Ramadan is finished

Ramadan officially ended last Wednesday, 2 Nov 2005. I really cannot believe it has been a month since I decided to try this crazy fast thing. Just as I was getting used to it, the temptation of having 3 meals a day, guiltless trips to the refrigerator for a beverage, and caffeine during the day got the best of me, and I am now whole again. I have been back to normal eating habits so to speak for the last 5 days now, and I am still getting used to eating again. I think my GI system is still adjusting to all of this food. What follows are my last days of the fast and some general things about Ramadan that I hope to take away from the experience.

I broke fast with my Malian colleagues in the village on Tuesday evening (1 Nov) for the last time. It was good to be with them for the end. They urged me to keep doing the fast in subsequent years, and I agreed with them. However, there was a small problem with our idea of “last break fast”: there was still a chance that Ramadan would continue for another day. The reason being that there needs to be at least one full day between the last moon sighting of the previous moon cycle and the first moon sighting of the next moon cycle (the official end of Ramadan). The issue here was that the moon was still barely visible as of Monday, meaning that Wednesday might be another day of fast before Eid al Fatr (the Feast of Ramadan) could begin. I was a little demoralized after hearing that, but I was vowed to finish this fast to the end. I would have stayed in the village that night, but my PI (i.e. my boss) from Maryland was in town for the week, and I had to return to Bamako that night to work with him on some issues. So, as we drove into Bamako, the driver and my friend Guindo (one of the other doctors) decided to have a beer downtown. We ran into Guindo’s brother at the bar, who told us that someone in Timbuktu had seen the moon that night, and Eid al Fatr would be Wednesday!!! (Aside: Some other Malians think that the Malian government may have had a hand in this, as they did not want the party to be on Thursday, because then they would have to give everyone Friday off as well for a gian 4 day weekend. Ahhh Mali) Well, needless to say that one beer became several as a celebration, and I enjoyed the night out with my Malian friends.

I spent Ramadan morning on the front porch of my house in the bright sunlight guiltlessly eating a grapfruit, bread and jelly, and tea. I then went over to Maiga’s family’s house (See the Best Meal Ever post) to eat lunch. Yet again, a phenomenal feast: Poullet Yassa (chicken in lemon and onion sauce) over couscous, fruit for dessert, Malian tea, and Wejila (a bread dish from Timbuktu that is out of this world good). I then spent the rest of the afternoon and evening with Moctar, one of the administrators at the MRTC. He invited me over to his parent’s house, and then we drove around Bamako visiting his relatives. See, on Ramadan, it is customary for the younger generation to visit and “pay” ones respects (i.e. leave money) to one’s extended family of cousins, uncles/aunts, 3rd cousins once removed, sister’s aunt’s nephew, you know. We must have visited 5 homes that evening. They were all full of kids and family’s just chillin’. I ate like a champ, and probably too much as I think my stomach had adjusted to eating smaller amounts. I made it home that night content that I had accomplished something I had never thought I would be able to finish.

Physically:
I weighed myself on the scale in Doneguebougou on Tuesday night, the last day of Ramadan.

Final Ramadan Fast weight: 75 kg (~ 165 pounds)
Pre Ramadan Fast weight: 83 kg (~ 183 pounds)
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Total weight loss = 8 kg (~ 18 pounds)

I look and feel better than I have in years. I feel that I have more energy, more mental capacity (which was not much to begin with in the first place!!), and better posture. I have a general sense of well being that I have not felt in years.

Spiritually: While doing the fast, I was determined to pray more. I set out to pray roughly the same number of times as my muslim colleagues (5 times a day) but I ended up praying 3 times a day (right after breakfast, in the afternoon, and after dinner). I found myself feeling more relaxed, more in tune with who I am after praying. I also felt closer to God that I have in a long time. I even attended mass once in downtown Bamako at the main cathedral there. The mass was entirely in French, and I understood about half of it. But Catholic mass is pretty much universal, so I understood the basic of the prayers and incantations.

Lessons Learned

So you may be asking what I learned from this experience:

1. That self-control is very difficult, especially when it comes to something that we need (food, water), not necessarily want or think we need (a new car, alcohol).


2. The Muslim faith is an incredibly devout, passionate group who are grossly misunderstood by the rest of the world, especially Americans. Their devotion to their faith should serve as an example to all. They say that the key to successfully navigating the difficulties associated with Ramadan is ones faith, faith in that their beliefs will guide them through the hunger, thirst, and outright exhaustion they feel. Just imagine if we all could extrapolate this to our problems in our own every day lives??


3. Fasting the Ramadan way is an incredible way to loose weight, regain energy, and understand ones limits.


4. Water is a precious resource, and we must do our best to preserve it. And you realize this when it is 92 degrees outside, and you cannot have a drink of water!!


5. Faith in oneself, despite the life’s temptations great and small, is the key to a healthy, happy life.


6. Craiger likes being skinny again. . . .