Ramadan Kareem!

One Somali muslim here recently joked that Ramadan is an excuse for lazy men to do no work. He said this because many of our Somali workers sleep or request much rest-time each day of the month-long fast. Ramadan adherents in Somaliland do not eat or drink water from dawn till dusk, and they break the fast each night after sunset, traditionally with dates, water, and a Somali version of the samosa, called a “sambusa.” Our guards, for example, get anxious if kept with us on a mission that will keep them from breaking fast after dark. The construction workers make slower progress, and take frequent naps on the job. Prayer is important as ever during this holy time for muslims, and the Ramadan evening call to prayer can be heard even from the AT campus, as it is sung aloud from the mosque in Abaarso Village, projected though loud speakers, throughout the villages and in Hargeisa. AT is building a mosque on campus, which should be completed in a month or two.

Though none of the American AT staff is fasting, we try to avoid drinking and eating around other Somalis during the day, out of respect for their commitment to this custom. Fortunately our very understanding chef, Nimho, still makes our meals for us during this time. Just as long as we all make the effort to empathize, taking a moment to appreciate each other's current set of circumstances, we all seem to do quite alright, and things keep moving apace.