Everyone has heard of it, but not many Americans are actually familiar with it. What time is it? It's Ramadan time! Between 11 August to 9 September it is the Islamic time of prayer and fasting, meaning that before sunset there will be no eating, drinking, or smoking in public. But that's not all! I was recently informed that not only will I not be able to eat in public (not a hard thing to do), but I could be arrested for my clothing. During Ramadan I could potentially be arrested for wearing clothing that did not cover my legs and did not cover my elbows. I never thought that my elbows were sexy, but apparently they are arrest worthy. Although I might find some of these rules silly, they are what they are and I will oblige them out of respect. Of course, though, there are some positives for us ex-pats during Ramadan. FEASTS! At sundown every restaurant/hotel sets out huge, delicious buffets for everyone to partake in. There are also festivals on the beach here at some of the major resorts. One draw back, even though this country permits the selling of alcohol (at hotels only), there is no alcohol sales during the month of Ramadan!
But every day here is a learning experience and I learned something about alcohol here yesterday. I will NOT be going out, drinking in up in the bars! The blood alcohol level here is 0.0. I have heard too many stories of people being pulled over with a blood alcohol content of 0.01 and being thrown in jail (it also takes at least two days to test blood alcohol here..so you could be waiting in jail for a while). They take drinking and driving very seriously here....as in no tolerance! So, not even a one drink limit for me! I'll just dim my living room lights,turn on some music, pretend I'm in a bar, and sip my wine in the privacy of my own home!!
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