Ramadan, or Ramazan as it is called here, started sometime last week. I can’t say for sure because the time varies from country to country and year to year around the time the crescent moon is sighted. I always imagine an old guy at the top of a tower with his spyglass hoping to catch first sight of them moon, his crooked finger pointed excitedly at it when he does. Of course times are different now, but the image sticks with me.

We were all advised not to eat in public during times of fasting, or even drink water while walking on the street out of respect for those who are fasting. Restaurants are open and serving food, but you must eat it inside. Today we went to a restaurant with outdoor seating and tried to order some wine. It was well after dark, but even so we were asked to move inside to enjoy our beverages. I thought it was interesting, the constant tip-toeing around religion and custom but the tolerance that existed.

The school cafeteria extends its hours to accommodate iftar, which is the meal that breaks the fast at sundown. Its interesting to watch everyone file in, pile food on their plates, sit down and wait. Everyone is waiting for the go-ahead signal when it’s OK to eat. There are no mosques in earshot of Koc, so they check the TV which flashes a message around 8:45 that we can all dig in.