Ramadan: The Hunger Games Continue
By Zahra Huber
I can't believe how quickly this month of Ramadan went by. There are only a few more days till Eid (what Muslims celebrate once the month is over). And I'm a bit surprised at how easy fasting was this year. I have to admit, when I realized sunset would be around 9 p.m. every day, I DREADED Ramadan. But somehow, I did it without a hitch.
You see, because we follow the lunar calendar, the month of Ramadan moves back about 10 days. So a few years ago, I remember when Ramadan was in December. That meant we were able to break fast around 5 p.m. How awesome was that? I didn't even realize how easy those days were. Let me tell you, the next time Ramadan falls in the winter months, I will NOT be taking those days for granted!
Now, just because fasting was overall easy for me, doesn't mean there weren't some tough moments.
First off, I have to mention that getting through the day is pretty simple. But those last 15 minutes, oh my God. I think time would move quicker if I watched the hair on my legs grow. It reminds me of back in the day when I was in school and waiting for class to end, and what felt like five minutes was really just 30 seconds.
Another hard part of fasting --- there's this thing many of us call "Ramadan cravings." I swear some of us yearn for more food and desserts than a pregnant woman would. Everyday it's something new. Today, I've been craving crème brulee. Random right? A few days ago it was clam chowder. But not any clam chowder, it had to be from Panera, in a bread bowl of course.
The worst part of it is, by the time sunset hits, you just want food. Like I said in my last post, you don't care what's in front of you at the dinner table, as long as it's edible. So those cravings that you endured all day long, well, they don't really get fulfilled most of the time. I think I'm going to have to make a list of everything I wanted during this month, and then go have it once it's over.
Another thing I've been struggling with this month, and anyone who is addicted to something would understand this, I miss my coffee. I had no idea what an addiction truly felt like till Ramadan started. I gave up coffee (only for the month of course) because I didn't want to have caffeine withdrawals during the day. But I'm just having plain old coffee withdrawals now. I want coffee in the morning, during the day, at night, maybe some in my sleep. I drive by my favorite cafes and think about how great it would be to go inside and order my most beloved drink. Soon coffee, soon you and I will reunite. It's just days away!
Besides these few difficult moments, I've enjoyed Ramadan. I've had dinner with all kinds of people, with family, with friends, with my special someone. One night I ate at an Arabic restaurant. And it was so great, because the place was PACKED. Everyone was breaking their fast at the same time. It was a wonderful feeling to be able to do that with complete strangers.
And now I look forward to Eid. If I had to describe it, it's almost like Christmas, but for Muslims. It's the day after Ramadan where we give gifts (that includes money, which is great), and get together with family and those closest to you. But let's not forget something else we do on Eid, something we couldn't do all month --- FEAST!
