Day 18: Put the Lime in the Coconut (After Sunset)

Tuesday, July 9

Good news, everyone! Today, we have a special treat for you all!

Cultural Adventures: Ramadan Edition

Part 1: What is it?

For those who are less aware, like I was a couple of years ago, Ramadan is a religious holiday practiced by Muslims all across the world. Once a year for an entire month, Muslims fast from food, drink, and smoking during the hours of the day in which the sun is visible in the sky. They only commence in these activities after the sun has gone down at night, and before it comes up in the morning.

The holiday is used as a time of spiritual reflection without distractions; it's a time to improve and increase one's devotion and worship to Allah. 

Ramadan starts on the 9th month of the Islamic calendar when it is determined that new moon has passed and a new month begins. Now, this is where it gets a bit fuzzy to me. So, Ramadan on the calendar was supposed to start last night, in other words, no eating today. But nae, it didn't. Apparently the moon-readers (I honestly have no idea who is in charge of this) did not determine that the moon was new yet, so Ramadan did not start when we expected it too.

However, after we were home that evening, we heard the cannon fire at exactly 8pm, which signals the beginning of the sacred month. And so it began.

Apart from the beginning of Ramadan, Tuesday was mostly uneventful. Oh, except that I went to the doctor. I wasn't sick! It's just... ever since last Thursday, I've had this mysterious bug/spider bite. By the time I noticed it on Thursday, it was the size of quarter, and it was raised and deep purple. And every day following that, it got progressively bigger. So, on Tuesday, and it was roughly the size of a Hostess cupcake (though decidedly less good-looking), I decided to go to the doctor, just to make sure I wasn't going to die.

"We think it's Lupus."

"You're all idiots." 

So I told the Resident Director, and she interestingly had another girl she was taking to the doctor with the exact same ailment. So, we all went together. The doctor examined the other girl first, then he sat back down at his desk, and when it was my turn he didn't even get up and instead just sort of glanced at my spot vaguely from across the room, determined I wasn't dying, and wrote me a prescription for allergies and another for itchiness.

"But we should probably amputate your leg, just to be sure."

(Just so you're not worrying, Mom, it actually is fine. It's almost completely gone now.) 

The good news is, the doctor didn't charge me a dime! Er... dirham, or whatever.