Hey, lets talk about Ramadan

Well, that was quite a month. Kind of glad it’s over, to be honest. I’m ready for everybody to get back to work. Glad, I experienced it though. While I was fasting, I started my days early, around 5:30, with a big scrambled egg sandwich, coffee, and glass of water, then I would head back to bed and sleep for as long as I could. After that, the day continued as usual, though I tried to sleep during the 2pm to 4 pm hours. That’s Gambian lunch time, and was so very difficult. The key was to stay busy. Then, around 7:20 in the evenings, we would all break fast with bread (that’s one thing The Gam gets right, their bread is great), really sugary tea, and a dish made with (usually) noodles, potatoes, and some sort of protein-- chicken, eggs, or beans--cooked in onions and other spices. These dishes are great. Once we had beef. Seriously, BEEF. Mmmm. Then, my fam usually served a sugared down kool-aid type drink(I‘m pretty sure we all ate our weight in sugar this month), then dinner was served an hour later.

Overall, I fasted for 7 days, though while I was traveling, I sort of fasted by default merely because I didn’t want to eat in front of anyone who wasn’t eating, and if I didn’t have a chance to run behind a tree for a drink of water or something, then I had to wait until break fast time,. So maybe I fasted for longer, like 12 days. Either way, I lost more weight than I consider healthy and decided it wasn’t worth it.

The final day of Ramadan, called Koriteh, is a major feast day, everyone gets dressed up, we eat lots of good food and have a good time. In the evenings, people (usually women and children) walk around asking for “saliboo” or prayer gifts. They want money, usually I give candy, but its also totally appropriate to give prayers. “May Allah give you long life!” is not quite as satisfying as some dalasis. Sorry.

It was funny to me what rules people chose to follow during Ramadan, or what they were willing to compromise on. For one, people were spitting everywhere. God doesn’t want you to eat or drink anything, including your own spit, so you’re hawking everywhere? Gross. Also, people aren’t supposed to listen to any music throughout the month, but I know I heard it. People aren’t supposed to smoke, tobacco or marijuana, ever, but I know I saw and smelled that too. People aren’t supposed to have romantic relations with their girlfriends or boyfriends (spouses are fine, I think), and my PCV friends who have Gambian partners told me that this rule was adhered to without fail. I’m not judging people for breaking the rules, I’m just saying that if it was me, and all sins being equal, and I was looking to break some rules but not others, I’d prioritize differently. ;-) Food and affection from the opposite sex would be WAY higher on the list than music and cigarettes. People who are sick, old, or traveling, women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or menstruating, are all NOT SUPPOSED TO FAST. The Koran says so. But women did. In fact, all the women who I know who are pregnant or breastfeeding fasted. It pissed me off.* They just don’t want to make it up later in the year, when everyone else is eating. People in general liked to tell me how many more days than me they fasted, and it felt a little competitive. When I explained that I tried for sake of experience, and that its not my religion, nor a requirement for me, they backed down, but it did seem a little like they took some satisfaction from being stronger than me. This isn’t that surprising. I know religious groups in the US who enjoy being ‘holier than though’ too.

*Actually, I would say that behavior change communication, or BCC, is probably the most difficult and frustrating part of this job. There are plenty of situations where I think “If they just did THIS, their lives would be so much easier, safer, more efficient, BETTER. Soap for hand-washing, sending girls to school, smoking cigarettes even though your family can’t afford vegetables. It’s not that people don’t know the health or life benefits of these choices, they’ll tell you that what they are doing is not good, but they do it anyway. Talking to these women about their fasting choices was just a pisser. They KNOW they are harming their babies. They agree with me that its not good to fast. But they do it anyway. I talk to their husbands, and their husbands talk to them, and they still refuse. Children don’t fast, but they are forcing their developing fetuses to fast. If I’d have known this was going to be a problem, I would have tried to tackle it earlier before the month started, maybe organize for them all to eat now, then all fast TOGETHER in a few months.
To put this in perspective, how many things have we all been encouraged to do, and know we should, but don’t? I don’t floss. Every dentist visit of my whole life, I’ve been told to floss but I don’t ( I also have no cavities). I don’t have a regular exercise routine, I’m just blessed with a good metabolism, but I’m sure that will kick me in the ass later in life. I don’t always wear a seatbelt sometimes. See, I get it, just knowing the possible consequences of your actions is not enough, there is more to behavior change, and it can’t be forced on people.

So, in all, Ramadan was an experience worth having, but I’m sure glad its over.


**Whoa, re-reading this post it seems a little disjointed. I wrote it while fasting, so maybe that’s the reason. Anyway, when I started being able to eat again, my mood and focus improved immeasurably.