Happy eid!!!

I just read on  utahmuslims.com that the moon was sighted and eid is to be celebrated tomorrow! Woot! I am so excited!!!

Story Time!

Hi! So my time of month ended a few days ago... and I have been fasting since then... I have just neglected my poor little blog... So to make up for it, I will tell my Ramadan story of the day!

Once upon a time, a few hours ago, I was sitting in the car with my brother, and he saw some of my puppy's treats on the seat. Then he said to me, "Hey Amanda, have you ever wondered what your dog's treats taste like?" Then I said "Yes, I have wondered. They are probably very salty." Then my brother dared me to eat one, and I asked what he would give me, and he said a great big hug, so I said ok! And I nibbled one. 

It didn't taste bad. It was like stale french fries and stale cheese crackers blended together. It wasn't even that salty. However, about fifteen minutes after I did that, I realized that I was supposed to be fasting... and that even though a dog treat isn't people food, it is doggie food, which Muslims would probably frown upon.

But even though I ate, I am still fasting the rest of the day, cause somewhere deep down... I don't think it counts...

Update

Sorry I haven't posted in the last week, I have been really busy taking care of things for school next year.The fast has been going well, and has been pretty easy the last few weeks. Actually, its been kind of fun, and I think I have a better understanding of how on earth people in the Middle East, in 120 degree weather, do this. 


However this week I won't be fasting. It's my time of month for the next few days and I read that Muslim women are not supposed to fast then. I made the mistake of trying to fast anyway yesterday... bad idea. I was in a lot of pain to start with and no food no water made it much worse. I also felt very faint and my boyfriend said that my face was drained of color... So I am going to be taking the break that I am supposed to anyway. I'm sad to have to take a break for the next little while, but it seems like I will have to. I will try to keep posting though!!

Qamer Al-Deen

The last few days have been hard. Yesterday, my tounge was stuck to the roof of my mouth nearly all day as I forgot to drink water during suhoor. But I still didn't break my fast, yay! Oh, and the quamer al-deen turned out ok. The arab market didn't have the fruit strips, but the shop owner told me I could just use whole dried apricots. The drink turned out really thick, so I couldn't drink much, but it tasted good. Next time I won't go with whole apricots I think.

Weird Things

So to build on my last post, there are more weird things going on with my body. I didn't feel nauseous yesterday, however I felt incredibly full after only eating a little bit. I made potatoes for al-fitr and I felt full after only a few bites! I gradually ate a little more for the nutrients, but after eating about as much as I would regularly for dinner, I felt like I was going to explode!


We will see how things go today! I am learning to make Qamer al-Deen, and I would like to be able to drink more than a few sips before feeling full ;). 

This is hard... but good so far

The last few days of fasting have been hard. I have felt an ache in my stomach all day and my lips have dried out very quickly. However, it hasn't been horrible. I have been able to generally ignore hunger and plenty of chapstick helps my lips.


So far I have actually been in a pretty good mood, and I have felt a lot more energy than I have in a long time. I have been reading a lot, in English and Arabic, and I have found it easier to memorize Arabic words quicker, but I think that that may be due to the fact that I have finished with my stressful summer class, and not because I am fasting.


Another thing that has been interesting, which I am sure is due to fasting, is that I look at food very differently. Since I am only able to eat at specific times of day, I am much more picky about what I get to eat. A lot of junk food, fast food, and processed foods don't seem worth it to me, and instead I have been eating foods that are high in vitamins, energy, and water. I think my body may be going through some kind of detox because of this, as yesterday I ate meat that was just a little bit fatty, and I felt nauseous immediately.

First time waking up for the morning meal

I attempted to wake up at 4 A.M. today to eat... but four turned into 5 A.M..... and five turned into 6 A.M when I finally got up and downed a ton of watermelon, figs, and water before the sun came up. I already knew that I would have a hard time getting up before sunrise as I usually have a hard time waking up in the morning. Ha Ha, waking me up in the morning is kind of like trying to summon a lake troll....