Ramadan

The month of March brought us Ramadan - not our favorite time of the year. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. It is marked by fasting from dawn to sunset, feasting into the late evening hours, increased prayer times and outward piety. Most restaurants and coffee shops just close for the whole month. It's a difficult time to go visit people as so much of their hospitality revolves around food, making it awkward to visit when no food or drink is involved. We did get to break the fast with a family at sunset, which was a fun way to get to know them and taste some of their traditional Ramadan food.

We were blessed to have multiple visitors in March. Joey’s cousin Kirsten and her family came to see us for a weekend. Ella, our niece, joined us for a couple of weeks and then Joey’s other cousin John and his family came at the end of the month. It was fun to have family to keep us encouraged during the month of Ramadan.