journal entry- ramadan

Today is the first day of Ramadan and I hate it already. Malnourished, hungry and tired people have to be more hungry, tired and thirsty day after day for thirty days. It is true fatigue. I fight the urge to feel bad for my Garly people. I dread watching their collarbones emerge.
They are scared of Allah (their words not mine) so they submit to his word- there is no choice.

But my choice in the matter is my refuge. I tiptoe around the water cannery, gulping away the heat-induced thirst in the privacy of my room.

Already they are talking about the end of this month-long challenge. They say the halfway mark is almost here, and then it is basically over. Such optimism and mutual support- they say the days go by quickly- as their bodies fail to sweat in 120 degree heat and their stomachs grumble from 10am until night.