Ramadan's Journal #12

Sugar comes from Arabic. It's true. It's also the title of an Arabic book.

If you go to share Iftar with a family, you're likely to take some sweets as a gift for your hosts. People here love sweets. I am pretty sure the biggest luxury is to have some home-made dessert. That's my opinion, tho, and it probably differs from the general one. When you pass in front a candy shop, you'll see people carrying out decorated boxes like this:

 

This one was a present of a friend, who came over for dinner. :) Very nice of her. And the cake was delicious. I love mango and my favourite cakes and pies are the ones made with fruit.

We weren't breaking any fasting tho. ;P 

Ramadan's Journal #11

YouTube has a special channel for Ramadan. Check out HERE.

You will not find prayers, preaching or discussions. All you will find is SOAP OPERA. Yes, that's it: during Ramadan special soaps and television series are aired. What's better than having families meeting for dinner - and obviously watching TV together? :-P

The channel has series from several countries where Muslims are majority and, therefore, depicts distinct faces of MENA - with tons of drama. From rich posh characters and women in clothes I wouldn't dare to wear to belly dances and sheesha; from that "tendencious" Arabic flair to MTV more modern verve: only you need to understand Arabic, because there is no subtitles. But even if you don't,  it's worth to check at least the first minutes of some of them, because they show some kind of main scenes with some pop/folk music in the background.

Enjoy!

Ramadan's Journal #10

Two or three weeks before the Ramadan's month start and people begin to prepare themselves for it, prices in the [super] market skyrocket. Every Iftar is a (mini) feast, everyday people are going to eat a lot and in the end, when Eid comes, there will be Eid's Feast and parties everywhere.

The worst thing is that prices don't come back to "normal". Humpf! =(

Ramadan's Journal # 9

Break is over. Readers are starting to pose questions and this is the point when I really start enjoying blogging - when we can have some interaction. Nonetheless, before answering their questions, we'll talk about Iftar and the effects of it in the everyday life. Iftar is the fast-breaking meal at sunset.

Yesterday I arrived when the sun was setting.

That meant most of the people were already getting ready for Iftar. And the streets were again quiet, with the exception of crazy drivers wanting to arrive home as soon as the accelerator would permit. Therefore, instead of waiting too much for a taxi or having a rive that could kill me before getting home, I decided that the suitcase and I would go home... walking. It made my back ache, but 20 minutes isn't anything. To cross some airports you would spend more time than I did. =P 

Today, I relived again the experience of fasting because I was out in the streets. Actually in museums, but I am a NERD and I am MAD about museums, so I spent 6 hours in two places and didn't get to see half of the first. 

When I came back home I needed to buy some food. I had an empty fridge after all. The bread's vendors comes shouting along my way: 3AISH!!!!! 3AISH!!!!! The most delicious bread is guaranteed: the local bread or 3aish baladi in my backpack. 

The drinks' vendor also need to make a living, fasting or not. People can't drink in the streets, but nothing forbids them to buy the drinks. Many local drinks are sold in charts like this: 

Globosapiens.net is the owner of this picture. ;-)

But today they were sold in plastic bags, so that people can take the drinks home. A plus to creativity. 

I couldn't resist and had to buy some of the tmar hindi (tamarind) drink. Drink in the grocery tote and heading home, to find the fakahaani ("fruitier") selling a kind of fruit I didn't know before coming here: 

He tells me the name of the fruit is teen. If he says, it is. But the translation for it is figs, and this obviously isn't figs. The fruit skin is very prickly and the fakahaani will always take the skin for you and sell you the fruit ready-to-eat. =) 

The pink ones are the sweetest. Teens in the backpack and - home! After all I need a Iftar for my involuntary fasting. ;-)

By the way, you should read all Arabic transliteration as in English. And the sound of '3' is like a glottal "A". So just read a long "A". =P 

Ramadan's Journal #8

The only remambrance of Ramadan is the lack of remambrance. =)

Red Sea out...

 ... and in.  

Taking a break! 

PS: source of second photo is: http://www.dahab-info.com/images/rasmohmmed.jpg 

Ramadan's Journal #7

Today, still a bit on the subject of traffic, an extract from a magazine called "Oasis" on an article about Ramadan:

[...] fasting Muslims are not supposed to smoke while fasting. This will have a strong effect on the drivers [...] as the insanity and road rage will be felt more than usual and [they] will test the very limits of Physics as they attempt to perform driving maneuvers participants in the Indy 500 would baulk at. Taxis and buses  will also stop running at least half an hour before sunset and if you are going far, they will probably decline to take you. 

Ramadan's Journal #6

Another thing that is deeply affected by Ramadan is the traffic. The traffic isn't crazy in the whole MENA region, but here it's probably the craziest (and I'm talking as a Brazilian. I'm used to a lawless traffic). As a friend well pointed out: the three lane streets easily become a five lane street.

Last Friday, first Ramadan's day, was the quietest day I've ever witnessed here so far. Friday, as I've mentioned before, is the equivalent of Sunday in more Christian and/or Western countries, so Friday morning is usually quiet - for local patterns, not that I didn't wish it to be even quieter (But, then, it's me in my love for silence and solitude. My problem, that's all). I  wish we had more days like that! =)

Luckily not only Friday was quieter than usual, but while people are at home eating, in the evening, silence reigns in the streets once more. Imagine that everybody is now using their mouths to get some food inside, instead of shouting, talking, quarelling, laughing.

An extremely busy street in early morning (not on Friday, tho). 

Ramadan's Journal #5

Ramadan's colours are blue, green, orange and yellow. About 20 - 15 days prior to the first day, people start putting up decorations outside and inside.

Residencial buildings are decorated:

As well as shops. Some of them look like giant tents (still couldn't have a photo of one of them, but I will still try, in the future):

This decoration motive is called "Khayameyya". Lanterns are also used everywhere: windows, cars and wherever you can hang one.

Ramadan's Journal #4

Many travel guides advise against travelling during Ramadan. Lonely Planet Guide explains: "During the Muslim month of fasting, many Cafés and restaurants are closed during daylight hours, while sights and offices are open for reduced and erratic hours". That is absolutely right to those backpacking or going for the first time to a place they have never been. For those who live in the countries where the majority is fasting, it's a good option to...

...be on the road. Since people should dedicate themselves to prayer, it isn't a time to go on holidays, and, therefore, the pricesor accomodation become very accecible. ;-)

If you have an all inclusive packet, the new moon will be the only remanbrance that Ramadan has started.

The Sufi Dance will be out of place. It's incredible how much mastery the dancer has, but at this time of the year, it's a mere turistic thing. (Why? Read about Sufi Dance HERE or wait until I write someday about Sufism).

Well, for us who aren't taking part, let's enjoy and dance:

Folk Dance - People of the Desert

Folk Dance - Sea people;

Folk Dance - Whatever.

Ramadan's Journal #3

As the Olympic Games approaches, I was wondering how Muslim athletes would cope with fasting. Al Jazeera's article came at the right time:

So, it seems that they have the choice, to a certain extent, to add extra days after the official season or to do it in another occasion (for moderate minds), as it applies to expectant women or sick people . One think I thought interesting, was Maher Abu Rmeileh, the Palestinian judokka pointing out that  Ramadan isn't just fasting, but also dedication to prayer. So, it doesn't make much sense to stop eating and drinking, but keep practising.

Ramadan's Journal #2

The main advice people gave for the Ramadan's season was to not eat or drink in the public spaces, during fasting time. Even though, many of us are not fasting, it's a sign of respect for those who are.

Yesterday, it wasn't very hard, because I left home in the morning to meet a friend. Then, she gave me lift back home. Then I left again for a game's evening in the neighbourhood and came back home. I could easily avoid drinking water during my public appearances.

But today I wanted to backpack in the city, that is, to have a map in a hand and lot of curiosity to visit non-touristic places. Without water that was hard. And I was getting hungry, hungry... finally I end up in an until now unknown haven - an amazing bookshop, probably the best in town - and they had a clean toillet (very much like in Brazil, that's rare)! So I could refresh myself. And they had a garden, as well. So, I confess, I went to the garden to sneak some food I had brought from home.

If it's Ramadan, you end up fasting with everybody else - involuntarily. =) 

Ramadan's Journal - #1

Ramadan is the Muslim month of fasting. You may ask why, if I'm not a Muslim, I am writing a Ramadan's Journal. It's because Ramadan isn't something you do if you feel like doing it. It's not like Lent, in Western countries, that you think you can even choose what are you living without for the season of fasting (like, eating meat, but not eating chocolate, because you are chocoholic and it's going to be much more difficult to live without cocoa in your veins than without meat - that's at least the excuse commonly given, if any is given). Ramadan is mandatory. Therefore, starting from today, the world have a large part of  its population, who is fasting. It may influence more our life than you and I ever thought of it. ;-)

Now, since I'm living in MENA, it is obviously going to influence, change and challenge my life in a daily basis - after all a whole country is fasting. Do you have any idea of what this means? I still don't, but I'm about to discover. And since the purpose of this blog is to share my everyday experiences, I thought it would be interesting to share with friends some insights, surprises, curiosities and whatever else happens. I will try to blog everyday for the next 30 days, so stay tuned.

If you got interested on the theme, you can read a quick article in Al Jazeera website. If you want some more information, try the Wikipedia entry for Ramadan.

To make it absolutely clear, it is not my aim either to attack or to promote Ramadan. Let's keep an open mind & heart and be open to dialogue & tolerance. =)

Have a nice weekend!

You're arriving at home after a long day exhausted, thirsty and hungry - and what is your reward for all that?

This... 

 

Enjoy your weekend! (No, it isn't wrong. Weekend here is Friday. People work from Saturday to Thursday, so my weekend is indeed tomorrow. =P) 

Days like this

It was Van Morrison who sang first:

When noone steps on my dreams

there'll be days like this

When people understand what I mean

there'll be days like this

When you bring out the changes

of how everything is

Well my momma told me

there'll be days like this. 

Days like this:

- you wake up late and starving of hunger, but you can remember all the verbs in the present and in the past in your Arabic class' quiz;
- you need to walk, to take a taxi, metro line 1, metro line 2, another taxi to get to lovely people who are going away. You arrive there and can't stop mixing German and Arabic, but leave energized. Now, it's time to come back all the way: taxi-metro-metro-taxi-walking and no taxi driver tries to cheat you; \O/
- you have just seated in the metro, but a mom with a baby comes in. You give your sit to her, people get moved (they always do, it's so sweet) and take your backpack while you stand. The baby has an eldest sister, the sister tries to talk to you and doesn't care about your "survival" Arabic (highlight of the day!). You buy nice biscuits for 50 cents (less than 0.10 USD) of the vendor who comes in your wagon and people even remember you, the station you want is the next... (at this point I was already daydreaming).

So, there are days like this. Sing along!!!

¡Viva La España!

Just to make sure, that I'm updated with things in the outside world. For instance:

CLUBE ATLÉTICO MINEIRO (the football team I support in Brazil) is now in the FIRST place in the National Championship. \O/ Gaaaallloooooo!!!!

Spain has won Euro 2012 and defeated Italy. Everything was special:


- Italy is a traditional opponent of the Brazilian football team; 
- Italy had defeated Germany, which I was supporting firstly; 
- they won the Azuris 4 - 0;
- I can celebrate with Taiana & Rober who are now in Spain and share of their happiness.

So, this is to recall the song I sang in their wedding's party (it's in French, but it's all about how Spanish mood is sooo cool) ;-)