Ramadan started a few days ago. It brings a totally different rhythm to daily life and it is hard to explain to people who haven't been here. This link below was written by a friend who lives in East Africa and she really captures the dual nature of what it feels like as a foreigner living in a country that is celebrating a really really important "event" for a whole month.
http://www.djiboutijones.com/2012/07/loneliness-and-community-during-ramadan.html
A lot of foreigners really can't stand being around for Ramadan because it is very inconvenient to live life on a daily basis as she describes in her blog. Everything is put on the back burner until the month is completed. Work still does continue but it is just so much slower. Hence the comment in my previous post that we are crazy to try and move, clean and repair a house during this month!! Tom has found that fasting along with the locals is very helpful for his time with the men he hangs out with. They are more inclined to invite you to their iftar dinners and really appreciate the show of solidarity.
On the flip side, people really pull inwards to family and their religious community and the fact that we are outsiders is even more pronounced than usual. Folks often get quite fanatical in their conversation topics and feel a need to sort of "make-up" for not being as religious the rest of the year. Sounds familiar....no?
So as Rachel says in her post - this month is filled with moments of feeling very inside a community and very outside a community all at the same time.
http://www.djiboutijones.com/2012/07/loneliness-and-community-during-ramadan.html
A lot of foreigners really can't stand being around for Ramadan because it is very inconvenient to live life on a daily basis as she describes in her blog. Everything is put on the back burner until the month is completed. Work still does continue but it is just so much slower. Hence the comment in my previous post that we are crazy to try and move, clean and repair a house during this month!! Tom has found that fasting along with the locals is very helpful for his time with the men he hangs out with. They are more inclined to invite you to their iftar dinners and really appreciate the show of solidarity.
On the flip side, people really pull inwards to family and their religious community and the fact that we are outsiders is even more pronounced than usual. Folks often get quite fanatical in their conversation topics and feel a need to sort of "make-up" for not being as religious the rest of the year. Sounds familiar....no?
So as Rachel says in her post - this month is filled with moments of feeling very inside a community and very outside a community all at the same time.
1 comment:
Thanks Steph, it is fun to be reminded of our parallel, though different, lives. I remember one year we undertook painting during Ramadan...ended up hiring non-fasting Ethiopians, who did a fabulous job.
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