Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, commemorates the revelation of the Quran by Allah to the Prophet Mohammed, and is celebrated by Muslims all over the world who, from sunrise to sunset for 30 days straight, refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, arguing, cursing, and sexual activity......I've been doing most of this since I got here, even though my fasting once a week for 24 hours is a little different to theirs for 14 hours with no water and I must admit to a bit of cursing but the rest I can say I've managed to sustain from.
Ramadam was due to start on Tuesday 9th July but it can only begin when certain men in high places....and I don't mean Allah, see the new moon, so everyone sits and waits with baited breath for them to tell them after the fifth prayer if it is the start. However, tonight the weather was dreary (Saudi term for when you can't see the moon because its either too dusty or cloudy, but mainly its due to the dust and sand flying around that stops you seeing it.) So the moon was not visible on the 9th so Ramadam now officially starts on the 10th July and lasts for 30 days.
Day one and the gym seems quiet and you can sense that the Muslim girls that work here who are about to embark on their 30 day fast are feeling a little anxious at the thought even though they have done it every year since puberty (that determines when you start fasting). Mona told me that the day before she starts fasting she always feels like she should eat as much as possible as she fears the hunger and the dehydration (the latter being the worst part). Most of the rich Saudis who don't work, turn their night into day and visa versa so they really don't feel the true meaning of hunger or thirst as they are in bed for most of the day and get up just before the fast breaks. The fast is broken after the fourth prayer (around 6.45pm) with a few dates and milk or juice and is called Iftar and then a lot of time is spent in prayer and then they eat a very large traditional Saudi meal, Suhoor which is the last meal before sunrise. So the fast basically lasts from 3.30am to 6.30pm the following day (around 14 hours). I think the worst thing is that they can't drink anything and it doesn't help when its 50 degrees outside and you can't even have a sip of water.
Over the next 7 days I am surprised to see we have clients coming to the gym in the morning even though some of them look very tired, to attend mainly pilates or abs. A few girls have been in and done some running on the treadmill but to be honest in the first three hours of our shift it has been pretty quiet. However, they seem to appear out of the woodwork when it comes to the evening and it has totally took me by surprise at how many girls are prepared to come to spinning at 12am before the gym closes at 1am......All the instructors are struggling to get into the new working hours....12pm to 3pm and then 8pm to 1am.....its so hard to sleep and so most nights it 4am before we manage it and then you feel a bit like death warmed up for the first half of your shift in the morning. We have a lovely break at 3pm when we tend to go to the pool for an hour when the gym closes at 4pm and before the sun goes down at around 6pm (even though it hasn't been possible for a few days as it is so dusty and sandy that you can't even see the sun. In England I guess we would call this overcast (dreary) and then after this nice break when you feel like you should be going to bed or relaxing we then hit round two, the second shift at 8pm and to be honest it is busy so if you are even thinking of feeling tired, you better forget it. So 3 more weeks of this to go and then it will be time for me to come home.
I'll just fill you in with the Lore saga before I go as I think it is finally over after much to...ing and fro....ing but to cut a long story short. Hanan has to pay Lore everything, holiday pay, two months salary and her flights home because Lore has actually in no way breached her contract, it was just Hanan trying to pull a fast one and deduct as much money as possible form her. This has been a very tough time for Lore as she literally had no money and nowhere to go but hats off to her for pulling herself together and not letting this woman walk all over her. Lore said the lesson she learnt from this was not to be afraid to stand up for herself especially when she knows she is being treated unfairly......
Ramadam was due to start on Tuesday 9th July but it can only begin when certain men in high places....and I don't mean Allah, see the new moon, so everyone sits and waits with baited breath for them to tell them after the fifth prayer if it is the start. However, tonight the weather was dreary (Saudi term for when you can't see the moon because its either too dusty or cloudy, but mainly its due to the dust and sand flying around that stops you seeing it.) So the moon was not visible on the 9th so Ramadam now officially starts on the 10th July and lasts for 30 days.
Day one and the gym seems quiet and you can sense that the Muslim girls that work here who are about to embark on their 30 day fast are feeling a little anxious at the thought even though they have done it every year since puberty (that determines when you start fasting). Mona told me that the day before she starts fasting she always feels like she should eat as much as possible as she fears the hunger and the dehydration (the latter being the worst part). Most of the rich Saudis who don't work, turn their night into day and visa versa so they really don't feel the true meaning of hunger or thirst as they are in bed for most of the day and get up just before the fast breaks. The fast is broken after the fourth prayer (around 6.45pm) with a few dates and milk or juice and is called Iftar and then a lot of time is spent in prayer and then they eat a very large traditional Saudi meal, Suhoor which is the last meal before sunrise. So the fast basically lasts from 3.30am to 6.30pm the following day (around 14 hours). I think the worst thing is that they can't drink anything and it doesn't help when its 50 degrees outside and you can't even have a sip of water.
Over the next 7 days I am surprised to see we have clients coming to the gym in the morning even though some of them look very tired, to attend mainly pilates or abs. A few girls have been in and done some running on the treadmill but to be honest in the first three hours of our shift it has been pretty quiet. However, they seem to appear out of the woodwork when it comes to the evening and it has totally took me by surprise at how many girls are prepared to come to spinning at 12am before the gym closes at 1am......All the instructors are struggling to get into the new working hours....12pm to 3pm and then 8pm to 1am.....its so hard to sleep and so most nights it 4am before we manage it and then you feel a bit like death warmed up for the first half of your shift in the morning. We have a lovely break at 3pm when we tend to go to the pool for an hour when the gym closes at 4pm and before the sun goes down at around 6pm (even though it hasn't been possible for a few days as it is so dusty and sandy that you can't even see the sun. In England I guess we would call this overcast (dreary) and then after this nice break when you feel like you should be going to bed or relaxing we then hit round two, the second shift at 8pm and to be honest it is busy so if you are even thinking of feeling tired, you better forget it. So 3 more weeks of this to go and then it will be time for me to come home.
I'll just fill you in with the Lore saga before I go as I think it is finally over after much to...ing and fro....ing but to cut a long story short. Hanan has to pay Lore everything, holiday pay, two months salary and her flights home because Lore has actually in no way breached her contract, it was just Hanan trying to pull a fast one and deduct as much money as possible form her. This has been a very tough time for Lore as she literally had no money and nowhere to go but hats off to her for pulling herself together and not letting this woman walk all over her. Lore said the lesson she learnt from this was not to be afraid to stand up for herself especially when she knows she is being treated unfairly......
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