Ramadan Begins

Today marked the beginning of Ramadan – the holiest month in the Muslim calendar. This is the time during which they concentrate on their faith, while also strengthening family & community ties. During this month, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, & smoking from sunrise to sunset. Non-Muslims are also asked to respect these rules by not eating, drinking, or smoking in public places in the presence of a Muslim. Many restaurants are closed or offer limited service during this time. In the evening, families gather to have a large meal called an “iftar” , which signifies the breaking of the fast. During this time the school day is slightly shortened and the children are asked to eat in the cafeteria and not outside in the court yard. At the end of Ramadan in September, there is a 3 day celebration called Eid Al Fitr.

So this began apparently the most challenging time of the year for non-Muslims! We had been told that we couldn’t even have a bottle of water in the car with us incase a Muslim would see us drinking. This was going to be a challenge! Since we had been eating quite a bit at the Mall food courts we weren’t sure what we could do! But room service seemed the answer today. But this also meant that we couldn’t eat or drink in the apartment when the furniture was being delivered incase the delivery guys were Muslim. We would have to plan carefully!

Our other adventure of the day was our first grocery store trip! As we hope to move into the apartment this weekend, the girls were anxious to stock the fridge and pantry! It will probably come as a shock to you because it did to me, but the grocery stores here are massive! Picture a Super Target and Best Buy all in one! Wide aisles and shelves stocked to the brim! And many of the grocery stores are located in the Malls! The grocery store near to our apartment – called Spinneys – is a bit smaller and more manageable. I was a nervous at first but was surprised to see many familiar brands – Prego spaghetti sauce, Jif peanut butter, Pringles, Oreo cookies, Tide detergent and many more! The girls were feeling better too! But it was the prices that really surprised me! Produce was plentiful and very reasonably priced. They even had items marked by country of origin – like USA sweet potatoes, USA russet potatoes! And oh boy the bread aisle!! A wide variety of fresh loaves of bread stacked in baskets! But cereals were almost $8 a box!!! And bags of potato chips were $6! And it was difficult to compare items since we weren’t familiar with all the brands! It was quite an education. Tomorrow we will try another larger grocery store to see if prices are better.

We won’t have internet access for a while after we move into the apartment. So I will try to get another update out before we move in. But then it could be a while! We have observed so much in such a short time. It really is amazing to witness this different culture. There are so many things I want to share with you! Everyone is so helpful, I feel very comfortable here. I think the locals enjoy when we try to embrace their culture.