A quick meal and a bit about Ramadan

So here's my meal... I tried Linda McCartney sausages for the first time today, and I was pretty impressed. They had a great texture and taste, but were very salty. I'm scared to see how much sodium I just ate... So just had those with some mashed potatoes (with soy milk, a bit of vegan margarine, and some parsley and garlic powder) and a bunch of plain steamed green beans.
Mmmm....

So this is just something quick and easy. I thought I had a bad cold, but it's been almost a week now, so I'm guessing it's a flu. So, anyways I haven't been cooking much, some veggie stew (and whole wheat dumplings of course) the other day, but it's mostly just peanut butter on toast and fresh fruit.

So, aside from food... what's been going on? Well it's Ramadan now. While I'm not Muslim, Ramadan has a huge effect on life when you're living in an Islamic country.
(What's Ramadan? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramadan)

Besides not being allowed to eat or drink in public during the day, Ramadan is certainly felt at my school as well. We've had more absences since it started, and some children have been a bit worse-behaved. I guess it's because the parents are allowing their kids to stay up until all hours with the rest of the family...

"Most practicing Muslims, especially children and the elderly, have a light meal or snack before dawn. This light meal is called Suhoor or Sohoor or Sehri, and is considered an act of Sunnah. This tradition is practised by Muslims worldwide. Cafes and restaurants, in Muslim countries, stay open till early morning hours in Ramadan to serve food and drink for Suhoor."
-from the Wikipedia article

(I guess it's easier to fast all day if you stay up all night...)

But I can handle the tired children because of Ramadan working hours! Normally I'd start work at 7:30 (technically, but I would actually get in by 7 everyday) and finish at 2. Ramadan hours are 8:30 (but I'm getting to school at 7:45) till 1:30...

So I have quite a bit more to write about but things just aren't flowing tonight and I'm sleepy, so tomorrow or sometime this weekend I'll finish this up.