modified Ramadan; back to school
I believe that Ramadan began officially over one week ago and the original intention was to try to observe the holiday at roughly its true begining. Things changed, and I officially start fasting today although I have already done one or two things wrong--and probably more. I am easing myself into it. Technincally, one is supposed to eat in the morning before morning prayers which begin around 5am, I ate a piece of toast at roughly quarter to six. I'll try to do better tomorrow.
I am sure there are many who would question why I would agree to do this. I have thought about thoughtful answers I could give to that, but have decided that it is not my duty to explain it, I expect to learn something from it.
On friday morning I woke up with a sick feeling. Within minutes I was vomiting and or losing fluids in other ways--as the French say, I had it coming out of both ends. This continued with torturous abandon until J. insisted that I be taken to a docter. I thought that this meant that I would be going to the hospital because that's where she went when she was sick earlier in the month. I was so dehydrated I could not stop myself from trying to sip water which I would then throw up only seconds later. The cab ride from my neighborhood to the doctor's office was lengthy and bumpy and the driver wore a sickening cologne that made me wish someone would slap him. He also had a very non-chalant demeanor for a man carrying a vomit factory in his backseat. I did my best to keep it all in for the duration of the ride but, in retrospect, may have been far too kind. As we drove well beyond the hospital I began to complain loudly to J. that this guy doesn't know where he's going. She said, "We're going to the school doctor. It's just a little further." It seemed a lot further and everything was in extrordinary discomfort. By this time I was weak from dehydration.
When we arrived at the clinic there were several people waiting. It was hot, no aircon. I was thinking that there is no way I was going to be able to wait for all these people. I was able to speed the process up by throwing up twice in the doctor's toilet--or, at least, on the way to the toilet. The toilet by the way, was the commonly seen hole in the ground--no seat; and no toilet paper; and filthy. That's the tolet available to much of the population. By way of digression, the paper said today that 2.5 billion people in the world do not have access to even that. The doctor gave me oral meds that I was to take and, if I couldn't keep them down, I was to go to the hospital for the injection. I said, "let's just go to the hospital" but of course they made me try to swallow the meds. I threw up and convinced them to listen to me about this matter, if nothing else. Vomiting is really persuasive.
At the hospital the entire ward was thrilled to see the return of J. and I even if, this time, our roles were reversed. I was put on a drip and given injections and 24 hours later, released. I am better now. Food poisoning.
Last night, J. and I took a neighbor girl (a student at our school whose mother is a teacher) to the swimming pool. The clouds quickly darkened and we were not in the water long before it began to thunder. We all got out and went beneath the overhang as the rains began to pour. There was lightening flashing and some of it hit quite near where we were. The pool cleared out with exception of about 10 twentysomething men in tight swimming trunks that were a cause for universal human embarrassment. These guys continued to swim beneath a crackling sky completely unbothered by the fact that they were tempting fate, or simply unaware. We believed ourselves to be stranded as neither of us had thought to bring our phones and the one staff member we asked claimed that the pool had no phones on Sunday. We began to become irritated by the boys in the pool and their willful idiocy. J. told a security guard that they should get out as they were risking being electrocuted. His response came in one word, "No." There was nothing left to do but shrug our shoulders and sigh. As the rains showed no signs of letting up I went to ask the staff if any of them had a cell phone that I could use to call a taxi. They understood the word "taxi" and went to the office phone to call one for us. So, as usual the left hand had no idea where the right hand's phone was.
I am sure there are many who would question why I would agree to do this. I have thought about thoughtful answers I could give to that, but have decided that it is not my duty to explain it, I expect to learn something from it.
On friday morning I woke up with a sick feeling. Within minutes I was vomiting and or losing fluids in other ways--as the French say, I had it coming out of both ends. This continued with torturous abandon until J. insisted that I be taken to a docter. I thought that this meant that I would be going to the hospital because that's where she went when she was sick earlier in the month. I was so dehydrated I could not stop myself from trying to sip water which I would then throw up only seconds later. The cab ride from my neighborhood to the doctor's office was lengthy and bumpy and the driver wore a sickening cologne that made me wish someone would slap him. He also had a very non-chalant demeanor for a man carrying a vomit factory in his backseat. I did my best to keep it all in for the duration of the ride but, in retrospect, may have been far too kind. As we drove well beyond the hospital I began to complain loudly to J. that this guy doesn't know where he's going. She said, "We're going to the school doctor. It's just a little further." It seemed a lot further and everything was in extrordinary discomfort. By this time I was weak from dehydration.
When we arrived at the clinic there were several people waiting. It was hot, no aircon. I was thinking that there is no way I was going to be able to wait for all these people. I was able to speed the process up by throwing up twice in the doctor's toilet--or, at least, on the way to the toilet. The toilet by the way, was the commonly seen hole in the ground--no seat; and no toilet paper; and filthy. That's the tolet available to much of the population. By way of digression, the paper said today that 2.5 billion people in the world do not have access to even that. The doctor gave me oral meds that I was to take and, if I couldn't keep them down, I was to go to the hospital for the injection. I said, "let's just go to the hospital" but of course they made me try to swallow the meds. I threw up and convinced them to listen to me about this matter, if nothing else. Vomiting is really persuasive.
At the hospital the entire ward was thrilled to see the return of J. and I even if, this time, our roles were reversed. I was put on a drip and given injections and 24 hours later, released. I am better now. Food poisoning.
Last night, J. and I took a neighbor girl (a student at our school whose mother is a teacher) to the swimming pool. The clouds quickly darkened and we were not in the water long before it began to thunder. We all got out and went beneath the overhang as the rains began to pour. There was lightening flashing and some of it hit quite near where we were. The pool cleared out with exception of about 10 twentysomething men in tight swimming trunks that were a cause for universal human embarrassment. These guys continued to swim beneath a crackling sky completely unbothered by the fact that they were tempting fate, or simply unaware. We believed ourselves to be stranded as neither of us had thought to bring our phones and the one staff member we asked claimed that the pool had no phones on Sunday. We began to become irritated by the boys in the pool and their willful idiocy. J. told a security guard that they should get out as they were risking being electrocuted. His response came in one word, "No." There was nothing left to do but shrug our shoulders and sigh. As the rains showed no signs of letting up I went to ask the staff if any of them had a cell phone that I could use to call a taxi. They understood the word "taxi" and went to the office phone to call one for us. So, as usual the left hand had no idea where the right hand's phone was.
posted by athensinternational at 7:02 PM
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