Eid al-Adha

Working in an international school, you sometimes forget where you are really living. First, you don't speak Arabic at your work, which is the place you spend most part of your day. Even if the school has many native people, they speak the school language - English in our case. Then, you live in this "third culture" environment, as anthropologists call it. This mix of cultures: not the local culture, not your culture, not also the official culture - which would be american in our case, just because we use an American curriculum.

Then, you come across a scene like this:

And you remember: oh, yeah, I am living in the Middle East. And Eid al-Adha is coming (it's not because it's MENA that you'll see it everyday. A propos, in Brazil, I could sometimes spot a similar scene near where my parent's house is).

Today is the first day of Eid al-Adha. It means "Feast of Sacrifice",when Muslims celebrate that God provided a sheep to Abraham, so that he could save his son Isaac's life of being sacrificed. You can find the narrative in Genesis, a holy book for both Jews, Christians and Muslims, but the prescription of the Eid al-Adha comes from the Koran.

There is an special prayer for Eid al-Adha and people should dress their best clothes for it. Also, the rams in the photo are for sacrifice. If you have the economic means to buy an animal (it could also be a cow, or a sheep, or a camel, or a goat), you will sacrifice it. One third is for you and your family,one third for your relatives and friends, one third for the poor.

According to an information found in Wikipedia, "in Pakistan alone nearly 10 million animals are slaughtered on Eid days costing over US$ 3 billion". A holy day is also a possibility for a ceasefire when you have a war going on, like in Syria. Unfortunatly, an official truce doesn't mean it will really happen. You can check about Syria in the Al Jazeera's website.

For more information about the Eid al-Adha's traditions and practices, check out the Wikipedia's article. 

One week with Mom & Dad... WOW!

So, it really happened. Mom and dad came here and spent one week with me. After so many months dreaming and talking about, they appeared in that fateful arrival gate.

My "Lonely Planet Guide" gave the best description of the city so far: embrace the apparent chaos, crack a joke and learn to look through the dirt to see the city's true colours. Although the North is very different from the South and the capital different of everything, I would say that the description applies to the country. So we had one week together to see the true colours, listen the true sounds and taste the true flavours.

Here are some of the most remarkable moments:

1) Mom could cross the streets like a local in two days. It took me five months...
2) They both think the drivers here are the best in the world. With such a crazy traffic, so little car crashes...
3) Dad declared if he lived here he would only get taxi drives. Dirty cheap! 
4) They loved the onions, the tomatoes (actual red, with actual tomato's taste), "aish baladi" (the local bread), the nuts, the dates, the grapes (and this one was far from the best ones in high Summer), not to mention the fresh fruit juices;
5) They also learned some words of Arabic. I am very proud of this.
6) One week here and they saw a bit of rain. I'm here for six months and it was my first time too. 2 minutes of rain, but I was more than excited about that.
7) I was the one who wanted to come back home early, they were the ones asking: what are we doing next? 
8) They were marvelled by the desert, by the contrast between the desert and the sapphire blue sea, by the contrast of the green farming and desert along the road;
9) They tasted Turkish coffee - not filtered and flavoured with cardamom. But with so many different things to experiment with, they didn't have time to eat Turkish delight!
10) Finally, after seeing the biggest shopping mall of the Middle East, dad concluded: well, you can live well here. 

And then they went away. I love it here. But I miss them tenderly. And my dear friends: I miss you all. When are you coming to to look through the dirt to see the city's true colours? 

Decorations are still hanging

Sometimes it's already end of January and Christmas decorations are still hanging. I found some decorations of Ramadan time in my camera (which, by the way, fell down and it's broken now). And I thought that, although Ramadan is over, it wouldn't be bad to share these with you. ;-)

Now, after one month writing almost daily I needed a pause. But Loonie Lou is back and she's loads of things to write about. 

For instance, did you notice that demonstrations have become popular all around the world? Japan, Spain, South Africa, not to mention all the Arab World. Just thought it worthy of mention... 

See ya soon. 

Ramadan's Journal #27

Today is the last entry I'm writing about Ramadan. Because the month of fasting ends today.

Tomorrow - and after tomorrow - is going to be holiday here (remember, weekend here is Friday). The holiday is called Eid ul-Fitr. It means something like "Festivity for the end of Fasting". I've been told people are going to be celebrating in the streets and having fun. Unfortunately, I have read in the newspapers, that harassment of women increases considerably during Eid. It seems so serious that a local feminist movement is going to promote patrols in metro stations.

I thought that a good thing to prayer about is to ask for end of sexual harassment. And, because it's not going to end suddenly, to ask that we, ladies, may learn to speak up against it and that we may not feel guilty or devalued because of it.

The following short film tackles the issue. It's in Arabic, but I'm sure you can understand it: the harassment, the inside voice blaming herself, the shame, suffering, and a final point when she SPEAKs UP. There'll be a period. A full stop.

As it is stated in the end of the video:

you are not flattering

you are harassing

your silence allows it. speak up

That's my prayer and celebration for Eid.

You can read Wikipedia's article for the Eid HERE.

PS: I was planning to write about Eid, telling about all the yummie biscuits that appeared recently in the baker's and crowded supermarkets. But how could I when I open the [e-]newspapers and article after article is talking about what I actually wrote? Definitely, I am not the one who is going to keep quiet, right?

PS2: a bomb in Herat, Afghanistan, kills 12 civilians. Taliban saying Eid Karim! (generous Eid) - they said the killings in the last days are their Eid's message. Not that I am going to reason about this, but I guess I'm feeling a bit like John Lenon today. Eid Mubarak (Happy Eid), War is not Over. 

Ramadan's Journal #26

There is a place I really like here. It's the immigration office. How different it is from the other parts of the city. Although women still take part in the public life here - as singers, TV stars, evening news' presenters and cashiers - public offices are the most friendly work-places for women. In this places, women usually don't have lower incomes than men and they are more welcome then in the private enterprises.

So, it's always a pleasure to go to the immigration office. All those veiled women laughing loud during their breakfast time, shouting to men on the other side of their desks and telling everybody else to obey them. Talk about empowerment of women. There is a spot in their lives where they have power - and better still, they know it.

How different was to apply to a visa during Ramadan. No bad humour, but no breakfast together, to start with. Try to picture yourself: office hours are from 8:00 to 14:00, but be sure that at eight, they're  sipping their teas and eating aish baladi with something: it can be feta cheese, beans, cucumber or eggs. They're waiting for the officials to bring the documents they are going to work with, with laughter and chitchat. Not during Ramadan, of course.

Then you have a pretty silent office. All civil workers are there waiting for their papers and they don't have much to talk to each other. No smiles. The woman who attends me is even polite this time. Justice be done, it seems the ex-pats are more polite to her as well - it is as though everybody's energy went out.

Hopefully, next time, the place will be alive again. ;-)

Ramadan's Journal #25

Today I'll write the gloomiest post of this Ramadan's series. Not about something that has happened to me. And, actually, probably doesn't have to do with Ramadan per si - any big national event would probably have the same consequences. But how can one read all this news about countries in the same region and don't feel moved? Particularly in a time where, in spite of the bad humour of people because of a strict fasting in ages when Narcisism is the law, believers are supposed to be more generous,  more supportive.

Iran faces an earthquake tragedy. Not only the government response is slow... (as most of things get slow in Ramadan) but all those who are hurt need blood infusion. But how to give blood if you are fasting?

And Afghani people, who had their quota of sufferings in the past decades, now are targeted in the craziest of attacks. It seems it become fashionable to explode bombs in crowded markets, with people spending the little they have to celebrate the Eid (the day after Ramadan ends).

Isn't it to cry and tremble?

The news were published by Al Jazeera. You can read about Iran here and about Afghanistan here. 

Ramadan's Journal #24

In the Wikipedia entry about Ramadan is stated that fasting doesn't pose any risk to healthy individuals. On the contrary, there is even a reduction of cholesterol in the blood of those observing Ramadan.

I decided I wanted to be healthier in Ramadan too. Because during Iftar the traffic is a bit lighter and even virtually in-existent in certain areas, it makes an ideal time to go jogging. Not because I'm jogging amid the cars, but because of pollution levels. I have looked and looked for a running track or a jogging place. There is none nearby. Jogging isn't popular here as it is in other places. And clubs' membership are very expensive, so that's out of question.

So a local friend suggested to go to a certain avenue, which is a safe place, and run there in the pavement. It's not the best way, but until something better comes up, I won't stop. Every time I run I wonder why I stayed such a long time without doing it.

Ramadan karim - generous Ramadan to my health and my sleepless nights.