Ramadan Recap: Week 1

It's been a very full (both time and stomach-wise) Ramadan so far. And it's only been week one of four! Ramadan started last Monday (August 1st) with an iftar meal with just my family at home. It was delicious and involved the special Ramadan treat "qatayef" which is basically fried pancakes stuffed with nuts or goat cheese or cream and reminds me of funnel cake a bit. Yum. Afterwards, we retired to the living room to watch "America's Got Talent," "Friends," and "90210."

On Tuesday, I skipped iftar at a relative's and stayed in with two of the daughters who had studying to do. We got shwarmas and desert and watched TV while we (okay, the daughters) broke the fast.

On Wednesday, I went over to the dad's brother's house for mansif and kunafa! Yum. And lots of attention. There were many extended family members there who were curious about me and who also spoke English very well. I got many many questions. In general, questions usually start with "how old are you?" and "are you married?" Most people can't believe I'm 27 and think I look 24 so that always takes some explaining to do. Then I have to explain why I'm learning Arabic and what my perceptions were of Jordan before I came. Then I have to describe my family and their professions (engineers = very impressive here, way to go dad).

Last night I also got some fun additions to this general script. Before I left the oldest cousin interviewed me with some pressing questions in front of everyone that related to individual versus collective cultures:

"Is it true that in the US most people leave their families at 17 or 18?"
"Yes, a lot of people leave to study at colleges that are not nearby."
"Do you get to see your family?"
"Yes, I see my family on breaks"
"Twice a year?"
"No, more like five times a year."
"Do you live alone?" (question from his 8 year old daughter)
"Yes, I do."
"Really?!" (girl's mouth drops and she runs over to her mother to be comforted)
"But not everyone lives far from their parents. My sister, for example, lives in the same county so she sees them every week." (sighs of relief)

On Thursday night, my host family hosted around 50 people at their house, many of the same family we had spent time with the night before. The cultural/family aspects of Ramadan remind me very much of Thanksgiving. Imagine making Thanksgiving dinner (or an elaborate meal) 30 nights in a row! Impossible. Most family members take turns hosting large groups of family at their house to spend time with one another and break up the meal making. We had a delicious rice/veggies/chicken dish (most meals are a variation of this!) and freekah (a type of grain grown in the Levant with almonds and chicken), fattoush (the original salad with fried pita, cukes, tomatoes, lettuce, and spice--one of my favorites), lentil soup (another of my favorites), and kunafa! There were no complaints from me!

On Friday, my host parents went to Irbid for another family iftar and I hung out with some friends as a nice little break. On Saturday and Sunday we had iftar at home with just the immediate family. Lots more yummy food including leftovers, mansif with chicken, and more qadayif.

Needless to say, I've kicked my exercise routine up a notch because I'm not fasting during the day like everyone else. And by "kicking my exercise routine up a notch," I mean I've actually started using the treadmill upstairs. I need to survive this marathon month of eating some way!

Ramadan party aftermath