Ramadan Again

Aug 31, 2010

Ethan & I tumbled out of the time-warp chute yesterday after fast forwarding 8 time zones and rewinding to an anachronistic culture from the Dark Ages that's been technology enhanced. Our separation from Molly in her la petite dorm room was bitter sweet but especially hard on Ethan. After a week there, I left feeling very assured that she is in a place of excellence and will thrive in that environment. God even provided a surrogate mom from a local Baptist church who promised to "be there" for Molly in any way she needed!

As we are well into Ramadan, our flight consisted mainly of Indians and very few Kuwaitis. The only other two Westerners were teachers on their way to Bangladesh. We were able to sleep on the way in between dinner (spicy Indian chicken & rice) and breakfast (spicy Indian chicken & rice.) Robert & Emily gave us a warm welcome but did not yodel or throw confetti as other greeters did. On the drive from the airport we passed a discarded, crumpled up vehicle by the roadside and I knew I was home again!

With the heat, my jet lag, and need to process my emotions & unpack, I didn't expect to leave the house for a few days. That plan de-railed at noon when Robert called to say his boss, the Sheik, had invited us and a few others from the embassy to his families Iftar (meal to break the Ramada fast) at 5:45.

Attired in suits & dresses, we needn't have worried about being overdressed. This very well connected family is a bit more progressive in dress than many. The men wore traditional dishdashas & head gear but the women wore long jewel encrusted gowns of shimmering colors. Their reception room looked like a ballroom at the Hyatt Regency Hotel and there were just as many servers around. The place was decked out in Ramadan decor of hanging crescent moons & stars, fresh flowers, a golden archway and even a decorated "Christmas Tree' as they so fondly referred to it! They all met us with a warm greeting (I had to remember not to reach to shake the sheik's hand:) and they told us their house was our house.

We were invited to sit on sofas around the room until we heard the call to prayer broadcast over the indoor speaker system, then everyone went first to the "date station" to break the fast with a wide variety of gourmet dates. The men then went to kneel in the center of the room while guests and women began to fill our plates.

The selection of foods was beyond any 5 star restaurant I could imagine. Just to mention the meats, there was several kinds of chicken, beef, lamb, shrimp, fish rolls, stuffed lobster, crabs, and duck. Each dish was artfully displayed and adorned. Everything was oh, so delicious. There were about 25 of us there and probably as many different desserts. I had 8 different juices and teas which were constantly being served by waiters in traditional garb.

Emily & Ethan were whisked away to a different table where they were "force fed" many new dishes. The ladies were charmed by our teens who enjoyed them every bit as much. Conversation with the Sheik was a little slow but their daughters were very engaging. They welcomed us to join them any night in Ramadan for Iftar but we felt a little sick at the thought of eating like that, then eating again at midnight, and another snack before dawn when the fasting begins.

We retired to the couches again after dessert and then men went to the mosque to pray again while we had yet more tea & nibbles with the women. As we got up to leave, (not sure of protocol & how long to stay) they passed out gift bags to each of us plus took goodie bags off the tree for the kids. We each got a beautiful gold trimmed traditional robe to go over our clothes, and Emily & I each were given 3 bottles of perfume (Cappuccino, Latte & Machiatto) packaged in styrofoam coffee cups which are all very appealing!

This OTT (over the top) living is pretty hard to reconcile with other realities we know here. Our housekeeper described how light and simple their Indian family eats after fasting during Ramadan. Kuwaitis put their own spin on all things religious & cultural as I'm sure we Americans do...we're just usually blind to our own "spins."