I spent the night before the fast began on a train traveling most of the way across the country. I was awoken at 3:30 AM by the sound of crinkling plastic wrappers and backpacks unzipping as my Moroccan compartment-mates had suhoor, the pre-dawn meal. I took the opportunity to ingest the apple, banana, and Snickers bar I had brought along, as well as take a final swig from my water bottle. Though not planning to refrain from water, I didn't want to drink in front of anyone, and seeing as how I still had another many hours to travel by train, taxi, and bus, there wouldn't be another opportunity to sneak a sip.
Arriving in the oven that was Marrakech only to squeeze aboard a sweltering and packed bus was considerably unpleasant. The communal discomfort was palpable, and it was a strange and remarkable sensation of kinship to realize that every individual was simultaneously experiencing the same intense thirst, and I was a part of that whole.
I am only doing a sort of Ramadan Light; though I am not consuming food during the daylight hours, I am continuing to drink water within the confines of my house. To refrain from that would be a different beast entirely. To go without food for twelve hours or so can be uncomfortable, but going without water is genuine suffering, and a true test of endurance. Not that one would guess so by looking around. As with the two previous Ramadans I have experienced here, I am completely humbled by the badassed-ness of the Moroccans who continue to work as normal, often under the scorching summer sun, and especially the women who spend their days surrounded by the sights and scents of the evening meals as they assume the day-long task of preparing them.
Thus far, four days in, it hasn't been so bad. The hunger is tolerable, though it does hit suddenly and intensely at times, and I have found myself involuntarily getting up to head to the kitchen. It's good to keep distracted, which I have done so far by reading, playing guitar, sorting through the ton of miscellaneous crap in my spare room, and prematurely preparing for moving out. Much like before, the afternoons are long and the streets quiet. The heat of summer persists though lately it is showing signs of decrease, lowering from 100+ to low 90's, a significant and welcome change. Today I awoke to cool air and the smell of rain in the street, and small showers accompanied by low booms of thunder have continued amble over periodically throughout the afternoon.
I broke the fast with my host family two nights ago, which is always a good time. A typical Ramadan breakfast spread looks like this: multiple fruit and sugar-based juices, often banana or apple, chebakia, harira, cookies, coffee, dates, hard boiled eggs, slilou (a mixture of spices, flour, oil, seeds and nuts, crushed into a powder), fish, fat bread, and various cakes. It is not a light meal. I shudder to think what would become of my insides if I were to consume such a thing for thirty nights in a row, though I was offered an "unsettling" insight during my first homestay in Ramadan of late 2008. Anyway, before leaving it was insisted that I also eat dinner-- a heaping mound of couscous with veggies and chicken. It was delicious, though I could have used an hour or two interlude between the meals rather than a back-to-back dining experience... but I've been here two years; I am a pro.
Though there is no shortage of people to visit for breakfasts, I plan to spend the majority of them at home, eating at my own pace the food of my own choosing. I set my alarm for four AM in order to eat suhoor, after which I head back to sleep until at least after the sun has risen. Personally I don't find sitting half-conscious on the edge of one's bed choking down bowls of grape-nuts (thanks mom!) and egg sandwiches at four in the morning to be the most alluring of activities, but it's all part of the fun.
As for why I've opted to fast this year, this is my last chance to participate while still immersed in the culture. The prospects of going without and being at the mercy of one's own will are always intriguing challenges to entertain and I'm curious to see how I hold up while enjoying a greater appreciation for things. I can tell you that even after just four days, the food tastes so much better.
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