End of Ramadan

Ramadan is coming to a close with the holiday Aid Al Fitr tommorrow and Wednesday capping off the month long festives. It has been difficult, if not chaotic at times. Hunger and thirst, shops closed, expectations of respecting faith sometimes tangling with assumptions of the faithless. But overall, a great experience that I wouldn't trade. I didn't fast all the time; not when traveling, hiking, or for several days after the first week when I became ill. But I found when I did, it made the evening meal, lftar more enjoyable. It makes you more thankful and it can teach you that the sweet isn't as sweet without the sour.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Hope its a good one. Right to left. “Eid Milad Said” or Holiday-Birth-Happy.

The E in Eid is actually ع and it doesn’t exist in English. It requires pronouncing the ‘a’ in “fat” with the tongue against the bottom of the mouth and from as deep in the throat as possible. Arabic vocabulary is not nearly as difficult as the pronunciation. Say something like “holiday” as “hooliday” in arabic and people might look at you blankly. There are 8 constants like this that don’t exist in English.

It’s funny that before and after this photo, my host brothers and sister were all smiles, laughing, doing handstands against the walls.

Ramadan Part I: thirsty with a headache

Ramadan began last Sunday on the 24th in accordance with the new lunar cycle and will last 30 days. In Saudi Arabia, it began the day before. I’ve been staying with my host family in the evenings to accommodate the schedule, but have also broke fast with 3 other families. Here’s a daily schedule during Ramadan.

6 PM Following call to prayer, fast is broken with prayer and meal iftar
630-8 Primetime TV (4 comedies including bloopers on 2M.)
8-9 Men go to mosque for prayer
9-12 Snack, play cards, TV, etc
12 AM 2nd meal
1230-4 Sleep, talk, play cards, etc
4 AM Breakfast
4 AM-6 PM Sleep, work, etc

Ramadan’s most important feature is the complete abstinence from food and drink from daybreak to sunset. All muslims fast, but travelers, menstruating women, the sick, and the pre-pubescent are exempt. Non-muslims are not expected to fast, but I’ve found its appreciated and an important integration tool at my site. I did not fast the first day; we were traveling and I woke up late.

A good introduction to Ramadan can be found in Riverbend's "Baghdad Burning."

“The most active part of the whole day is the quarter of an hour directly before breaking the fast... the whole family is often in a flurry of action, with someone setting the table, someone carrying the food, someone giving orders about where to put everything... and everyone impatient with hunger. The last five minutes before you hear the call for prayer signifying the end of the fast are always the most difficult. Every second of those last five minutes passes with the heaviness of an hour... you can literally see every one strain to hear the sound of the call for prayer echoing through the Baghdad streets. And then it is finally time for futtoor... and we begin to eat with relish. The platter of rice that seemed ridiculously small 15 minutes ago, is now ‘too much’ and no one eats as much as they had hoped they were going to eat- everyone is exhausted with simply contemplating the food, the choices and the possibilities. After futtoor, the smokers fall upon their cigarettes with an enthusiasm only other smokers can appreciate. We watch them taking puff after puff with a contentment that even screaming kids, and loud televisions cannot taint.”

The previous is true, although smoking is less public and prevalent in my small site. The wrath from some women here might be worse than any physical withdrawal.

I had some anxiety before fasting began. No food intake was not a problem, but I found no drinking unpalatable. Its hard to shake thirst. A few Moroccans like my host brothers sleep through most of the day, but most maintain their daily activities. I feel sorry for those in tourism or the restaurant industry.

Overall, Ramadan is a joyous event. Fasting during the day is to reinforce one’s commitment to faith and to develop appreciation for ones good fortune. Breaking fast and the time spent together in the evenings is a celebration of the gathered family.

“When food is shared and laughter is abundant, family exists.”

Ramble bamble jamble

-Thanks to my grandmas again for their letters a week. Graham just shakes his head with jealousy every time we go into the post office. Grandma Ocie, I received your Turkish cookbook and find it more than adaptable. Thanks. All the ingredients are available to me and there’s no instructions like “preheat your oven.” I don’t know how you preheat a bbq grill with 4 enclosed aluminum walls.

-I also received a package from Mom and Dad. Racquetballs, t-shirt, contacts, cards, etc. Thanks. Playing racquetball with beach paddles inside the house is one way to pass the time. And who knew that Uno would be so popular? It’s a challenger to Rummy at the taxi stand now.

-To a few friends that keep sending me football and baseball teasers, thanks for remembering me. Hope you enjoy those election commercials that break up the games.

-I love the story of Ray LaMontagne, a musician whose debut CD “Trouble” is new to me, although it came out two years ago. He was a quiet man working nights at a shoe factory and he woke up one day to an Allman Brothers tune on the radio. He told himself “I need to learn how to play guitar because this makes me happy.” A year later, he put out a fine CD. Last month he released his sophomore album.

In the footsteps of National Geographic

Josh and I visited the ancient Chouara tanneries in Fes last Sunday, one of three main tanneries in the old medina or Fes el-Bali. This tannery is the largest of the three, is over 600 years old, and is nearly impossible to find without the help of a guide. After my visit, I came across a recent National Geographic video podcast on ITunes entitled “Toughest Jobs: Tannery Kid.” Its a short clip following the daily life of a young apprentice in I believe the same tannery I visited. I highly recommend watching it.

The Chouara tanneries, like the Guerniz tanneries we also visited, is tucked into a landscape of buildings. A narrow entry leads into an open air area where men wash, clean, and kneed lambskin in a honeycomb of vats. One guidebooks description: “scantily dressed tanners appear like so many human storks...their legs working through the pools, bobbing down to worry a skin and then striding off to wash at the fresh-water standpipes.” The NG documentary describes this as one the “foulest smelling places on earth” because of the skin excrement and pigeon droppings (collected from rooftops and used to soften the leather) in standing water. However, walking around the tannery, I didn’t find the smell that strong; probably because it was not enclosed and the temperature was temperate. A windowless meat packing plant seems worse.

It is a difficult job though. Long hours, physical work, and little pay. While two finished lambskins or a pair of native Babouche slippers sell for around 100 dhms ($12), daily wages start at 20 dhms for an apprentice up to 50 dhms for an experienced tanner. By comparison, construction workers make 50-80 dhms daily and teachers have a monthly salary of around 2500 dhms. Rent in my region is between 400-800, 800-2500 in the cities. The poorest families in my region make 5000 dhms ($600) or less annually. And many of those might never visit Fes, Morocco’s cultural mecca five hours away.

Additionally, the federal retirement fund is not available to those outside of government employment, nor do they pay into it. In a recent survey I read, over 95% of Moroccans expect their children or other loved ones to care for them financially and physically when they are no longer able to.


(The Guerniz tanneries above)

Fes: McDonalds and beyond

I traveled to the small, former Jewish town of Sefrou near Fes last weekend with Josh to see a friend. Before and during WWII, Morocco had a vibrant Jewish population of around 300,000, many of which lived and operated commerce in Fes. During WWII, Morocco protected its Jewish population from the genocidal policies of Europe even while it was under French control. Following the establishment of the state of Israel after the war, many Moroccan Jews emigrated to the Middle East.

Sefrou was interesting, but Fes was more exciting. Five synagogues remain in the jewish quarter, the oldest built in the 17th century. Its a testament to Moroccans tolerance that they encourage Islam, but don’t prostatalize their faith. Those I do meet that push religion are often strangers who I feel are trying to get in my back pocket. Their actions seem contradictory.

Passing through Fes on our way home, we stopped for lunch at McDonald’s around noon Sunday. The first day of Ramadan, we walked in and were alone when we received our food. It was strange sight when we saw approximately twenty white faces walking towards us in the restaurant. We found out later that these were Americans and Europeans that lived in the city and had just attended a bilingual Christian service. I’ve heard that their is a gated Christian missonary in Fes, but I haven’t confirmed this. It would also be illegal; passing out bibles is an easy way to receive the go to jail card or be deported. Anyways, I talked with several Americans there, but Josh and I found that we couldn’t stop staring at them. Their response was to ignore us.

Happy New Years Yesterday

What doesn’t change and remain, remains and grows strange. -Walt Whitman

The fall season is barreling in with several storms over the last weeks. Autumn weather is made for both expression and melancholy. For me, Autumn and the now passed September are also like the beginning of new year. Maybe this is conditioning from years of schooling. Like a new term, it comes with mixed feelings. Not wanting to leave the past behind, but anxious for the future. Having been in Morocco now eight months, I feel I’m settled and comfortable, but I look forward or dread several challenges in the coming months and year. One of those could be winter; Moroccans make a big deal of the season. They say once you become cold, its hard to warm up. Right now, I’ll embrace the chill in the air as the start of something new.