September 1st was the start of Ramadan. Although, we as Christians are not expected to participate, it certainly affected us all the same. No more, grabbing a banana for breakfast on your way out the door or carrying a water bottle around all day to combat the heat. Any eating or drinking we did while the sun was up had to happen behind closed doors.
One fun cultural thing to do during this season is to go out to dinner. Of course, all restaurants are required by law to be closed all day. However, when sunset draws near, restaurants around the city are full! Everyone is placing their orders and having their food brought to their tables. Then, as soon as the call to prayer goes off (signaling the end of the day), everyone lights up their cigarettes and chows down on their food!
Although the restaurants are full, the majority of families prefer to break the fast in their homes. We were invited by my language teacher to come and breakfast with her family one evening. As you can see from the picture below, there was plenty of yummy food! My language teacher, has 3 older children that aren't in the picture. I had a great conversation with her oldest daughter that's just a little younger than I about fasting. She was very interested in hearing how we fast as Christians, and what fasting means to me. She came to the conclusion that it is quite different. Please remember her and ask that I'll have more opportunities for such discussions.
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