My Ramadan Journal--Kuwaiti Women Version!

[Scrappydoo]

[quote name='Tyler' timestamp='1312751248' post='519148']
[quote name='Scrappydoo' timestamp='1312741008' post='519126']
[font="Georgia"][size="2"][color="#000080"]OK, onward and upward.

Day 7, we've lasted a week! My congratulations to every who has survived this far, it's not easy. I promised my MIL and family that I would make them a classic American dinner, so I went over there at 3 pm and started cooking. On the menu: Roasted Turkey, herbed stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, green bean casserole and salad with pumpkin pie and apple pie with ice cream for desert. In 110 degree heat, it wasn't easy "slaving over the stove" all afternoon but they loved it!

For some reason, when I'm fasting I get really emotional. Reading the Holy Quran today had me in tears. The Quran is so beautiful in parts, just really drive home some points and life makes sense. Today at my MIL, watching all these hungry fasting people enjoying their dinner made me cry again!

I have been allowing myself to not sleep during the day and turkey dinner made me pass out! LOL! I missed Taraweeh at the Mosque, so I'll stay up late and do it at home, which is preferable for women anyway.
Looking at the calendar, it feels like we have a long time to go and immediately after EID we all start back to school. I am loooking forward to returning to "normal" but I hope the good habits stay with me. I have a bad habit of lagging on my prayers when I'm working and busy, which is a sorry excuse. In shALLAH this year will be better.[/color][/size][/font]
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I hope you used halal marshmellows because normal ones are made with pig gelatin!
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One of the good things about Kuwait is everything is certified halal! These were certified "vegetarian."

[Scrappydoo]

[quote name='Kapten Kanel' timestamp='1312752431' post='519153']
[quote name='ChicagoRSX' timestamp='1312727402' post='519103']
Well my opinion is you should continue with it. [b]Just ignore the close minded people.[/b]
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Yes, because trying to discuss something is close minded. Think before you post, and dont talk about something you had no part of. The whole thing is over, so im not sure why scrappy decided to post this -

[quote name='Scrappydoo' timestamp='1312739786' post='519124']
[quote name='ChicagoRSX' timestamp='1312727402' post='519103']
Well my opinion is you should continue with it. Just ignore the close minded people.
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[b]You're right! [/b]
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Thanks again.
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AND WHY are you coming onto MY post on Ramadan when you clearly don't believe and it seems your only intent is harassment?

[Scrappydoo]

[font="Georgia"][size="2"][color="#000080"]MOVING ON.

This morning I accidently slept thru the alarm so missed Subhoor. There is great blessing in suhoor but it is also the last chance to hydrate before a long day. I have to go to the grocery store, which is extra hard when you're fasting, everything looks so good. I am also trying to stick to a rigid budget so that my husband and I can give more for charity this year. I don't like to give to beggars but there are plenty of opportunities here to give to poorer families in the neighborhood. Our Mosque gives out boxes that we fill with food and return and they discreetly give them to families who need it. I think I am going to the farmer's market and fill my box with as much fresh produce as I can and supplement it with rice, cheese, soup. My husband and I have decided to try to fill a food box a week in addition to our regular "planned" charity.

OK, off to shower, dress and do some errands before it gets too hot! Yesterday it was 118 and dusty. Lovely! [/color][/size][/font]

[ChicagoRSX]

Wow, I couldn't imagine it being 118 and not being able to drink water.

[peaceman27]

Your updates are keeping me super interested. The past two years I have tried to fast every full moon. I cleanse with a three day water only diet. I'm constantly amazed by people who, practicing ramadan, can give up even their liquids! More power to you!

And I think the increased emotions you are feeling is probably normal. I've been hanging out with some old saudi arabian roommates (actually, the ones that introduced me to hookah) and they always get more sulky and homesick during ramadan.

Please continue to update with your insightful posts.

[Venger]

Don't stop posting. Even though we don't share the same faith I find your journey a compelling read.
Ray

[Scrappydoo]

[font="Georgia"][size="2"][color="#006400"]Ramadan, day 9.

WOW, we already made it to day nine! The first 10 days are about asking Mercy from ALLAH (swt). The next 10 days about asking for forgiveness. By this time, fasting is starting to feel like a habit. I break my fast and then I am not hungry for the rest of the night, my body is adjusting and I no longer feel exhausted. I am still really thirsty and go thru two large bottles of water a night!

My husband disappeared a long time this morning and didn't tell me where he was going. He just snuck out! LOL! A little while ago, he came home with a bag of all my favorite things! I love this tea speciality shop near my house that makes custom mixes, my favorites being Jasmine Green, Rose/vanilla and Berry. He got 3 boxes of each, plus some amazing macaroons, great deli cheese and lot of my favorite veggies from the farmer's market. He said he was so proud of how I bought nothing but stuff for charity yesterday and wanted to reward me. I can't wait to break fast today!

Imagine you're a vital member of a Varsity sports team and the game is going really well. Then the coach pulls you out of the starting line up and makes you sit on the bench. He tells you can make up the game later, after the fans go home. That's how I feel when my period starts, which should be in a day or two. In one way, it's nice to take a break from fasting and praying but in another it kind of stinks to start fasting, get used to it, stop, then have to go thru the "break in" period again. TMI? Eh, such is life.[/color][/size][/font]

[Scrappydoo]

[quote name='peaceman27' timestamp='1312815790' post='519232']
Your updates are keeping me super interested. The past two years I have tried to fast every full moon. I cleanse with a three day water only diet. I'm constantly amazed by people who, practicing ramadan, can give up even their liquids! More power to you!

I went to a spa where we did water only for two days, then juice only for three more days, then just a few steamed veggies and brown rice for the rest of the week. I don't know if I actually detoxed, but I had never felt beter in my life. It isn't as hard as it sounds, the water comes from somewhere....

And I think the increased emotions you are feeling is probably normal. I've been hanging out with some old saudi arabian roommates (actually, the ones that introduced me to hookah) and they always get more sulky and homesick during ramadan.

GOOD! I am glad I am not the only one! LOL!

Please continue to update with your insightful posts.
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[Scrappydoo]

[font="Georgia"][size="2"][color="#4b0082"]SO today I am pulled out of the game for a few days. Nuff said on that matter!

I'll use this time to talk about the different obligations for men and women in Islam. People see a Muslim woman wearing a scarf and loose, baggy clothes and assume she is oppressed. Nothing could be further from the truth. Wearing Hijab isn't just the scarf on my head, it is the whole philosophy on how you are treated and how you treat men in your life. I'll use a story to make my point:

IN my first marriage, which I'll say was a typical religious-less marriage in the US. I was working at FDA for quite a while as a secretary while I was in college. I would get up for work, wear the prettiest dress, nylons, high heels, take a lot of time styling my hair and applying make up and trying to look my best. For whom? Strange men. People that really didn't have any right to look at me in a sexual manner nor think sexual thoughts about me but I handed it to them and looked at them for acceptance. I would come home from work, wash my face, pull my hair into a ponytail and put on baggy sweats. My husband was the only man in my life who didn't see me "all fixed up." I never thought about how that made him feel.

As a Muslim wife, I do the opposite. When I go out, I don't wear eye catching clothes, make up or style my hair. I cover it up, as I don't want to be looked at or exploited by strange men. I don't want my perfume or high heels to catch the attention of someone whom I don't know or care about. When my husband comes home, I dress up for him. I give him something to look forward to. I make sure the house and myself are clean, nice smelling and comforting. I only care about alluring him and I know this makes our marriage richer.

Men and women are not the same but we have the same duties and obligations. It is said again and again that women and men must pray, fast, be responsible for their sins and give to charity. By allowing the man to be protector and maintener and allowing women to be nurturer everything falls in to place. It sounds really old-fashioned but it makes for a much more peaceful existence. Women are not oppressed in true Islam. They are encouraged to seek education, they are encouraged to pursue a career if they desire. Women are not forced to do all the housework while the man sits on his duff, the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) himself was known to fix his own clothes, clean the house and cook to entertain guests.

I get tired of the negative stereotypes of women in Islam. Genital mutilation was not encouraged, it was something that was done before by Christians, it was just regulated. I believe it says "Don't circumcise a woman, but if you must cut, do it kindly." At the risk of sounding gross, some women have had their clitoris grow too long and it was an irritation. Polygyny as well, the Quran limits the number of wives a man can have to four, when before it could be in the 100's. If you read the Quran carefully, you'll see it says "if you can't treat them all equally, and surely you can not, limit it to one."

SO, I fasted all day and started my period about a half an hour before Iftar. DAMN! I need to make up the whole day! Controversial stuff ^^^but hey, if I am not anything else, I am honest! [/color][/size][/font]

[Scrappydoo]

[font="Georgia"][size="2"][color="#000080"]Day 11.
SO I didn't fast today but I didn't feel like eating much. Too bad it doesn't count. Tonight we were invited out with Abdullah's family to get Iftar at the Hilton. They put up this huge tent right next to the sea and have every food imagineable! WOW! Who eats this much? My favorite is the Mongolian barbecue, they stir fry all these veggies you select and serve it with teriyaki sauce on brown rice. They have this awesome salad bar and omelette bar and a ton of Arabic food and American food. Between 6 family members, we probably spent $300 USD. WOW. Then we had a really nice talk and walk on the beach. It's weird, we were both raised so differently but I've never met anyone who gets me more. He was raised Muslim with a pretty well-to-do family, always had maids and nannies in the house, never really wanted for anything, traveled the world. I grew up middle class rural America, raising our own meat and having a garden. We both just see life the same way, deal with people the same way, get each other. I feel like I can tell him anything and he understands before I finish my sentence. We found this rock to sit on, took off our shoes and sat with our toes in the water, talking for more than two hours. I feel like GOD brings your partner to you when your'e ready. Yesterday he got a bonus from one of the dogs he was training. He really wanted to get a little computer for himself for work but instead he surprised me with a brand new Nokia phone! Mine was on the blink, not holding a charge, even though I replaced the battery. I feel blessed that after everything I've been thru, GOD has blessed me with a handsome, generous and amazing man.

Problem is, we both caught a touch of food poisoning or stomach flu. YUCK! We went to the clinic and got some meds, now Abdullah is fast asleep and I can't sleep, so I'm sitting up watching a movie and smoking AF Apricot! My stomach feels a lot better now but I think I am going to just eat crackers until tomorrow. With this new phone, he preloaded it with the Quran, so I can continue my daily readings without missing a beat. Pretty cool. I think I am going to sneak down when he's at the Mosque and get him the computer he wants!

His MS has been really bad the last few months but he was saying tonight that the new meds seem to be working. He is going to have an MRI this week to see if the lesions have grown or are stable. I think he has been working really hard in Physical Therapy, and that is the reason he is feeling so much better. I really believe in Ramadan miracles, so hoping this is one! His last cancer screen has shown no new growth, one more clean scan and they'll officially declare him in remission. Poor guy has been thru so much. I think if it were me I'd lose a lot of faith but his is stronger than ever. I just hoping being around him, that strength of faith rubs off on me more! [/color][/size][/font]

[Scrappydoo]

[font="Georgia"][size="2"][color="#4b0082"]I decided to take advantage of the "not fasting cuz I am cursed" today and do some errands before it gets too hot. HA! I left my house at 9 am, it was already over 100 with a heat index of 110 (what does that mean, anyway?) First I try to go to Al Fakher but they are closed until 6 tonight. I have to park down the street and walk up this big hill to find out they are closed! DAMN! Whole city looks like a ghost town, because of Ramadan and the heat, no stores are open except "crucial" stuff like grocery stores. It is weird to drive down the street and find every store closed during the day. Luckily the big grocery store in town has an awesome electronics section with the best prices, so I went there next. I found the computer Abdullah wants for his work, it's a Dell Inspiron Mini! It's so tiny and cute! I got it and a blue padded carrying case, then go down and get some groceries for tonight. We've been eating so much heavy stuff at his mom's and eating out, I think tonight it will be nice to stay home and relax. I got some stuff to make soup, grilled cheese sandwiches and a salad. It will do us good to eat light and not go anywhere.

When I first got home, Abdullah was in the shower so I hid his computer under the couch and sat there, trying to hide it with my feet! He walked out, saw it immediately and said "OHHHHH!" He was so happy. Like a little kid who just saw Santy! He is still sitting there, towel wrapped around his waist, playing with his new toy. I was planning to wrap it and make it fancy~~oh well. I am really happy he likes it, I was afraid it would be too small.

IT is not usual for people to give gifts during Ramadan but some do for EID! He was out of the country for medical treatment for our birthdays and anniversary. He needs to go back for testing in about a week, SO we decided to do it now. Our birthdays are only a few days of each other and our wedding anniversary is within three weeks so we just lump them together and do something cool.

In a couple of days they have this holiday called Gurgian. It is like a semi-religious Halloweeny type holiday. All the kids dress up in nice clothes or native costume and go door to door, singing and you give them candy. The stores sell these kids of nicely decorated baskets of candy, dressed up with arabian decorations like camels or weaved cloth. Adults go down town and hand money to strangers, so it's a good day to go down in the city and look poor! LOL! I don't understand the deeper meaning of the holiday, just think it's to break up the monotony of a difficult month and to encourage charity and giving. I bought a basket of candy and am going to have to hide it or my husband will eat it all! I shouldn't have gotten the stuff he likes. I don't know if we'll get any kids here but I hope so! [/color][/size][/font]

[Scrappydoo]

[font="Georgia"][size="2"][color="#000080"]I'm back to fasting and the routines of Ramadan and kind of feeling "blah" about it all. I knew the heat and long days would be difficult but I guess I wasn't aware of how much so. It stinks that women have to go thru the "first day of fasting" pain and adjustment twice. When I was at Al Fakher the other day, I specifically asked what their hours are during Ramadan, they said they open at 6 pm. I went there at 7 pm to find the place all lit up, not a soul in sight! We went for coffee, came back about a half an hour later, still no one. I am going to beat the shit out of that guy when I see him again. For now, I just went to a smaller supply shop and just got four to tide me over til Ramadan is over.

SO I got home, decided to try the chocolate alone first. I had only had a 50g before that I used to mix with banana and cinnamon for my Fuzzy Monkey Mix. I cleaned up and set up everything, set down to relax and enjoy and ACK!!! It was nasty! I tried to readjust the coals, ended up trying another brand of coals, could never get a happy medium between shit flavor and good smoke or mild, sweet flavor and little smoke. Really pisses me off that I ran all over town and frustrated with salespeople only to come home and smoke shit. I cleaned it up and put it away and decided to try another day with my new cocobrico coals, halfway convinced I got a really bad box of coconaras and they need to go and live in the trash. Abdullah and I just watched this corny Egyptian movie and went to bed early. I probably haven't slept more than 4 hours at a time since Ramadan started, I am dying to catch up!
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