Throughout these 9 months (eek! It's really been 9 months already!), when people here I am fairly new, the first few words out of their mouths is "ooohhh... this will be your first summer" and kinda smirk at me like "good luck!" And then it will be ".... and your first Ramadan!"... and then I usually get another eyebrow raised at me. Hmm...... ??
Well, first off, Ramadan isn't always during the summer. It falls during the 9th month of the lunar Islamic calender, lasts about 29 or 30 days, and every year it is a a couple of weeks earlier than the year before. It depends on visual sightings of the crescent moon. So up until last night, we weren't 100% when it would be, but you can guess +/- within a day. Ramadan is the Muslim month of fasting, from dawn until sunset - this is that they have to refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, chewing gum in public and "sexual relations." Not only that, but they have 5 daily prayers. Then comes "Iftar" - or the time at sunset when the fast is broken. Usually, the fast is broken with 3 dates, not 1 or 2, but 3, because this is what Muhammad used to do. Then it's the time for the 4th prayer, Maghrib prayer, and then at least, the main meal. Over time, this has evolved into huge banquest festivals, buffets, and especially in places like Dubai where everyone wants to outdo one another, just a big o' feast. Iftar can be at a person's home, where it can be more intimate with your own family, or in larger spaces like mosques, restaurants, or banquet halls.
How does all this affect me? A non-Muslim?
Well, the gulf countries are particularly strict during Ramadan. From what I hear, if you go to Lebanon or even Egypt, you won't even notice anything different. Here though....
- You can arrested if: you are caught drinking, smoking, or eating during the fasting hours. No joke, if a local or Muslim sees you do this, they have the right to call the police and you can get fined.
- You must dress conservatively. Generally, we should all be dressing conservatively to respect the culture, but us expats have pushed the boundaries on this a little bit and a blind eye is turned to short shorts, skirts, tank-tops, etc. I am a victim of this as well, especially with workout clothes. Well, during this time, they lay down the law and again, can arrest you for wearing "revealing" clothing, such as short shorts, etc.
- Traffic. How do you feel when you haven't eaten all day? Cranky? Irritable? Tired? Lethargic? Well, imagine that for a month. Then comes the time before you know it is the time to eat (between 6-7pm), it doesn't seem unreasonable that you will ... drive rather quickly to get to food, right? They say that accidents creep up to 40% of normal because everyone is rushing and it is generally crazy driving. Eek! Multiple and many people have warned me of this. I'm planning on NOT going out during this time or avoiding it if I can.
- Iftar and beyond. Okay, so you survived the roads to get home or to an Iftar. Now what? Well, time for engorging. No joke. From what I hear, the buffets are not only excessive and enormous, they last ALL night. Many locals admit they gain weight, expats can too because it is something fun and different to go to an Iftar. From what I hear, it really is feast after feast night after night. So no wonder people gain weight, huh?
- Work hours, this is the BEST! 9-3pm everyday for a month! Yessssssssssssssss! I'm cutting back from almost 50 hours a week to 30. Heck yeaaaaa! Sooooooooooooo excited about all this "new" free time. But....
- So I'm done early. I'm home at say 3:30pm. I want to go to out to eat. Oops, most restaurants are closed during the day (seriously. SOME have a curtain to block out being visible, but it's a bit of an effort to fine). I want to go to the mall, oops - all coffee shops, ice cream shops, snack shops are CLOSED. Fine, so I decide to go shopping... but then naturally thirsty. What to do? Well, you can't BUY water in a public space (grocery stores are open as well as you can get delivery, FYI), so if you happen to have a water bottle with you, which I ALWAYS do, you go to the bathroom, hide in a stall, and go ahead and drink. Same applies to some work environments or public places.
- Besides the time before Iftar, traffic is generally less. One, because many expats don't like all these restrictions, it's hot, so they go home. 2nd, the Muslims are soo tired from pretty much eating all night, most sleep during the day.
Soo.... this is what I will be dealing with the next month. Most people I've talked to say it's an experience and don't mind. Some complain about it. All and all, WE are living in this country and out of respect for their culture, we should and need to abide to their rules. I'm actually looking forward to it. Yes, I'm excited about the free time (I seriously have a list of things to do!), but also interested in the experience. Let's see how it goes!! :-)
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