Bodhi Bum

Ramadan Kareem... or Ramadan is Bountiful in english.

Here in the land of Islam, today marks the start of the holy month of Ramadan. It's a strange concept to a Westerner, an entire month of fasting from dawn to dusk. I had always heard about Ramadan before I came here, but having to live through an entire month of it is a whole other story.

They don't really know exactly when Ramadan is going to start it seems, until the very last minute. Turns out they spotted the crescent moon on Thursday night and knew it was going to start today, on Saturday. Of course, nobody bothered to tell me. So I woke up Saturday morning, and like usual lately wondered what the hell I was going to do this weekend when it's 48 degrees Celcius outside. So like usual, I hopped in my car and headed to Marina Mall. And what did I find when I got there, to my last bastion of weekend entertainment, seeking my weekend coffee and Gulf News paper? Well, sure enough, Ramadan had started while I was asleep and unaware, and even though the mall was open, all the coffee shops and restaurants were closed, and the place was deserted.

Turns out the Muslims during Ramadan are not allowed to eat, drink, smoke, have sex, or pretty much do anything else, between dawn and dusk. And non-Muslims that are here, well, they have to show courtesy and not do any of the above in public either. I can usually go without having sex in public, but the eating is tough, and the drinking means my weekend coffee and paper is a no-go, so I guess I'll have to be good and play along. So now not only do I not have anything fun to do, I also can't even have a coffee and read the paper. For an entire month. Maybe I'll just join in the fasting, whether I like it or not.


Still I did go outside just now to get my laundry and lo and behold, I saw my first Crescent Moon. Amazing how I've never seen it quite like that before.



Ramadan Kareem!!!