La Careme (Ramadan)

As I mentioned before, Guinea is a predominantly Muslim country. If any of you are Muslim or have Muslim friends you know that right now is Ramadan. I haven’t been exposed to too much of the Muslim religion (with the exception of a few friends) until now but I have to say that I have learned quite a bit since I’ve been here. In a nutshell Ramadan is approximately a month of fasting done in order for people to understand the suffering of others and learn to appreciate the things that they have a little more; also to practice giving and sharing with others. Being here in Guinea and observing as they practice Ramadan has truly been a humbling experience. Here it is, we came from across the world to help those in need and the Guineans are the one’s that are still able to fully participate, share and give everything they have. It’s amazing. They wake in the morning at 4:00am to eat before sunrise and then fast until sunset a little after 7:00pm. The day is spent preparing the meal for the big feast at dinner when the fast in broken. Just so all of you know fasting here does not mean just not eating. They also don’t drink a thing or even swallow there own spit.

I actually gave fasting a try for week to support my family and to spend some more time with them. It was really hard. It was especially difficult because I couldn’t drink anything. In the mornings it wasn’t so bad because it was still early and I was still full from eating at 4:00am. It was a good thing we were teaching in the mornings because I don’t know that I would have been able to focus on anything if it was any later. But by mid day it was really tough, because it was so hot and your body is slowly running out of fuel as the day goes on and you can’t drink. I really had to pray for strength through the last 2 hours of the fast because it’s so tempting to just drink something. But I have to say that it’s definitely worth the wait. Breaking fast with my family just makes eating so much better, not just because I’m with them, but the food really does taste 10 times better. I don’t think I’ve told you all this yet but in Guinea everything is communal, even eating. So when it’s time to eat everyone gathers around the huge bowl of rice and sauce and digs in....literally. They eat with their hands here. And when you eat you have to be really cautious not to eat too quickly because sometimes there are rocks in the rice and you don’t want to crack your teeth.

A week was enough for me, but it was a good experience.

Anyway, I have much more to fill you in on. It will be coming soon. I hope everyone is doing well! Love you all!