Blast from the Past - Unpublished Blog from August 2011

Stream of consciousness writing has always been fun for me - usually I do it in the privacy of one of my many notebooks and usually when I'm trying to figure something out...

There are many things that I'm trying to figure out right now and I think that's why I haven't written a blog in so long - where to start?  

Ramadan - the month of August was the time of Ramadan, a time in which the Muslim faithful fast from before 6 in the morning until almost 6 at night.  They put nothing in or to their mouths. No smoking, no gum chewing and certainly no eating or drinking. As a result of the majority of the population fasting, many of the food stalls where I usually eat were closed, and because I really haven't felt the need, or had the facilities, to cook here, I was in a bit of a pickle.  All was fine, I learned a lot, but what I really learned and thought about was how the Muslim faithful manage in a country such as the US, that hardly acknowledges such a time, and certainly the restaurants don't close - the temptations abound and the already challenging commitment to fast is made even more difficult by a dominant majority that doesn't understand.  Hhhhhhhmmmmm. Each night around 6, the Buka Puasa, or fast breaking, happens - there is much special food available and friends gather, and invite you to join them, in celebrating the end of a day of reflection and discipline.

The end of the season of Ramadan is marked by Idul Fitri - 5 days of lavish celebrations with friends, family and forgiveness.  It is quite beautiful and really special to be invited to so many friends houses for special celebrations!

For me, trying to comprehend the beauty of the season, the implications of its observance at home, the struggle with my high-maintenance eating habits AND trying to close out the summer semester at 2 universities was almost a little much...oh yes, and did I mention I moved, as well? I won't even go into to detail about how I hadn't taken a "real" vacation in 7 months and that I had about spun myself into a frenzied wild thing! Woo! Time to slow down.

Breathe.

The time of Idul Fitri allowed me the opportunity to not work for a week.  It would be nice to say that I could reflect and be some kind of productive, but in all honesty, for the first time in months I shut down.  I stayed in my new house, slept like a rock, played with my cat, organized my new life in my new dwelling...and I tried not to do ANYTHING. Nothing that required my brain. And now I'm lost.