This time last year, Brent, Megahn and I were squeezed into the back of a cab in San Francisco. I don’t know where we were going, but we began to talk to our cab driver about what we were up to for the evening. He mentioned that it was Ramadan and that as a Muslim, he was participating with him family.
He then asked us if we knew the meaning behind Ramadan. We admitted that we did not and he explained it in the simplest and most beautiful of words ” It is a time when all people of the Muslim faith fast. There are several reasons why, but the one I think is most important is that we are all hungry together. We all sacrifice the comforts of food together. Everyone - from the wealthiest man to the poorest one. We do this, so that we are all reminded of what it feels like to go without.”
The three of us sat in silence in the back and let that soak in for a good long while. We spent the rest of the ride talking about our families and before we exited, we thanked him for the lesson and wished him a good night.
M
This time last year I was in Saudi Arabia for work during the celebration of Ramadan. Out of respect, we honored the fasting period alongside our Saudi friends, which suffice to say, was a challenge.
The main idea behind fasting during Ramadan is that nothing is supposed to touch your lips so as to prevent it to getting to your stomach. (I have no doubt that there is a much more eloquent way of explaining this, but this is how it was explained to this infidel American girl) So not only we were not eating, we were not supposed to drink liquids, smoke (not a problem for me), or wear lipstick/gloss/chapstick.
To say Saudi Arabia was hot is an understatement. Top it off with wearing a black abaya 24/7 and 20-hour work days and you have a general idea of my Saudi experience.
During Ramadan, businesses in KSA operate on a different schedule, beginning the workday around 11:00 a.m. and ending the day around 7:30 for Iftar (the meal that breaks the fast). Our team, however, was expected to work American hours while at the same time accommodating Saudi hours as well. Again, a challenge. You know the “2:30 feeling” everybody talks about? We had the “4:00 p.m. feeling” where our Saudi friends would be so tired and dehydrated that the likelihood of us keeping their attention during meetings was slim. My colleagues and I would often sneak away to a bathroom to down a bottle of water or a protein bar— we’re weak like that.
Once would think that a workday “ending” around 7:30 p.m. isn’t all that terrible, but our schedule would go late into the night. Because of the Ramadan schedule, everybody celebrates once the sun goes down. There was rush hour traffic at 2:00 a.m. Our client dinners would begin around midnight and last nearly three hours. We’d crawl into bed at 3:30, only to begin the day again around 7:30 a.m. You were lucky if you slept through the first call to prayer (which is blared through the city on PA systems at sunrise) so you could get that coveted four hours of sleep.
As dramatic as I make this all sound, I found the tradition of Ramadan absolutely beautiful. There is a large focus on the family, as well as time for personal reflection. It’s an experience I will never forget, and will reflect on fondly around this time each year.
Eid Mubarak to my Muslim friends!
(via austin-translation)
