Ramadan

October 20^th, 2006
The end of the holy month of Ramadan will soon be here. The waning crescent will signify the fasting is over in a few short days. It is interesting to contemplate what Ramadan is all about. Every Muslim in this country, the 2 million Oman citizens plus the tens of thousands of “expat” workers from Lebanon, Pakistan, etc., have all been fasting during daylight for the past 26 days. This fasting is identified as the fourth pillar of Islam and everyone above the age of 14 or so is expected to participate. Of course there are exceptions: pregnant women, breast feeding mothers, the elderly, people traveling (this exemption may have been created from the days of caravans), and the ill. However, the majority of people around us do not drink or eat from about 5:30 am until 6:00 pm. In fact it is against the law to eat or drink in public and all restaurants are closed during daylight hours. Can you imagine trying to pass that ordinance in the Twin Cities? Of course after darkness falls, most Muslims visit with friends to eat special meals until the wee hours of the morning. Then, they have to wake up before the sun rises in order to prepare for another day. The cumulative affect is a sleep-deprived and exhausted population. During Ramadan, business slows to a crawl and drivers can become a bit short-tempered on the road. Right now, most of my friends who are Muslim are counting the days until Eid. Eid signifies the end of Ramadan. Although the reason for Ramadan is to help feel empathy for the poor, become more focused on the teachings of Allah, and practice being kind and generous, Omanis are pretty excited to party during the new moon. Below is part of an e-mail Ellen sent describing an “Iftar”.

“Mia and I just returned from an all-woman Iftar. Iftar is celebrated everyday at sundown during Ramadan. Muslims fast throughout the day and at sunset they end the fast with water, dates and Laban (a funky camel-yogurt type drink). Then they pray and then they eat a yummy feast.
I had never been to an Iftar before and this was a great introduction. It was held on the roof of a small home outside of Muscat with a fantastic view of the surrounding mountains and the ocean. The house is also the office of a woman's cooperative. Women gather here and, among many things, they sew bags and souvenir items (some of you received these bags from us this summer!). The women get out of the house, socialize, learn a new talent, make some money and they can take English classes if they chose. Some of the women involved in the cooperative were at Iftar tonight.
It was a great cultural experience for me for so many reasons. First, Mia was my little ambassador. Everyone wanted to hold her and "love her up" so it was easy for me to initiate conversation with the women. Omanis are so friendly but they can be difficult to socialize and get to know simply because their lives are so family oriented that they don't always reach out to foreigners in a deep sort of way. Tonight was different. Even though I don't speak Arabic and many of the women had limited English we found a way to communicate and get to know a little about each other. One woman invited me to her daughters wedding next week. Another painted my hands with henna. We also had some great conversations about Ramadan.
It was a great experience - particularly because our daily lives don't seem very inclusive of the Omani culture. We live on a compound with Americans and Canadians and although our students are very international, the school day is just like a school day in the US. Tonight was a rare opportunity to share in the daily life of an Omani woman.”

Hopefully for Eid we will be traveling down the coast of Oman to camp with two other families. We will probably not be eating an entire slow roasted goat…as is customary, but rather fresh caught fish on the BBQ.

Blacktop Mountain

October 4^th, 2006

The moon continues to wax from its barely visible crescent which started Ramadan 10 days earlier. Another 17 days or so and Luna will complete its monthly progress and Eid will begin. Hopefully during Eid Al Fitr, we will be camping for a few days along the south coast of Oman. It will be a long drive, but we have not visited this remote area of Oman.

Last weekend we drove up a mountain called “Blacktop”. It was our first time that we really needed out 4WD. The mountain road was 25 km in length and took us over an hour. Taj was happy as he played a version of “Beetle Bug” with goats and sheep. The camping area was fantastic. There was nobody else in this area and the views were stunning. Taj is getting into the routine of camping. He gets excited to set up the tent, hike, collect firewood, and sleep with mommy and daddy. Mia also does well, but in a more oblivious fashion.

Since the firewood was a little scarce in our immediate area, Taj and I drove the car 300 meters down the road to search. We came across a traditionally dressed young man who was heading home for Iftar (breaking the daily fast). When we meet people like this, Taj does not see them different then us. I was being polite and offering my greetings to him. We were having trouble communicating with language, but we could both hear Taj ask repeatedly: “where the wood?” over and over. The man had no idea what he was saying and just smiled.

Around Muscat this week, the weather has definitely broken a bit. It is very pleasant both in the morning and evening. I hope it lasts!