Ramadan

So I have been paying attention to everything Arabic, and I had a fun experience this weekend. I had a friend over who is from Saudi Arabia and my roommate was tutoring him in Spanish. My roommate Angela is learning Arabic as well. Abdullah and my roommate were speaking to each other in their respective languages. I know more Spanish then he does at this point, so I was listening to him speak the words in Arabic. Turns out, I have no hope of even saying hello in Arabic, but the rules of the language are interesting. I took time to serve him cake which until he looked at the time, seemed doubtful. When I cut myself a slice I looked up and his was gone. I didn't ask why he ate it so fast, but later he told me he must fast until 8 pm for Ramadan. He has gotten so skinny it seemed insane for him to do that. So he explained that it was a necessary part of Muslim worship for this month. It is one thing to hear about religious fasts, it is entirely another to see the effects on a person you know. So I did some research on the event and can understand now how ingrained Islam is to its followers. Islam is a lifestyle, not just a religion. Putting that into perspective helps one understand the position of so many middle eastern Americans, as well as the ignorance of the general public.