The Holy Month of Ramadan is upon us here in Kuwait (as well as the entire Muslim world).

There isn’t a special date on calendar that says, “Ramadan begins” because the date is based on the moon and not on a specific date, however there are ways to know.

Some use the telescope to track the moon.

Masses make the trek to Mecca where they can pray at what Muslims believe to be the holiest of holy places.

Others listen to the prayer calls.

I however do not use any of these forms as Ramadan indicatiors. Let me tell you how I know when it’s Ramadan:

When the entire state of Kuwait becomes this incredibly quiet, peaceful, sleeping baby of a ghost town each morning and afternoon.

That. That my friends is how you know Ramadan has arrived.

If you read my blog last year you know a little about my past experience with Ramadan, however, if you didn’t, I’ll quickly bring you up to speed.

Ramadan is an entire holy month for Muslims. During the month, Muslims are forbidden to eat, drink, smoke, have sex (so ladies- you can use this one instead of the headache excuse if you need to)… do just about anything during all daylight hours. Every single restaurant in the entire country is closed (see- ghost town!) and most of the businesses and government offices work a mere 4 hours a day. In fact, my sister only has 5 hours of school each day! If a person is caught drinking water, chewing gum, smoking, etc. during daylight hours they are fined and sometimes jailed. It’s a serious thing here and they don’t play around. Thankfully we can eat and drink normally while we’re on base.

The daylight in Kuwait during this month is such an eerie quiet. But then… then the transformation occurs. Seriously, it’s like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The sun goes down and as soon as the sun is gone from the horizon, the craziness begins. People gorge themselves, smoke packs of cigarettes… it’s this huge all night celebration all the way until the sun rises sometimes! Crazy, huh? These Muslims know how to throw a party I guess. Anyhow, that’s a quick summary or Ramadan.

This morning as I drove to work I was the only person on the street. The city felt so small and gentle, which never seems to be the case here. The Burger King I pass, that normally has bright lights announcing their breakfast was closed, shutters pulled and no cars… that was the same story with just about everything I passed this morning. It was a very desolate drive to work tomorrow and I loved it- no traffic.

Tonight, however, will be sheer madness. Sorry- no more complaining. I just wanted to write a semi informative post about Ramadan and how it affects life here. IT makes the weekends tough because it means no morning/afternoon eating out (unless you want to wait until dark and fight the crowds). Limited help from the Kuwaiti government should you need it. Crazy roads, volitale people that are starving during the day and edgy. It’s definitely an experience! I’ll only be here one week and then I’m off! So, I’ll only be here for a small part of the month. Then- then my friends I’m home free and will and I can live our normal lives because we’ll be home. Home in my beloved America. Screw what everyone thinks about out country. I’ll be the first to tell you we’re incredibly messed up, but Thank God for the things we have. I love America so much more now after my year and a half here.

So there you have it, my essay on the month of Ramadan. Seriously, I felt like I was back in school! It’s been a while since I’ve posted and I thought, “Hey! What better way to come back after a few days then a boring school like report about what life is like this month! That’s bRILLIANT! Everyone will read it and LOVE IT!” ha ha. Okay anyway, enjoy the rest of your weekend. I swear there isn’t a quiz.