Ramadan

So, another Ramadan is over. It’s a great holiday, but I wouldn’t wish it any longer. People do make a genuine effort not to make fatigue, hunger, and thirst an excuse for working less… They will show up and do the best they can, including the vast majority of the students. However, it’s hard to do more than tread water during the month.

Yet there are tremendous upsides to the holiday, one of them being the incredible generosity that is often seen. In 2002 I happened to be in Amman, Jordan during part of Ramadan. I’d forgotten that sunset is earlier in Amman than in Cairo, and hence I was nowhere near any restaurants at the time of Iftar. But three Palestinian guys running a snack stand, who were obviously somewhat poor, insisted that I come behind the counter and share their spaghetti and their karkaday (hibiscus juice). Never once did they ask for my name, nationality, or any other information. They simply kept feeding me pasta. Moreover, they filled my plate first before serving themselves. I never knew their names, will probably never see them again, and wouldn’t recognize them even if I did see them. Somehow that made it more moving.