Tonight marks the end of Ramadan. I don't fast during Ramadan, but the month of Ramadan does affect life in quite a few ways if you live in a mainly Muslim country.
To commemorate the end of this time, I'd like to say a few very un-spiritual things about this time of year.
1. I love this time of year because you can buy the most amazing dates. (The dried fruit, people... not like... an escort service. C'mon! Ha!) Not the over-dried, I'm-gonna-crack-a-tooth-if-I-eat-this dried dates. And not the super soft and mushy ones. You can get the ones that are at the perfect level of dry-ness (?). Delicious.
2. I have enjoyed, during this month, seeing other women shopping with grocery lists.
Usually I am the only one carrying one of these in my sweaty hand in the market or in the local store. During the past month I have actually seen others with their own scribbled lists too! Although theirs haven't had cute little baker men on them. In any case, this makes me feel better about my many lists.
3. I love the market on the day before Eid (the big holiday at the end of Ramadan). Today is that day and a friend and I joined the crowds. It's great to be with others shopping for last minute things. Even if we aren't feeling last minutey. We are just going out for fun! This year they kicked all of the buses out of the bus station and filled it with temporary stalls selling scratchy clothes, a thousand kinds of candy, gold tissue box covers, furry purses, Chinese toys with toxic paint, shoes that will break after 2.5 wearings and other things too. Cool, huh?
Nevermind if I felt the need to safety pin my money and my phone to the inside of my bag and if I had to make a quick rickshaw getaway from a crazy fellow. It was great fun. You can read about my shopping experience a few years ago on this 'Black Friday' sort of shopping day in this post.
See ya next year, Ramadan!
To commemorate the end of this time, I'd like to say a few very un-spiritual things about this time of year.
1. I love this time of year because you can buy the most amazing dates. (The dried fruit, people... not like... an escort service. C'mon! Ha!) Not the over-dried, I'm-gonna-crack-a-tooth-if-I-eat-this dried dates. And not the super soft and mushy ones. You can get the ones that are at the perfect level of dry-ness (?). Delicious.
2. I have enjoyed, during this month, seeing other women shopping with grocery lists.
Usually I am the only one carrying one of these in my sweaty hand in the market or in the local store. During the past month I have actually seen others with their own scribbled lists too! Although theirs haven't had cute little baker men on them. In any case, this makes me feel better about my many lists.
3. I love the market on the day before Eid (the big holiday at the end of Ramadan). Today is that day and a friend and I joined the crowds. It's great to be with others shopping for last minute things. Even if we aren't feeling last minutey. We are just going out for fun! This year they kicked all of the buses out of the bus station and filled it with temporary stalls selling scratchy clothes, a thousand kinds of candy, gold tissue box covers, furry purses, Chinese toys with toxic paint, shoes that will break after 2.5 wearings and other things too. Cool, huh?
Nevermind if I felt the need to safety pin my money and my phone to the inside of my bag and if I had to make a quick rickshaw getaway from a crazy fellow. It was great fun. You can read about my shopping experience a few years ago on this 'Black Friday' sort of shopping day in this post.
See ya next year, Ramadan!
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