long time, no post

Hey there, remember me? Probably not. So you know what they say about excuses being like buttholes.. well, mine is not above this cliché, and is probably the stinkiest one of all, like after a whole can of refried beans, topped with broccoli cabbage salad. Eww.

But I feel like I owe you all some sort of explanation for my deliquency. What started this hiatus is that I went on a trip in mid-September. It was one of the most incredible times of my life, and I wanted to put together a knock-out post to really do the trip justice. Well, I just never seemed to have the right block of time to focus on writing, so it kept being postponed, and the longer I waited, the more I told myself the better the entry would have to be to make up for the lapse of time. Well, that's a vicious cycle if I've ever witnessed one. So, I'm breaking it right now!

For the moment I'm going to skip over my trip, and will eventually post on it. Other news, however, is aplenty. First, I've made plans to go back to the states for the holidays!! Christmas with the family, of course, and New Years Eve, who knows? At the moment plans are limited to North America, but crazier things than an abroad celebration have been known to occur.

Second, Ramazan, Ramadan in English, started this past Tuesday. You can read lots about it from the link, whose perspective I especially like because it's targeted at traveling in Turkey during this religious holiday, and therefore is written for foreigners. I'll spare you the regurgitation, but basically it's a time of fasting, including food and beverages among other things, from sunrise to sunset every day for about one month. However, women who are pregnant or menstruating are allowed to eat and drink.

The article I link to is right that it's a time of reflection of one's life, but also very much a celebration. The vibe is almost like that of Christmas. Lights are strewn up all around the city, there is an "Ottoman village" near Ulucami (the oldest and most famous mosque located in the city center) with wooden booths that sell sweets, food, books, religious items and trinkets, much like a Kristkindlmarkt or Christmas market in Germany in December. People begin to gather there as the sun begins to set in preparation for the evening feast.

I think it's important to note, that depending on where you are and who you're with, will effect how much it feels like a fast or holiday. For example, aside from some restaurants and bars being closed, businesses having shorter hours, the different daily prayer over the loudspeaker, and the city decorations, Ramazan here in Bursa is not much different than non-Ramazan times. Also, a lot of folks here, as I'm sure in many of the other western Turkey cities, uphold Ramazan fasting like we often treat New Years resolutions. For example, after two weeks, some people will give up and break the fasting. Also, as always, the Turks are very accommodating and hosptitable to foreigners and don't expect them to participate in this religious holiday.

I, however, for the time-being have decided to try it out. It's surprisingly not as hard as I thought it'd be. I still get hungry during the day, but not any more so than I would if I hadn't been fasting. I suppose the hardest thing for me is forbidden fluids during the day. Maybe it's out of habit, but I really take notice and miss drinking water throughout the day.