03 September 2008

Ramadan

Just a quick post to let everyone know that we've arrived safely at our site and are currently in the process of looking for an apartment. We've been lucky to have lots of help from the volunteers that have already been living in Nouadhibou, so hopefully it won't take us too long to find a good place to live.

Yesterday was the first day of Ramadan. Ramadan is an Islamic holiday that lasts for a full month during which Muslims must fast from sun up to sun down, including fluids.* It is very difficult for them and sometimes it can make them grumpy. However, it also makes for great fun every evening when they "break fast." It is a great opportunity to spend time and meet new Mauritanian families while they are breaking fast.

Just to let you know...we have again updated our care package wishlist and I put several things in bold print to let you know which items we need the most. Thanks to several people, we have plenty of drink mix and hard candy for the time being. I also added some tips at the bottom of our wishlist page for maximizing your shipping costs, as care packages can get pretty expensive when sending overseas. I can't say enough how much we appreciate all the mail and care packages we have received so far. It really helps us to know that we have so much support back home. I'm sorry we haven't been writing more letters in return. Hopefully now that we are at site, we should have a little more time and organization...Inshallah!

*There are several exceptions for Muslims from fasting which include children, pregnant women, the sick, women on their menstrual cycle, and probably others of which I am unaware. It should be noted though that adults who skip a day of fasting during Ramadan must make up for it later during the year by fasting some other time.

1 comments:

Linzy said...

Hi Katie! It's Lindsey Martins (I'm not sure if you remember me or not, I just started working as a PCT on the Birthplace right before you left). Anyways, I just wanted to let you know that I found your missing stethescope! :) Kathy Miller said that she would mail it to you. I've enjoyed reading your posts. Hope all is well!