Ramadan, Week 2

The edge of a typhoon is hitting Busan today, making the air so thick that you can almost drink it...when it's not bucketing down rain.  The cool dampness makes the thirst of fasting a lot easier to take.  I haven't caught myself staring vacantly at our water dispenser even once today.  On the other hand, I'm a lot more aware of the hunger than I have been on less tempestuous days.  This is the kind of weather that encourages me to stay hunkered down at home, curled up with a warm cat and a good book, snacks at hand.  Considering I haven't seen the sun today, and the darkness of the sky, the fact that there are almost 6 hours left to go before sunset just seems cruel.  My internal clock is gauging the light and telling me 'you're almost done!' but the numbers on the clock are creeping along even more slowly than usual, taunting me.

This weekend I was up in Seoul for a special church service.  I warned my friends there that although I would be arriving late-afternoon on Saturday I wouldn't be able to eat until close to 8pm but that they should go ahead and eat as usual.  Eating is a big part of fellowship in this particular church, so I didn't want people to be offended by my (temporary) abstinence.  Much to my surprise though, everyone waited to eat alongside me, even though no one else was fasting.  'We want you to break your fast with great joy!' one of them said.  Another had fasted for Ramadan himself, many years before, in solidarity with his Egyptian college roommate and was interested in comparing our experiences.  No one asked me why I was doing it, or expressed any kind of surprise or concern, unlike my oldest Korean friend down here who made a very suspicious face when I told her what I am doing and grumbled 'You know you're CHRISTIAN right?'  On the contrary, everyone seemed either pleasantly supportive or thoroughly indifferent, either of which is excellent as far as I'm concerned.  It was heart-warming to be part of such an accepting community.

Wow, the thunder and lightening are really getting impressive now.  I think I'd better turn off my computer for a while and get back to this later...after I've found the flashlights and candles!