Day 29: Chillin' Out Maxin', Relaxin' All Cool

Saturday, July 20

Cultural Adventures: Ramadan Edition!

Part 5: Iftaar (the meal after sunset) and Suhoor (the meal before sunrise)

So, I discovered today upon entering the kitchen and seeing piles of chicken bones and bowls of cooked vegetables in the sink that apparently the family eats better at night than they do at Iftaar, which is after I and my roommate go to bed.

But! It's not like they're holding out on us. I was a little offended at first when I saw all that chicken of which I did not partake in or even know of its existence until it's morning smell permeated my nose cavities. But later that night I was watching TV with Noura and they were showing a program about Iftaar, and as it turns out they were eating the exact same thing that we always eat at Iftarr: soup, bread, and eggs. And Noura said, "Yes, the soup is necessary at Iftaar. Always, always. That and eggs."

So that's why we always have soup. It's not like they live off of soup alone. It's just hyper-traditional since forever to have soup at Iftaar, then at dinner or Suhoor they have meat and veggies, etc. What time Suhoor is varies on the family, though. Everyone eats Iftaar at the exact same time, (right after the sun has disappeared from the sky), but dinner or Suhoor can be at midnight, 1am, 2am, or later. And I'm generally asleep at those times, so I had no idea the food was different at different meals.

So yeah. Personal discovery success for the day.

As for everything else: Today started with a shower. Awwwww yeeeeeeah. It's been a while. (See above image).

Afterwards, I went to the school just to work on homework and update my blog and draw and mess around on the internet, etc. Why didn't I stay at home, you ask? Who could possibly want to go to school on the weekend?

Well, it's nice and quiet at the school, for the most part. And there's optional AC. And there's tables! 

For most of the day, I had this lovely classroom upstairs all to myself. (It's not my normal classroom, which is on the bottom floor, but this one is a little bit prettier).

At about 7:30, and it seemed like the one person who was still at the school (probably because of me) wanted me to leave, so I left.

I had very strong intentions of going to Pizza Hut. And not just all day, mind you, but all week long. I was like, "I'm going to Pizza Hut on Saturday. And it's going to be awesome."

So that's where I walked to. It was about 7:30, the time that people start eating Iftaar, and I have to say I've never actually been out at this time of day. 

There was no one outside. Like, at all.

The roads, which are normally so busy with cars it's a bit dangerous to try and cross them, were barren. So I walked to Pizza Hut anyway, feeling kind of weird and alone, but when I got there, there were only two people sitting at a table, and while I figured the restaurant was probably open, I'm sure the workers did not want to make me food after fasting all day and they had just sat down to their own Iftaar. So I waited next door outside McDonald's at one of the many lovely outdoor-tables they have for an hour or so before returning for pizza.

It was so good. And despite my hunger pains, I ate very, very little before I was totally full. I ate about half of what I would've normally eaten back in the states.

I ate two of these tiny slices.

But they were delicious, and I got more than enough to have leftovers for Sunday.

Then, after I got home, I was able to talk to Habiibii and Mum and my friend on Skype! Didn't get to bed until 2:30 am (which, btw, is when our family eats Suhoor), but that's alright.