Me so hungry.

So it has been almost two weeks since I returned to Cairo and we're almost all settled into our cozy Zamalek apartment. It is now the third day of Ramadan, and the third day of fasting for Maddie, Katie, and me. The three of us have decided to participate as much as possible in this most holy time in the Muslim community, in order to better understand its meaning and experience more fully the local religious culture.

Here is some background on the month of Ramadan:

Ramadan is a Muslim religious observance that takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and it is believed to be the month in which the Qur'an was revealed to the Angel Gabriel, who later revealed it to the Prophet Muhammad. During this month, many Muslims practice fasting, which means they do not eat or drink anything from dawn until sunset.

Since I arrived in Egypt I have learned that there is much more to it. In Egypt the month of Ramadan is a time of unity among the very diverse population that creates an atmosphere of compassion and sharing. During the hours of fasting, those who are used to the everyday comforts of food and drink experience what it feels like for those who do not share the same luxuries. They feel the physical effects of hunger and thirst that so many others experience all the time. During fasting, the gap between the rich and the poor is bridged as everyone goes hungry. And at sunset, around 6:20 pm, the wealthy and underprivileged alike share in a grand feast, in which everyone eats and drinks together. Tables are set up on the streets, where charitable organizations provide full meals for anyone and everyone to share in iftar (or the breaking of the fast).

It is also common during fasting in Ramadan to actively try to better oneself by abstaining from swearing, arguing, smoking, and any other normal practice that detracts from the ideal peace that is the nature and goal of Islam.

At first the thought of fully fasting during Ramadan seemed very daunting and I definitely felt that I did not have what it takes to be able to fast without ‘cheating’. I was expecting the worst, as I have never before experienced real hunger day after day. But, although it is still early in the month, I now see the beauty of Ramadan and the pay-offs of participating in the fast. Never before have I lived in a country in which such a diverse group of people have been so willing to empathize with one another. After spending over a month in Cairo during “normal time”, it is incredible to see the differences in the daily life of the city during Ramadan. It is like the entire city has changed completely in many different ways, but there are two examples in particular that stand out:

First of all, normally, Cairo is LOUD. The traffic in the streets is beyond any of the worst I have seen in the US. Drivers beep constantly, for any reason or no reason, and everyone drives like they are on a race track. Traffic laws are never obeyed and crossing the streets on foot is terrifying. But, on the first day of Ramadan, I accompanied my friend Ma’andi to the airport to pick up Maddie, and I was shocked. I have never seen the streets of Cairo so quiet and the traffic running so smoothly.
Secondly, nobody was smoking. This might not seem to be such a big deal, but in a city where even movie theaters provide ten minute intermissions during 1 ½ hour shows to allow a vast exodus of smokers to get their nicotine fix, I was amazed.

My typical day during Ramadan (as of now, before classes have started):

2:00pm
I wake up, shower, wash up, eat nothing, drink nothing.

3:00-6:20pm
Hang out in my apartment, shop, or venture to an internet hotspot

6:20 pm
Iftar. Time to break the fast. Drink water and coffee, eat dinner, and listen to the echoing of calls to prayer from all the surrounding mosques.

10:00pm
Meet up with about 20 friends. A mixture of Egyptian AIESECers, my roommates, and international trainees, we all go from café to café to smoke shisha, drink loads of coffee, tea, and juice, and share snacks.

2:00am
We all share in Souhour (the last meal before the next day of fasting) in which we go to local street cafes and stuff our faces with foul (beans), Egyptian bread, and side dishes.

4:00am
We begin fasting again, and go to bed with very full stomachs so that we are able to handle another day without food or drink.

This has been my experience of Ramadan so far. Not at all as painful as I suspected.