imans' ramadan

Happy Ramadan for all of you out there! Today was the first day of Ramadan (in the US and the UAE and some other parts). Here is a picture that Iman drew for Ramadan- you see the crescent moon (the symbol of Islam) in the sky and in the window (they have a moon with lights (like Christmas lights) in their window). The only thing I don't know is who the third kid is! The picture was scanned in, which is why it is cut off at the bottom (I think).

First day of fasting. Sunset around here is about 7pm. It was easier in the past years because sunset (when you can break the fast) was earlier due to switching back the clocks. I think this year is the first year in a while where we're in the longer time.

I made stuffed grape leaves and went to a friend's for some hors d'oeuvres. And so I had a lot of nice food, but nothing very Ramadan-specific. I will make some stuff tomorrow, I think, to get into the spirit of Ramadan. Some lentil soup- that's one of the key things. It's no fun though fasting while everyone else is going about their normal routine- then you just feel like it's a test. When everyone else is fasting, you feel like part of the community, and then everyone's in it together. Maybe I need to invite people over for iftar (breakfast).