So this post is a little behind, but I’ve been rather busy (still busy, but needed a break). Ramadan is considered the holy month of Islam. During that month, followers are to abstain from food and drink during the day time hours, as well as any behavior viewed as impure. This year, Ramadan occurred from August 2 to August 31. I was not really looking forward to Ramadan, because it’s really hot and no one does anything because they are fasting and do not have the energy to do anything. For this reason, I had planned ahead of time to take my vacation to Greece (see previous blog post), plus, we held our malaria tournee (see other blog post), so I really only had to deal with about 10 days of Ramadan.
I must say, I was rather surprised at how much I enjoyed Ramadan this year. I got to sleep in and lounge around, which was nice. I broke fast at night with my family on most days, but also with a few friends. Breaking fast was really cool. There was really a sense of family, and my host family made sure to include me and to take care of me. My host grandparents were so cute, making sure that I got plenty to drink. One of my host brothers that I rarely communicate with because of the language barriers, made me extra sweet bissap juice every night as well. Even though I am not Muslim and have no desire to be, it was really amazing to watch some of my family truly sacrifice, without complaining, and then come together to pray with one another…truly a beautiful thing. So, you may be wondering, did I actually fast any? And the answer is yes…sort of. I still drank my coffee in the morning and then drank water throughout the afternoon. I did not fast every day, but some. This was a really good time for me to explain some religious differences, since everyone in Dahra knows that I am a Christian. I explained differences in fasting and that for me, it’s a personal decision. I’m not sure how much people understood, but they seemed to understand and also seemed very appreciative of my explanations.
To celebrate the end of Ramadan, everyone buys new clothes, visits with friends to ask forgiveness, and eats a lot of food. The dish that they usually prepare is meat with potatoes and onions. I’ve told my host family that I do not eat red meat and have no problems eating everything else that’s in the food bowl. Usually this does not cause a problem (even though my host dad will still try to serve me meat occasionally), so I was fully prepared to eat a lot of potatoes and onions (which are delicious by the way). However, my host mom decided that I needed to celebrate too, so she prepared a chicken just for me :) When it came time to eat lunch, she sent me to the living room with a plate that held a full chicken, potatoes, onions, and some bread…so delicious! And so thoughtful too! I ate half the chicken and then gave the rest to my family to eat after their meal.
I also spent the day taking lots of pictures of my host family. Everyone was all decked out in their new “complets” so I took several photos, which I will upload, send to my mom to have her print them out and then send them to me in Dahra, where I will give them out later as presents. Senegalese people love having their photo taken, but they usually do not smile. On Korite, almost everyone smiled in their photos – it was wonderful! It just makes them look as happy as I hope they are.
I'll add more pictures later when my internet connection isn't so slow...
I must say, I was rather surprised at how much I enjoyed Ramadan this year. I got to sleep in and lounge around, which was nice. I broke fast at night with my family on most days, but also with a few friends. Breaking fast was really cool. There was really a sense of family, and my host family made sure to include me and to take care of me. My host grandparents were so cute, making sure that I got plenty to drink. One of my host brothers that I rarely communicate with because of the language barriers, made me extra sweet bissap juice every night as well. Even though I am not Muslim and have no desire to be, it was really amazing to watch some of my family truly sacrifice, without complaining, and then come together to pray with one another…truly a beautiful thing. So, you may be wondering, did I actually fast any? And the answer is yes…sort of. I still drank my coffee in the morning and then drank water throughout the afternoon. I did not fast every day, but some. This was a really good time for me to explain some religious differences, since everyone in Dahra knows that I am a Christian. I explained differences in fasting and that for me, it’s a personal decision. I’m not sure how much people understood, but they seemed to understand and also seemed very appreciative of my explanations.
To celebrate the end of Ramadan, everyone buys new clothes, visits with friends to ask forgiveness, and eats a lot of food. The dish that they usually prepare is meat with potatoes and onions. I’ve told my host family that I do not eat red meat and have no problems eating everything else that’s in the food bowl. Usually this does not cause a problem (even though my host dad will still try to serve me meat occasionally), so I was fully prepared to eat a lot of potatoes and onions (which are delicious by the way). However, my host mom decided that I needed to celebrate too, so she prepared a chicken just for me :) When it came time to eat lunch, she sent me to the living room with a plate that held a full chicken, potatoes, onions, and some bread…so delicious! And so thoughtful too! I ate half the chicken and then gave the rest to my family to eat after their meal.
I also spent the day taking lots of pictures of my host family. Everyone was all decked out in their new “complets” so I took several photos, which I will upload, send to my mom to have her print them out and then send them to me in Dahra, where I will give them out later as presents. Senegalese people love having their photo taken, but they usually do not smile. On Korite, almost everyone smiled in their photos – it was wonderful! It just makes them look as happy as I hope they are.
I'll add more pictures later when my internet connection isn't so slow...
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