After yesterday I felt like I was really getting into the culture up here, feeling like “oh yeah, I’m bad ass, I could hack it up here”
Then today on the way to the school I stopped by an interesting scene. A walrus was harpooned this morning on the beach just outside my hotel. They were just pulling it up onto the shore as I came by, and I just had to stop and watch.
It was amazing and slightly disturbing to watch. Being a pampered southerner I obviously do not see animals turned into meat too often, so it was a little hard to watch at first. But something about the way they do it, where 5 or 6 guys just work so systematically and efficiently was so impressive. They use hooks to pull the internals out, while one guy went right for the penis and carved out the bone from it (a good 3 feet long!). Another guy went to removing the head, which he placed next to me and asked “are you from green peace?” I laughed and said no, just watching. The others cut the other various pieces which all looked like red and grey blocks of goo to me, but they seemed to know exactly where and how to cut, all the while not getting a drop of blood on themselves.
As steam rose from the open walrus in front of me I realized I have a ways to go still.
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