I experienced a moment of pure happiness when the first bites of soup hit my lips. The growling within my stomach was demanding that I feed, the parched feeling on my lips was demanding that I drink, yet the stillness within my house and the neighborhood demanded that I not move.
As I drifted in and out of sleep, I realized that if I did not have sustenance soon I would simply fall asleep and wake up the next morning post-coma. Soon, I was awoken by a blaring alarm and loud voices emanating from the television, announcing that it was "iftar" - time to break the Ramadan fast.
My host family had rushed to the kitchen, each clutching a sweetened date and glass of water that marked the fast-breaking ritual. I joined in as they ladled out cups of soup and salad - one always breaks the fast with watery food before careening into rice with zucchini and yogurt. What a feast!
Ramadan is a time of peace, where people become more in touch with their spirituality and faith. I am starting to see how this is definitely the case; it takes every ounce of spirituality to plow on through with work and the day without drinking or eating, overcoming physical sensations. And to imagine 30 days of this!
My sister Leen informed me that one always eats an odd number of dates to break the fast. Although this is simply tradition, it apparently has some scientific backing as well. If you eat an odd number of dates, the sugar from the dates goes into your bloodstream to energize you rather than accumulating into fat.
...I'm not at all sure how that works, but I used it to justify my eating of the dates. They were very delicious indeed!
But enough about Ramadan! Last night I had a blast partaking in a fabulous local experience. So for the longest time I assumed that almost nobody around the city exercised. Gym memberships are sparse, and it is near impossible to see anybody jogging through the streets. However, what I realized was that many people participated in an event called "Fastwalk".
Once every three days a local group sponsors an event, whereby youths across Jordan put on their yellow vest and walk 10 kilometers through the city! Anyone is welcome to join, as long as you wear a yellow vest and follow the event's rules, and many people do. Two other girls from my DukeEngage group and I decided to participate, despite this walk being from 10pm until midnight. But alas, I really wanted to explore the city and squeeze in an exercise.
I was blessed to befriend several locals during my walk, Omar and Hala. We discussed everything from college life to social stereotypes to our future career goals. They were genuine and energetic, making me feel very welcome through the walk which left me energized rather than tired by the end of our journey! We exchanged numbers and I hope to see them again, whether through fastwalk or outside of it.
As I reflect back on my journey, I feel so blessed to have learned so much, met so many great people, and done so much great work. I cannot believe I only have two more weeks left in this wonderful country.
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