Here is a Jordanian goat.
The goat belongs to Fatma. Fatima is the one on the left. Yes, they have tatoos on their faces. I found out later that Jordanian women don’t usually allow themselves to be photographed. I hope I don’t get into trouble with the Bene Sakr for this one.
Fatima is stirring up the goats with a stick to try to get them to be more photogenic for the picture.
Then Fatma took a picture of me with the goat. I don’t know if she ever used a camera before.
[photo edited]
I know a Jordanian guy who put a photo of his wife on the internet–she had a proper scarf on, hair completely covered and everything. He had to take it down after some guys at work started making nasty comments about her. There were pictures of his kids too, but that wasn’t a problem. I wanted to take a picture of her–I had stayed with the family a few times–but by then she didn’t want anyone taking her picture because of the bad experience.
It’s too bad when women’s photos have to be removed–in any culture. You don’t see that happening with men.
March 25, 2009 at 12:54 pm
Great pictures, Nij. Those goats have a good life, I think. I love goats’ ears, they bounce up and down when they run, but I’ve never seen such long ears as that one has. They don’t appear to have horns, though. One funny thing about goats is their eyes have rectangular pupils.
March 25, 2009 at 10:49 pm
The long ears are pretty typical of Jordanian goats.
I’ve never noticed their eyes. Not knowing the habits of goats, I was probably paying more attention to their teeth.
March 26, 2009 at 5:47 am
You don’t have to worry about those, they only have bottom teeth. You’re right, they do have a tendency to chew on clothing, but they aren’t nearly as bad as parrots, believe me.
March 30, 2009 at 11:25 pm
It’s good to know they’re not dangerous. With the language barrier you don’t know.
I once had an unpleasant experience as a child getting between a mama pig and her cute little piglets.
April 1, 2009 at 3:01 am
Nij, I’m disappointed to see the gorgeous blonde has been airbrushed out of the picture. Now the caption doesn’t make sense. We demand her reinstatement!
April 1, 2009 at 10:38 am
Thanks, Kron , but it’s not coming back. Unfortunately there are some people on the internet who have Issues and are stalking me. They followed me from a political blog where I made some comments. One has threatened to photoshop and spread my photo. I think it was meant as a joke, but there are other more unstable people out there who may not see it that way who they cannot control (“who will rid me of …”). If you’re really curious I can give links, or you can look at the old test site http://lessheat.wordpress.com/ (NSFW-images and language).
April 10, 2009 at 6:03 pm
These Jordanian goats do have long ears. I wonder if it helps them deal with the heat better?
I love goats. They are such spirited animals. :)
April 12, 2009 at 8:48 pm
I’m not sure how long ears would help with the heat. Do goats sweat? Although Jordanian summers are quite hot, often above 100°, they are not as uncomfortable as here because it is a dry heat. The winters are warmer too, but they do get snow. I never saw how the goats managed in the winter.