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Published: August 13th 2011
happy birthday Mitchell
here's us having a party with our party hats onStill at it. This morning, which was really this afternoon, but was our morning as we just woke up - if you think you are confused how do you think I feel living it?! Anyway 'our' this morning we went to the little souk just up the street from here. Not sure if I want to try and brave the big souk tomorrow with no water intake. It's just too hot and dusty to not have a drink of water at the big souk. We just went to purchase some vegetables and to try and find a new bed sheet for my bed as I put my foot through the old one last night. No luck with finding a sheet but we did stock up on some veggies.
Usually this is a enjoyable event - watching Zak sift through the piles of vegetables strewn out on the ground, looking for that perfect potato or tomato. Which of course does not exist here as none of these veggies are perfect as these are all real veggies, straight out of the ground imperfections and all. These vegetables are not reared
door donkey
still spins me out everyday when I see a donkey walking up the street to be all the exact same size, shape, colour and tastelessness - like I said these are real vegetables - like vegetables used to be. Usually the aroma of all these assorted vegetables mixed with the piles of fresh herbs are a cacophony of pleasure to my nasal senses, but today the smell of them made me want to throw up. Seriously, I could not get out of the market quick enough. What is happening to me when the smell of fresh food is turning my stomach?
I already thought it a little odd that I have not felt any real hunger after a day of fasting. The first day I put it down to dehydration and my body adjusting and the fact I had a headache which stole my appetite. But honestly, at the end of each day I still have not felt like I could devour a beast, which is what I would usually feel like doing after missing just one meal. Sure I am eating like everyone else to break the fast, but it's just doing that, breaking the fast. I think that fasting has taken the joy out of eating and this is making me
sad as eating is one of my favorite past times! My favorite cooks and foodie friends (that's you Marica, Noelle, Pisa, Miss A and Dean) will understand my frightening dilemma.
I am managing to force down the obligatory date first up (of course checking closely for any moving parts before putting it into my mouth) but anything else sweet is not at all appetizing, the thought making my palate cringe . I nibble at a few savory things and eat a boiled egg, always saving room for the boil of harira soup at the end, which luckily I still find appetizing. But to say I am enjoying the meal is a lie and making me start to panic. This is after only one week and I have lost interest in food, lost interest in eating! Even the meal we have later on in the night just before the fasting starts again is not being enjoyed. Last night Zak make a delicious chicken and vegetable tajine and I'll admit I ate my fill, but food has turned into a necessity rather than a enjoyable experience it always used to be to me.
Hey, calm down I tell myself it's
only been one week. And maybe my mind and body are sending me these signals of not liking food to make the fasting easier for me. O my god, I hope so as I will be devastated if the joy of food and eating has been stripped off me due to my Ramadan participation!! That just would not be fair.
It rained again this afternoon, quite heavily for a few minutes. Cooled the place down a bit. Although tempers were raised again as I witnessed another heated discussion outside on the street a little later on.
Walking to the cafe after having Iftar with Zak's parents, a woman passing me in the street gave me a banana. She didn't say anything to me, she hardly even looked at me. Now I realize Ramadan is a time for sharing and giving to the less fortunate, but I hardly appear to be less fortunate. Just seemed to me like a odd gesture to give a banana to a tourist. By the way it was a very tasty banana, we made it into a milkshake later on.
Tuesday 9th - day eight Bored!! Same, same.
Today is
souk day, we were going to go (still need a bed sheet) but slept too late and now it's just too hot to venture out. I suppose lots of others are doing it but I really couldn't be bothered with the effort.
I'm feeling a little bored, and trapped by the fact I'm not eating. It's odd, but it seems that thinking and the consuming of food may have taken up a good portion of my day and now with this out of the equation I seem to be more idle that before. Zak leaves the house as soon as he wakes up and spends time in the center with his fellow fasters - all men of course - playing checkers all day. I suppose the women are all at home preparing the food for tonight, which leaves me at a loose end as I have nothing to prepare.
I'm bored!
Wednesday 10th - day nine Today it's hot and windy, the dust outside is being blow sky high. I woke with a very dry mouth, but it's only a few hours until Iftar so I will be ok.
When I look outside all I see is the grey sky. Everyday the sky is grey! It rarely rains but it's always grey looking. What happened to that beautiful blue summer sky that I remember so well from last year? I decide to put on a load of washing into the machine for something to do.
So much for my weather predicting skills, within 15 minutes of filling the machine the heavens open up and it starts to bucket down with rain. Next thing I hear the ping, ping, ping of hail stones battering the window panes. Then the wind gets behind these little tiny ice balls about the size of smarties (beanies) and the ping, ping, ping starts to sound a little more threatening against the glass. I decide it may be a good idea to close the wooden shutters to protect the window panes. In the short time it took me to open the windows and pull the shutters closed I was drenched by the downpour of drops and ice balls.
I peaked through the wooden slats of the shutters to see the street below had turned into a brown river flowing at great speed down the hill. I presume with the sudden onslaught of water the drainage system is not able to handle all the water so it just flows on down the hill where hopefully it has somewhere to drain away to.
We caught a petite taxi to and from Zak's parents before and after breakfast as it was still raining slightly and the wind was still strong enough that it blew plastic bags and rubbish into our path. After we had eaten I was still in need of my daily caffeine fix so we got the taxi to drop us off at the cafe. As most of the tables and chairs are outside it was a scramble to get a place that was kind of sheltered under a tree. There was still a sprinkling of rain and the wind was persisting and making the late night a little cold. I downed my glass of coffee in record time and decided to head home.
The coffee is good, but not enough to brave these elements!
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Oskar
non-member comment
not eating
Hey Sis could it be that you're lack of interest in food be a sign that you are heavy with child ???????????????? Love and caring Oskar x