So now we have been in Jordan for almost two weeks. We arrived in the middle of Ramadan, the month long fast from dawn to dusk for Muslims. This is considered a Holy Month to show Allah devotion and extra prayers. As Jordan is a Muslim country, Ramadan affects many aspects of daily life. Most shops are closed during daylight and it is illegal to eat, drink or even chew gum in public during fasting hours. To make Ramadan more manageable those who can nap throughout the day and stay up extra late into the night to eat, drink, and socialize.
A few days ago we went for Iftar, the nightly breaking of the fast, with a group of people also working here. That no time is wasted after the call to prayer (the signal of iftar), the waiters bring the food out to all tables several minutes early. People are just sitting and staring at the food, waiting in anticipation to eat and drink. The call to prayer blares over the local mosque's speaker. It is the announcement that now fasting time is over but people look around nervously, afraid to be the first one to eat, afraid to take one bite too early. All of a sudden, everyone digs in....there is no conversation to be heard. People are devouring hummus, falafel, mint tea, coke, and foul (a bean dish). It is quite a different experience to be a part of.
We have started language school about a week ago. Arabic appears to be a difficult language...especially with pronunciation. We will be starting to teach English in a few weeks.
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