Ramadan = Rah!...me-done

Qatar Airlines will welcome me on board tonight

I know that it is only the 7th inning stretch of this Ramadan game, but I have a plane to catch tonight and some packing to do in the meantime. Here is my Ramadan wrap up.


If you need sleep, Ramadan is hard

If you need food, Ramadan is hard

If you need water, Ramadan is hard

If you need Starbucks, Ramadan is hard

If you have ADD, Ramadan is hard

I salute the Muslims for their devotion, I agree that a month spent fasting and reading scripture is a noble achievement and I have new respect for those who do all this for the right reasons. If you happen to fall off the Ramadan "wagon", the good news is that a few extra alms for the poor clears that "black mark" right off your record. You can also do make-up fasting if you missed out. I'm not sure about extra-credit fasting though.

At the end of Ramadan, there is a 3 (or 4) day holiday called Eid Al Fitr ... presents are passed out and the feasting begins. Finally, a holiday that westerners can relate to.

At midnight I catch Qatar Air to Doha then again to Gatwick. In London I will catch American Airlines to Dallas.

Inside aisle seat reserved, extra blanket and socks in carry on, a big thick book and snacks are packed. Liquids are all in 3oz bottles, in 1 quart ziplock bag. Luggage is weighing in at under 23 kilos.

26 hours later I will emerge from DFW feeling a little like a human pretzel, but happy to be home.
Will be seeing doctors for checkups, hairdresser for screaming roots, family of course and the PBR (Professional Bull Rider's Association) finals in Vegas.

Fans of blue-eyesight don't get your worry beads in a tangle...I'll be back at it in November and I'll fill you in on how we celebrate Thanksgiving in the Middle East.

Hint...there is NO fasting.

Ramadan "Must See TV"

Many aspects of the Ramadan holidays are similar to our holidays back home. We always look forward to special TV shows during Christmas, etc. and it is the same over here. For example, the show Al Masrawiyah tells the story of the mayor of a small town in Egypt and his relationship with his three wives, his powerful mother and his reign over the town. This Ramadan we will see two parts of this five-part soap opera. The mayor, who is a poor Egyptian farmer and already has two wives, will marry a half-Turkish, half-Egyptian princess. This show is billed as "a classic story that can never get old". Okay....then why only five parts? The show "Dallas" went on for years and there was only one Sue Ellen in that series.

Another popular show is Sultan Al Gharam (aka the Sultan of Passion). Although "completely different" from Al Masrawiyah, the series is also about a man who marries three women. This time he is a poor truck driver who gradually becomes rich and powerful. He does not marry the women at the same time but in different stages of his life.

I'm thinking that polygamy must be a perfect topic for sitcoms. I'm sure HBO will want to pick up on these story lines in time for the holidays and adapt it to American TV...maybe call it "Santa's Harem" or "It's a Wonderful Wife," part 1, 2 and 3.

Another popular game show comes on at Ramadan "prime time" (about 2.15am) when you are getting ready to have your last meal, "sohour", and go back to bed. This show has a taxi that goes around the streets of Egypt picking up passengers. When a passenger gets in, the game show host takes him toward his destination while asking a series of $10, $50, $100 and $500 questions. If the passenger gets three answers wrong, they are immediately dropped off in the middle of the street. Talk about a great reality TV show...can Regis drive a taxi?

Also, on the subject of entertainment, a new movie has recently been released in the States called The Kingdom. It is about Saudi Arabia, but it was shot in Arizona and, believe it or not, Abu Dhabi . When I first arrived in Abu Dhabi, I noticed armored vehicles and tanks on the streets; I thought this was just a normal day, but found out that Jaime Foxx was in town to film. Jaime eventually left and the tanks were soon replaced by the usual BMWs, Porsches & Rolls Royces.