I'm not hungry-- yet

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Ramadan Kareem b'lay!

(Happy Ramadan!... I think)

Sooo. Yesterday was the first day of Ramadan, where, during daylight hours, you don't drink, you don't smoke, you don't think sinful thoughts and (this is the kicker), you fast hardcore a la no food and no WATER.

Anyone who knows me, and has seen me hungry, will know that me trying this from about 430 am to 630 pm is at once hilarious and kind of frightening.

Yesterday wasn't too bad.

I took a lovely hour long 'nap' before Suhoor, which is breakfast, at 330. I am consistently and determinedly becoming nocturnal, by the way. The cafe tried to serve me foul mesdames, but I was not having it- I'm sorry, if I'm not eating for the next 14 hours I don't want my last memory of food to be badly done refried beans drowning in oil. Then again, that might turn me off eating, helping the fast....

Anyway, I was nibbling on a bit of bread, and the waiter comes over to me and mimes frantically to stop. Me: "but... i'm. still.. hungry...?"

Let the fasting begin.

Twasn't too bad, actually, I was definitely feeling the thirst more than the hunger, as it is still 35 ish degree heat here.

And I actually felt more excited (rather than pained) waiting for the 'let's chow down!' call to prayer, with my plates and plates of kofta and falafel and salad and hummus all in front of me. But let me tell you, a stomach that has not eaten anything in 14 hours will SHRINK. I had maybe the equivalent of a sandwich and I felt like exploding for the next hour.

In any case, the sheer lack of sleep and downtime (when was the last time I facebooked?), the overwhelming amount of activity and heat, combined with a day of fasting and then ANOTHER late night equalled body hating me. We were at a pretty famous sheesha cafe by the Nile (how do you like them apples?) and I just felt like death.

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written the next day

Yesterday went way better! I think my stomach gave up its incessant nagging and settled in for the long haul. I had a pretty miserable Suhoor too- a croissant- don't even get me started on how much I HATE this hotel the university has shoved us in.

Today I plan to do nothing-- well, maybe try to work out this housing nightmare, which at the very mention of it I can feel adrenaline pumping through my body to counter the stress. I miss you all times a billion today, but it might just be moods because I can't eat when I wake up, and I've been sleep deprived as I turn nocturnal!

Stacey

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