The weekend has arrived for us. We are anxious to see how this Friday (the first Friday in Ramadan) compares to other Fridays. Last night we walked up to San Stefano to attend a movie. It was about 7:00 pm when we arrived. The mall was open but most of the stores were closed. When we went up to the 3rd floor where the movie theatres are, we discovered that they were closed as well.
One of my students described what Ramadan meant to her after class this week. She said it is a time for her to renew her religious faith and to spend more time with family. She prays three hours a day during Ramadan and reads one chapter a day in the Koran. Meals are very special for the family as they share the events of the day while eating a very full meal. They will often spend up to two hours at the dinner table in the evening. “Iftars” are an important part of Ramadan. As we walk in the early evening we have noticed that some Iftars are held in the alleys or along the streets. Tables will be set up with lavish amounts of food for those who may not have anywhere to go. These are sponsored by wealthy persons in fulfillment of one of the five pillars of faith in the Muslim religion – giving alms to the needy. These meals are done in a very nondescript manner as not to draw attention to the person providing the meal because it is expected that those with more will help those in need.
In the mall and as we walked back to the school, we were approached by a couple of people who wanted to know where we were from and if we liked Egypt and Alex. They really seemed pleased when we tell them that we aren’t just visiting and that we live here and yes we do enjoy it very much. While many people do not have much in terms of material possessions, they do have a strong love for their country and they want so much that people from foreign lands enjoy their stay here. As we may have said before, the greatest resource for Egypt is in the people.
