Islam's holiest days. It is a time when the well off traditionally sacrifice one of their best domestic animals, usually either cows or goats, as a symbol of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son to God.

Islamabad was full of goats today. At virtually every traffic light, a merchant stood with a clutch of goats to sell. Large, shaggy, and lop-eared, the goats loitered around sedately, oblivious to their impending doom (except, perhaps, for one ram that was frantically mounting a ewe, as though he knew it was his last chance). Tomorrow, the streets will be stained with goat blood.

So will my backyard, apparently. When I got back to the guest house this evening, I was less than enthused to discover a goat tethered outside. I hope they hold off killing it until after I go in to the office tomorrow. I've heard goats screaming as they are slaughtered; it's not pleasant, and certainly not something you want to wake up to.

It will be yet another quintessential Pakistan experience. They're coming in rapid succession these days. On Sunday night, I was afflicted with the worst case of food poisoning I've had in years. It was truly miserable. At some point in the middle of the night, as I was in the midst of heaving my guts out, there was an earthquake. I barely registered the fact. Quintessential Pakistani experiences both, ones that I could certainly have done without.

Tomorrow I fly back to New York. Not a day to soon, I think. I'm glad I came, but I'm also glad it's over.