Ramadan

What is Ramadan I hear you say?....I'm glad you asked!

Ramadan (Arabic: رمضان, Ramadān) is an Islamic religious observance that takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, when the Qur'an was revealed. The name "Ramadan" is taken from the name of this month; the word itself derived from an Arabic word for intense heat, scorched ground, and shortness of rations. It is considered the most venerated and blessed month of the Islamic year. Prayers, sawm (fasting), charity, and self-accountability are especially stressed at this time; religious observances associated with Ramadan are kept throughout the month.
Ramadan is divided into three ten-day parts, or ashra (Arabic for ten). They are named Rahmah (mercy of God), Maghfirah (forgiveness of God), and Najah (salvation), respectively. Laylat al-Qadr, which falls during the last third, commemorates the revelation of the first verses of the Qur'an and is considered the most holy night of the year. Ramadan ends with the holiday Eid ul-Fitr, on which feasts are held. During the month following Ramadan, called Shawaal, Muslims are encouraged to fast for a further six days.*

*(Cut and pasted directly from Wikipedia!)

But what does Ramadan mean to you Craig?.....Another good question!

Well, effective from 13th of September, we officially went into 'lock-down' with regards to consuming food and drink in public, during dawn to dusk, until about the 12th of October. The official memo from work also advised to be more discreet with clothing, as in no shorts in public, and no tight fitting clothes. Therefore Damo's facebook dare of me wearing spandex to the shopping mall will have to be put off until next month!

With these restrictions in place it has meant tactical eating practices have been adopted. A big breakfast before morning shifts, big dinners on evening shifts and night shifts, and a sneaky drink of water or two behind the closed kitchen door at work. Luckily the control centre is near the terminal and their food outlets have been open so we have been able to walk over for a meal or two and the odd coffee. Most other food outlets are closed during daylight hours with the exception of supermarkets.

And What about the alcohol situation?

The bottle shops close for the the duration of Ramadan therefore we had to stock up for the month with last months rations. Due to the fact I have been working hard this hasn't been a big issue, although my last couple of days off have seen me work steadily through my second last case of Heneikin.

On a side note, the bottle shops are interesting in themselves. Tucked away in various places they open from 0800-1300 then 1700-2100. They go by names like Asun Trading, Mase Supplies etc, and have their windows painted or blocked out so you can't see inside. No alcohol is ever advertised in any form of media, the only way to find a bottle shop is by word of mouth.

And how have you been in general Craig?.......Well that's kind of you to ask!

A funny/crazy thing happened last week. At the 'death-defying' airport roundabout, where life is cheap and drivers are idiots, I was cut off and nearly hit by one of these clowns. In frustartion I gave him the hands-up 'what the....' getsure. Turns out this local madman though I'd flipped him the bird, a big no-no in these parts!


Well the chase was on! As we exited the other side of the roundabout he slowed up alongside me gesturing wildly for me to pull over. Not wanting to face this idiot I slowed down to let him go which only meant he tailgated me. Next I sped up so he did the same, gesturing that he was ringing the cops. After about 5 km's I managed to slip him on a side road then pulled over to calm down.
I'd heard that a friend here, Steve and his wife and kids had a similar experience however they were actually stopped and taken to the police station, where the 'problem' was eventually sorted out.

I figured that it wasn't the last I'd hear about it and when I went to renew my hire car, ABC car rentals boss 'Mr Joy' had some news. It seems one of his workers got an angry call from a local demanding the address and passport details of the driver of the white Yaris registration 6664-T. Thankfully he didn't give out my details. The next day another bloke rang back pretending to be Abdullah the policeman wanting the same details. This time good old Mr Joy told him to send an official report then he would consider it. When he rung back the 3rd time Mr Joy told him to F-Off and he hasn't been heard from since. Let's hope it stays that way!

So are you having any fun over there Craig?

Work has been hard and frustrating, so it is a pleasure to get together with other ex-pats and sympathise with each others struggles.
Dale's daughter Sophie turned 3 a few days ago so she had a bday party complete with chocolate crackles, honey joys, cake, lollies etc, and also balloon animals!

I tried to make up some animals of my own but only ended up with a string of sausages and this odd looking hat, some of you may say an appropriate hat for me!

Going with Steve and Dale to the Oman Dive centre tomorow to do the DSD, Discover Scuba Dive, introductory course. Should all go well I might continue on with some more courses.

Well that's all for now, stay tuned for more exciting adventures of 'An Australian in Arabia'.