Ramadan: Kareem or Bidan*?

So, I'm into day four of my fifth Ramadan. I've discovered that my dislike of the month is in inverse proportion to the ammount of guilt I feel for not fasting. As a non-muslim, I know this is preposterous, but never-the-less, when your surrounded by 50 million fasting people, you tend to wonder if maybe you should avoid the luncheon meat, ya know?

The last five years, (with one ramadan off in DC) my ramadans have been super stressfull. The first three I actually tried to fast. The second year (my first here in Egypt) I actually made it until the third week before giving up. Last year, I just resolved not to eat in public, hiding behind closed doors or furtively gobbling a small sandwich in my cubbyhole when no one was around. Anytime I was invited to an Iftar (Arabic for breakfast, served at sunset during Ramadan), I did fast for that day.

This year, I am flaunting my food. I eat when I want, what I want. I order sandwiches and lemonade delivered to my desk (by fasting Muslims), and, when I do go to an Iftar, it'll be my third meal of the day.

Guess which year I've been least stressed out about Ramadan?

Now, in the interest of fairness, I've decided to make a list of plusses and minuses for the non-muslim living through Ramadan. Let's start with the plusses:

Ramadan Kareem
No smoking during the day
Shorter lines in the faculty lunch room
no traffic between 4 and 6 pm (everyone is already home)
greater generosity and less hunger (everyone eats well in Ramadan, regardless of income)
Workday ends an hour earlier

OK, now the minuses:

Ramadan Bidan
Classes are only 40 minutes long (how can I do anything in 40 minutes? Attendance takes 40 minutes)
Two days a week, classes start 40 minutes earlier (because we want to make sure they have enough time for lunch break, fer pete's sake!)
L'Aroma, the nearest Cafe is closed for the Month
Tahrir Kushri, my comfort food, is also closed for the month
The sandwhiches I get delivered, come without any extras (tomatoes, condiments etc.)
My students are exausted during the day (they've been out celebrating all night)
They don't have time for any homework (their social obligations really are extreme)
They have a major test the week after Ramadan ends.


So, in this analysis, I'd have to say, in total, Ramadan Bidan!


*kareem translates as "sweet" or "nice" bidan roughly means "sucks balls"