“Happy Holy Month” Mashalah!
It's been a while so we're going to share a little bit about our first experience with Ramadan.
Ramadan (literally means scorching heat), if you are
unaware, is a holy month for Muslims of the Islamic faith. It changes every
year based on the lunar cycle. For the month, Muslims fast from all things of
themselves from “sun-up” to “sun-set”. Here, this is from about 5 a.m. until
around 7:15. Muslims usually eat early in the morning (suhoor-Pre-dawn meal)
and will fast from food, drinks (including water), smoking, and other things
that they rely on to get through the day. Fasting is one of the five pillars of
Islam and is a time when Muslims grow closer to God through fasting and prayer.
Muslims will also use this time to care for the poor and needy.
What does this mean for non-Muslims in an Islamic country?
It means we get to experience and enjoy the culture! It’s actually a law to
abstain from eating, drinking, or smoking in public. You can land yourself in
jail or deportation control if you are caught breaking the fast. There are
exceptions: Pre-puberty kids, pregnant women, people with health issues that
would require attention, and those who are travelling (just learned last night-
more than 80 kilometers). Restaurants close down, for the most part. Few will
offer take-away so you can bring it back to the privacy of your own home and
even fewer will put blinds or barricades up to block the view of public.
Iftar- Iftar is the breaking of the fast. This is a time
when families will get together, pray, and break the fast by feasting on a meal
that has been preparing all day! Traditionally you start with dates, milk and
juices and then move on to many succulent dishes, sweets, and fruit, all topped
off with Arabic tea and coffee.
Restaurants and business will stay open up until early in the morning
for Ramadan. It’s been very interesting to see and experience.
Speaking of Iftar…This
is where it gets good…So Braxton has a friend from school-his best friend.
I can’t mention her name, but these two are inseparable! I mean, one day the
little girl left and missed Braxton, who was still at school, so she had her
nanny and driver bring her back to the school until Braxton left. Well,
actually, Braxton ended up going home with them to play for the rest of the
afternoon and early evening. From then on, every Monday, Braxton goes home with
her and plays and eats with the family.
It’s a local family. The father is originally from Bahrain, but they
have lived here for a while. Occasionally, she has come to our house to play as
well. They are best buds! It’s beautiful! No prejudiced feelings. No
stereotyping! Braxton was that way in Savannah too. His best friends were
friends who had a different color skin, but had the SAME COLOR BLOOD. They
laugh the same, smile the same, and love the same! God looks down on all of us
and sees the color of our blood. “We are precious in his sight”. So after
months go by and the relationship builds, Ramadan comes upon us and this
beautiful Bahraini family invites our American family to their house for a
private Iftar dinner! A range of emotions flooded over us. We were thrilled and
honored to be invited. We were humbled. We were nervous because we had never
been to an Iftar at all, let alone a private Iftar in an Arab family’s home. We
didn’t know what to say, we didn’t know what to wear, we didn’t know what to
bring. We were clueless. We ended up seeking suggestions from other experienced
expats and some Muslim friends. All was well. We ended up purchasing some premium
chocolates to bless the family for their hospitality. Money wasn’t a problem at
that point in time. We weren’t settling for less. I was quickly reminded of the
time a woman poured expensive perfume on Jesus. We for sure weren’t going to
settle for giving Hershey Kisses. So we went to Arabesque and bought some
Syrian sweets and some rich, premium chocolates made in the good ole U.A.E. It
was a blessing to honor them as they brought us into their home.
Before we arrive, I didn’t know what to expect. Some local
cultures separate the men into one room and the women into another room for the
prayers AND meals. So I was going to spend hours with guys I don’t know who
speak a totally different language than I do. So we show up around 7:00, about
15 minutes before the breaking of the fast. We are welcomed in and see that all
would be congregating as we are accustomed to. So that was a delight although I
would have enjoyed the time with just the men as well. They were great guys! We
exchanged pleasantries and chatted for a little while. I spoke as much Arabic
as I had learned from my students and self-study and gained some respect
because my attempt. A little effort goes a LONG way when you’re trying to
immerse and engage in a foreign culture! Most expats here couldn’t care less
about the culture and engaging with the local people. It’s very disappointing and
sad. What’s the point of coming over? I know, I know…the money. I don’t care
about the money as much as I care about the people here and learning to live
together and experience life together. We are all brothers and sisters and I’m
going to learn to soak it all in! So time came and they insisted we, the
guests, sit and eat first. The spread included MANY MANY Arab courses as well
as some lasagna, other pastas, salads, soups, pastries, fruits, and sweets.
After, we retired to the formal living room for Kanafeh (My FAVORITE),
puddings, hot tea and coffee! It was an absolute pleasure. After many, and
eventually all the family left, we remained with our new friends for a little
while longer to chat and carry on conversations about life. We talked about God
and our religious beliefs. We talked about our countries and shared our desires
to leave the world a better place. We shared common interests like cruising to
the Bahamas (that’s where the lovely couple-Mashalah-went for their honeymoon)
and fixing things with our hands. Granted, this man built 3 villas (mansion
size) just as a hobby! I’m doing good just to fix a leaky faucet! But that
interests me and I was humble enough to express my incompetence…so he invited
me to come over and we could work on things and he could show me what he knows.
That’s life right there. They were very adamant when telling us we are not to
only come over for special events or to pick Braxton up (even though they
always send B home with their driver), but they wanted us to come over
whenever. We felt at home. We love doing life with people from different walks
of life. We live. We love. We learn. More of us should adopt this mantra.
Our first year is wrapping up and we are preparing to travel back to the States in a couple of weeks for a month so look out for our adventure's recap!
Masalama!
