Better Late than Never Reflection on Ramadan

Yeenangiy ci diam?

Thursday was my little brother, Falu’s, 5^th birthday. Wish him a Joyeux Anniversaire! I somehow managed to miss the short-lived lil kiddy dance party in my house (I heard them yelling as I went for a run by my house), but I made some Fattaya with my sisters for the occasion. A man cooking- weird, I know. Fattaya is dough stuffed with ground fish, onions, pepper, and some other spices. Then they are fried up in classic Senegalese oily fashion. They are kind of like Asian potstickers. Pretty good stuff!

Ramadan

I feel the need to backtrack a bit here. I arrived in Senegal September 21. The Muslim month of Ramadan began just a couple days thereafter. The Muslim calendar is a lunar calendar, which I don’t fully understand (any research from you is always appreciated). In short, each month is about 4 weeks long, and is different from the calendar you use. Holidays seem to move up by 11 days or so every year (because of the difference between the calendars). As you see, I don’t really know what I’m talking about, but that gives you a vague idea. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramadan These guys usually know what’s up with stuff…

But, the point I want to make is that Ramadan is hardcore. Everyone fasts for the entire month. They do not eat or drink during daylight hours…at all (they are not supposed to smoke, spit, or have sexual relations either). Look back at my first blog entry- go, look. I was watching my health everyday to make sure that I didn’t faint from the heat. Now imagine not eating in that heat all day. Pretty hard! Now imagine not eating or drinking all day in high 90s degree heat. Impossible! Except that I saw people do it every day for an entire month. This blew my mind. Women and men, young and old. Every good Muslim fasts (and almost everyone I knew at the time was a good Muslim). Kids start fasting as teenagers, and only the pregnant, sick, or very old abstain. My knowledge about the religious significance of this month is lacking, but the basic idea is to experience the suffering of those less fortunate than you. A very cool and worthy concept, but a bit extreme in my humble and reverent opinion. Most people don’t really work during this month, and at a certain point the economist in me overtakes the poet (and Muslim for that matter) in me. I myself did not fast during Ramadan, as I had enough fun adjusting to the heat. Maybe next year…

Another week down, and In-Service Training (IST) is steadily approaching. I will be returning to Thies for three weeks beginning the 1^st of February for a dose of reverse culture shock when I am once again surrounded by people who I can actually communicate with.

One more sidenote- I think I have aged to about a ten-year old. I can walk around by myself! I don’t need my friends to lead me around by my hand all the time (which is common for males to do). I don’t care when people call me names, it’s great mom! That being said, I still have trouble communicating with people, and am wondering how the heck I’m going to help anyone make more money in this place. But these things will come.