Ramadan Kareem

... Or, a generous Ramadan to you all.

We are halfway through the month of Ramadan (I think the approximate dates are August 22 - September 20, but don't quote me on that) and thus far the extent of my spiritual awakening has been the realization of just how CRITICAL that inevitable stop for a Starbucks (nonfat no-whip three-pump shot-of-peppermint) mocha apparently is to my overall shopping happiness. O what I wouldn't give for a midday scone!

The gist of Ramadan's impact on us expats is this: Muslims are required to fast from dawn to dusk. Consequently, virtually ALL eating and drinking establishments are fully CLOSED until nightfall (the occasional maverick coffee shop is open-- see the rebel Costa Coffee photos above-- but you are required to duck shamefully behind tightly-thatched screens and only then, they serve nothing but "take away"). Furthermore, public eating or drinking by ANY adult is prohibited, and this includes gum chewing and furtive bites of a sandwich in one's car. The upshot of all this? We are now the proud owners of an espresso machine, and I have learned how to efficiently shovel an entire bag of the children's goldfish crackers into my mouth while bending down to the floor of the car at a stop light.

Now, there are supposedly less oppressive elements of Ramadan: specifically, grand fetes on a nightly basis that extend into the wee hours of the morning. Many are open to the public, and I will do my best to attend one if for no other reason than to share the details with you, my faithful reader.

In the meantime, think of me next time you stop off for Dunkin Donuts on your way to work... mmmm, toasted coconut on a chocolate donut...

What else. Well, Sushi started at the American school last week, and YAY!, so far it's been a wonderful experience. She loves the teacher (and tolerates the slightly awkward male teaching assistant, who, in a demonstration of dubious judgment, informed me on the first day that he is both dyslexic AND suffering from short-term memory loss, what?) and she has become fast friends with the only kid in the class who speaks NO ENGLISH (PopPop's theory is that Sushi arrived, sized up the joint, and seized upon the one kid whom she could immediately boss around). She is also excited to wear the (absolutely schlumpy) daily uniform (we told her that only BIG KIDS get to wear uniforms to school!-- magic words to any 4-year-old), and she permanently accessorizes her look with cockeyed braids (I'm usually in a rush) and a silly headband with an oversized bow. Hey, anything to distract her from the fact that she's wearing-- gasp!-- shorts! Like a BOY!

[Side note: The German just pulled her kids out of the international school. How NOT. FUNNY. AT. ALL. would it have been if I'd allowed myself to be peer pressured into sending my child there against my will????]

In other news, BABY is scheduled to start school tomorrow (!!!), and Screamer would be going, too, but for the fact that she conveniently waited until the LAST DAY OF SUMMER BREAK to contract a stomach virus. The only good news on that front is that the world's most darling little 2-year-old sprite has now taken it upon herself to throw up in private; she'll wander over to me and say to my hipbone, in the smallest voice, "I puked in your potty. But I flushed." As my Australian friend would say, BLESS HER.

As for the rest of the gang: Harry is still alive (he has a new playmate, in fact: a grotesquely thin stray who comes around for food and whom we have very sensitively named Scrawny); PopPop was stopped on the street today by a total stranger who declared, "Hey, I know you, you're the fittest grandpa in Dubai!"; Alice can do no wrong; Julia can ONLY do wrong (oh yes, the honeymoon of our return is over); Z-Man has lost his sense of humor (it's only appropriate, during his fast); and Daddy continues to kick ass and take names at work.

And Mommy? Well Mommy just can't wait for all the kids to get back to school... mostly just so that she can blog in peace. :) More soon... xo.