I want Coke...I want Coke!

The month of fasting, Ramadan, is going on right now (started on the night of the 2nd and will end with the evening of the next new moon). At the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holiday of Eid (pronounced Eed) is celebrated. People visit each other and feast on a humongous variety of foods. Bangladesh is definitely a food culture nation and according to several sources, people live to eat rather than eat to live.

During Ramadan, I fast everyday, from half an hour or so before sunup to sundown. Not allowed to eat or drink during this time, I eat at sundown (this meal’s called iftaar) and drink to my heart’s content. Then I get up early morning an hour or so before sunup to fill up for the day (this meal’s called sehri). It’s going ok so far, though when the days get hotter and more humid, my thirst becomes worse, and the last couple of days have been hot, hot, hot!

Before going to sleep though, I snack on fruits and milk just so I can get through the night and in case I can’t sleep. A nine and half hour gap between the iftaar and sehri is just too much for me to handle, despite the nearly 14 hour fasting time!

After iftaar Tuesday night, Rafiba picked me up to go to Chandni Chowk to buy material for our Eid clothes. These would be gifts from my mom and my aunt Lily. I decided on a pretty pink Pakistani cotton three-piece salwar kameez set with colorful threadwork and a peridot green salwar kameez set with white and silver-gray beadwork. Neither of these sets is completely finished and need to be taken to a tailor to get them finished.

My mom’s sister, my aunt Ruba, or Ruba aunti as I call her, visited us for iftaar Wednesday night along with Nusaiba, Rafiba and Zaheen who forgot my flash drive again. I’m not sure whether to clobber him on the head or wait patiently some more. :-P

Ruba auntie said she’d take the materials to the tailor. She just needed to bring to the tailor a kameez that fit me well so that the new ones would be made to its specifications. I’m looking forward to seeing what they look like when finished, and being able to wear them for Eid! I already know I’d like to wear the peridot green for the occasion.

While Ruba aunti was at our house, Rafiba and I decided to go out shopping again because Eid clothes hadn’t been bought yet for Sadia, Ehsan uncle’s daughter. Sadia’s brother, Zul (pronounced Jewel) and Zaheen decided to come with us. So the four of us piled up in Ruba aunti’s van and her driver took us to Rapa Plaza. A mix of rock music was playing in the van and that’s when I kicked myself for not bringing my copy of Grave Dancer’s Union. I’d been talking to Zaheen and Zul about Soul Asylum and Zaheen had mentioned that he’d heard of but hadn’t heard Runaway Train. Missed opportunity but I’ll take the next one.

I had a great time, although I can’t make the claim for the others. Zaheen and Zul were at a cd and dvd store looking at movies, music, and games, while Rafiba and I window-shopped. Since bargaining is a must, I left the price-warring to Rafiba. We went through several stores before finding a nice salwar kameez set for Sadia that was also within our budget. Soon, though bored out of their minds, the boys came to find us. Zaheen is a great kidder so he kept us entertained while I occasionally joined in the jokes and Rafiba kept bargaining. Then, at one point, Zaheen started playfully but insistently demanding Coke. I want Coke...Coke...Coke...I want Coke, now. It was hilarious! Meanwhile, Zul was standing back and enjoying the show. We had so many laughs that night that it will definitely be a memory for keeps. :-D