Ramadan

July 5

Ramadan began on June 18 and lasts for one month (the ninth month of the lunar calendar). Muslims try to give up bad habits, purify the soul and fast during daylight hours. It helps teach self-restraint, self discipline and generosity. It is seen as a physical and spiritual cleansing. Of course there are variations to how each Muslim may fast. Some will fast past sundown or longer than the one month period. Children, elderly, if you are pregnant or physically disabled are exempt from fasting. 

At sundown you can hear the call to prayer and siren which signals the community that the sun has gone down and you are able to start eating and/or start your evening prayer. Iftar (breakfast) consists of dates, sweets, lentil soup and other foods. Another big meal, suhoor, is eaten at pre-dawn, before the morning prayer.

Arriving to Morocco

July 3
After many hours of waiting in JFK for my delayed flight to depart. I finally made it to Casablanca. My layover would now be over 20 hours so I decided to rent a car and drive to my destination. I landed about 11pm and arrived in Ifrane at about 5 am. The sun was coming up and the familiar town of Azrou was glowing in the morning sun. It was a peaceful feeling.

Countdown: Preparing to Leave

Being in Morocco for one month last summer prepared me somewhat in what it would be like to live without the luxuries I am surrounded by in everyday life in Wallingford. I carefully packed the bare necessities and even maybe under packed in some areas. However, I was happy with my decisions, which allowed me space to bring back some beautiful textiles and lanterns. Going through last year's packing experience, and choosing the items necessary to get by for one month was refreshing. 
I knew packing for one year would be a completely different story. As I began moving out of my apartment and back home to my parents' basement, I began to realize I needed to squeeze one year's worth of "necessities" into two suitcases. As I spread the clothes over every couch, bed and coffee table surface, I knew this would not be easy. My motivation was always to attempt to live as simply as I could and not be consumed by the material things that I owned. Still, packing for temperatures ranging between 25-90 degrees, snow and sun, work and play clothes is easier said than done. I bit the bullet last night and threw my carefully weeded through clothing pile into two suitcases. Boots, shoes and sandals were left on the rack and I will take only what will fit. I'm sure I will make some last minute changes once next week comes around.