Reflections from 5 days of Fasting

Fasting has always been something I meant to do. My university had day of fasting as a way to raise awareness on hunger and foster empathy. It appealed to me, but I used the excuse of being a competitive athlete to not participate. I've always managed to come up with various relatively good excuses but ultimately I just haven't wanted to fast. I'll cheerfully use pit latrines (or just pee behind a tree), sleep under the stairs, take bucket showers, sleep with cockroaches (yes this has happened), or try strange foods like live octopus or goat with the hair still left on it. But giving up eating? That is a kind of suffering I have never wanted to go through.

I was a kid who immediately got cranky without food in my stomach, who got hungry every two hours no matter how much I ate at one meal. The concept of an eating disorder I have never fully understood simply because I can't imagine restricting my eating and going hungry. In high school my dear mother prepared protein packed breakfasts for me, sent me armed to school with almonds so I could survive between classes (even though I was lucky enough to have the early lunch), and my friends used to joke at lunch that my lunch box never ended. While I care a lot about the food that goes into me, and I don't advocate for and try to refrain from overeating, I also just like eating.

So this Ramadan thing has been the ultimate challenge. At first I thought I wouldn't participate. I have an excuse. I'm not Muslim. But literally almost everyone in the country fasts, and even though I could cook for myself and eat secretly it somehow felt wrong. Plus, fasting is a practice that is in most major religions and if done right is supposedly healthy for you. So with all my excuses exhausted, five days ago I embarked on this fasting thing. Although I must confess, I'm cheating a bit. While everyone else eats breakfast at 4:30 (since we're supposed to fast during daylight hours), I eat mine around 7:30 as I'm getting ready to start the day. Also, I occasionally sneak into my room to take swigs of water since I'm afraid of getting dehydrated in the heat. And today I snuck a few cookies from my room while my stomach growled. So basically I'm not doing that great of a job of fasting. But it's still an effort.

Supposedly, fasting gets easier as you go on with it and the first few days are the worst. But yesterday I was exhausted and felt like my stomach was a bottomless pit that could never get full. I've felt like I am only getting progressively hungrier. Like most challenges I embark on, I tend to semi impulsively start then realize I don't know what I'm doing and start obsessively researching all viewpoints, opinions and research on the issue until my brain is overflowing and slightly confused. This is what happened last night. I guess you're not supposed to inhale food (as I've been doing) when you break the fast then get super full really fast and not want to eat anymore. Oops.

But, what am I getting out of all this? Besides the fact that I suck at fasting and I'm super spoiled and privileged. Well, being hungry is hard. And exhausting. And makes it difficult to focus. Since one of the purposes of Ramadan is to help people learn to empathize with those who have less, I have begun thinking about all the people around the world who everyday probably have this same gnawing hunger that I have (only probably worse). Who somehow still have to till their fields, work in the hot sun, and maybe study without getting the nutrients that a proper diet provides. I can better understand why maybe people in developed countries score higher on tests (this has nothing to do with intelligence). Food seriously makes you more focused and more productive. I've known this for a while since I have never been able to function well without a full stomach

If I'm honest with myself I don't know if I will ever fast again. Maybe my body will adjust and I won't feel like I'm shriveling up and tired all the time. Regardless, I'm glad I tried this. I'm glad I have a better understanding of what it means to be hungry and a deeper appreciation for how incredibly lucky I am to have been born into an environment where getting a good (and healthy!) meal has never been a concern. And kudos to anyone who regularly fasts and is a lot more mindful about it than me. You have my utmost respect.

Respect, Bikinis & Hijabs, and Fasting

Probably, even on a very hot summer day, wearing my bikini down the streets of most of the western cities I've lived in would draw some stares, maybe some rude comments and as awesome as I think I look in a bikini ;) I would definitely feel uncomfortable. Well I think not wearing my hijab could almost be compared to wearing a bikini in the middle of a city. While it's a lot more comfortable to not keep my head covered and personally I don't find my (infrequently washed) hair too offensive, in this setting it is. In regards to my last post I have to remind myself that religion aside, homogeneity makes differences difficult to accept or understand. My suspicion is this is more the reason for everyone dressing the same and not really tolerating someone dressing differently. Somaliland (and Somalia) is extremely ethnically, religiously, and linguistically homogenous coupled with extremely low literacy rates (43%!) and a general lack of contact with the outside world. So while feeling a bit forced to dress like people here, I am also trying to understand where people are coming from.

Officially two weeks into my stay here and I have to confess it is definitely the hardest place I've lived so far and is stretching the limits of my adaptability. Which I'm happy about. A part of me is envious of people enjoying Northern Hemisphere summer BBQs, long days, summer dresses, swimming, and cold beers but I'm also thrilled to accept the challenge of living in this hard place for four months and be doing work that I truly invigorates me. Energy poverty is so severe here and sometimes I get a shiver down my spine in excitement that maybe my work is actually helping. So I've decided to treat this experience a bit like I did my marathon training. Lots of people thought I was crazy to do a marathon. It's not necessary to be fit, takes up a lot of time, and is just plain hard and painful. But it was a challenge, an obstacle to overcome and a growing process to commit to something that was difficult. Although this last year has been super frustrating and uncertain and if I could go back I might have made different decisions, it feels so satisfying to finally be getting my hands dirty, helping make an impact, and just being busy, even if I'm broke and getting paid almost nothing.

So although Somaliland is a difficult place to live as a women, there are lots of things I love (and some I hate). I love:

• That I can get away with washing my hair once a week. Since water is brought in with a truck and is expensive I feel washing my hair infrequently is further justified. Plus I've always read that overwashing stimulates oil production so it's really a triple win. 
• How cheap things are here. I can get a cup of coffee for 30 cents and nice meal plus fresh juice for $3-4. 
• How respected I feel. I know this sounds counter-intuitive but it's a semi myth I want to dispel about Muslims. I really believe that all religions at some point or currently have been abused to put down women and promote a patriarchal society and certainly "respect of women" is viewed a bit differently than how I would define it in the west. But from what I've heard rape is relatively rare here and on a personal level all my male colleagues really, really value my ideas and opinions. They are always treating me kindly and making sure I am taken care of (sometimes difficult to handle since I'm overly independent haha). Also, Somaliland has a very high number of women in government. Women can drive and more and more women are getting educated. So while it's not perfect and I could also tell some negative stories, I don't think it's fair to say that Islam is a religion that puts down women or all Muslim countries do not respect women. There is also a generation gap in many countries due to the increasingly more conservative interpretations of the religion. 
• The constant sunshine. While this means that mid day can get a bit hot (low to mid 30s C, high 80s-low 90s F) especially wearing so many layers it makes me happy to wake up to the sun every day. 
• How relaxed and friendly people are. I've never quite been able to explain how significantly less stressed I feel in African work environments although perhaps they are less efficient and less gets done at the end of the day. But I think the combination of how people are prioritized here, the nice weather, and the flexibility of time makes even working long, long days less stressful. 
• 24 hour internet. One of the (few) perks of living in the same house as my office is that I have 24/7 internet access and it's pretty fast too! This is a first for me outside of the west. 
• Not getting cat calls on my runs. I've sadly only run twice so far here and running means wearing long pants and small scarf, then putting on a bag dress (as I call the dresses here) and hijab to walk down the road to a hotel compound to run laps. Then taking off some of the layers and running around the hotel. Thankfully, no one stares or makes comments or tries to run with me like in other African countries. Which is a huge pleasure! :) 
• My colleagues. It's so exciting to work with people so passionate about making a difference their country. 

So while I am sure I will be happy to move somewhere else at the end of my four months, there are lots of small things I appreciate and I'm grateful to have this opportunity to live in such an unknown place with so much room to make a difference in the energy sector. 

Organic yogurt made in Hargeisa! Another thing I love. Although now I have no fridge...

Finally, in reference to the fasting part of the title. Ramadan officially started today and as another challenge and sign of respect I am attempting to mostly participate in the fasting. This means no eating or drinking during daylight hours. As I discovered perhaps I am lucky to be living here during Ramadan rather than the Netherlands that gets something like 20 hours of daylight in summer! For any of you who know me well, I generally function best eating every 2-3 hours and I am certainly not trying to lose weight. So this next month is definitely going to be challenging!

Tolerating intolerance?

This post title maybe sounds slightly offensive (for the politically correct American in me) but it was the best I could come up with because the topic of tolerance has been on my mind. Tolerance is a word that has been floating around the world lately, as we try to figure out how to maintain our identities, beliefs, convictions whatever, while still allowing and respecting others who to hold different beliefs and lifestyles than us. It's tricky really, particularly for me as I roam the world. On the one hand I deeply want to integrate and get to know a culture without offending someone. But on the other hand I feel that it's really important to share who I am and my culture and not lose my unique identity in the new place I live. It's a very difficult balance to strike. I like to blend in. Perhaps it's why I don't like being in small places where without warning people who know me might see me and I might be forced to say hello (sorry haha). I want to see people when I want to see them and be invisible all the other times. ;) So maybe this coupled with my desire to meet locals, learn and appreciate as much as I can about a place, and not offend people is what drives me to do my best to learn and adapt when I move somewhere new. Mostly, I think this is a good thing. But already a week into living in Somaliland I have felt conflicted in my desire to adapt.

In all the places I've lived (outside of the western world) I have made an effort to modify my dress to fit a bit more with the local customs. This meant in Korea I didn't show my shoulders often and I had indoor shoes. In rural Africa this mean wearing long skirts and dresses. None of these changes were difficult and I didn't feel like I lost my style or who I am. When I came here and first came in contact with another American girl who has done a fabulous job of integrating into Somali culture and dress, I discovered that at least I would need to cover my head if I wanted to go out. Overall I've taken this in stride. It's only 4 months and I would much rather be able to go out without being judged and feel like I'm respecting the culture than do what I want. However, there is a part of this adaptation that irks me. Not the fact that wearing a hijab is a bit uncomfortable in the warm climate here. I am not an expert on Islam although I did take a course on the Quran but I do know Muslim women who keep their heads uncovered. I also know that Muslim women in any major US or European city can keep their heads covered if they so wish. Even though wearing a hijab is not part of the local religion or culture. I have also learned that wearing a hijab is not part of the original traditional dress here.  I realize that even the west has a long ways to go when it comes to tolerance and there is certainly still far, far too much discrimination against Muslims in my own country (which I do NOT tolerate). But part of the reason for the hijab is to set Muslims apart (as far as I understand). The problem with this is that I am not Muslim. While I fully respect those who chose to wear the hijab as a sign of their faith or as a way to be close to God, or whatever other reason, I do not have these beliefs; therefore in a way I find it intolerant to expect everyone regardless of religion to dress a certain way.

Anyway, I still will be wearing my hijab but I am still asking myself the question of how we can use travel to begin to foster MUTUAL respect between cultures. Both the host countries and the visitors. I'm not quite sure how to go about this but I do hope that as more foreigners come here maybe people can begin to understand the effort we are making to respect the local customs and understand that we will be different and that's okay.

This post has gotten far too long so I will leave you with some pictures of our field visit yesterday. A kind old man bought me tea, a woman gave me a spicy rice dish drizzled with camel milk and little children shyly attempted to practice their English with me. All while selling lanterns to communities who are completely off the grid. I am thoroughly enjoying the experience of working with a start up that is working in a literally brand new market. Over the last week it hit me how this opportunity has literally tied together almost everything I have done since graduating high school. EWB, Uganda, Cameroon, my studies, research, everything. It's exciting to finally be doing work that is meaningful. I will blog more about the energy situation here later. It's a fascinating case study.

Hargeisa

In case you missed the memo, after a very, very crazy, unstable, and generally not great last year I have somehow found myself in Hargeisa, Somaliland working for a start up that sells solar lamps to off grid communities. Sadly enough one of the aspects of moving here that I looked forward to most was simply the chance to sleep in the same bed for four months.... Small luxuries.

But besides staying put for a while, it is exciting to have the opportunity to be in this little known place even if it is hot wearing a hijab and lots of layers everywhere. Two days in and I've already absorbed lots of information. I hope to keep this space updated more regularly with stories and observations. A bit from my first days:

• FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) is extremely, extremely common here. Something like 90% of women here have it. 
• Somaliland is not a recognized country although they have their own government complete with a parliamentary system, elected president and government ministries. 
• Before coming here I had read that most of the money/economy in Somaliland comes in from Somaliland's diaspora population (Somalilanders living abroad). After two days this has become more evident to me. I guess in summer the diaspora comes back so in one evening hanging out with an American Somali (lander) I met three Dutch (I can't get away from the Dutch apparently) Somalis, and people speaking perfect British English. It's an interesting demographic. Life is cheap here but everything seems to be internal since they can't really export anything. 
• The landscape reminds me of Karamoja, Uganda and Turkana, Kenya. Semi arid, with scrubby, thorny bushes. Camels and goats are all over since the people are pastoralists.
• In many ways I feel like I am in any African country (if I'm going to generalize..). People are warm and friendly and life is colorful here. Time is laid back, and people have large families. Even though only my face shows I still stand out and people are keen to practice their limited English on me with frequent greetings of "how are you?" Apparently there is an equivalent word for mzungu here but I haven't mastered it yet. 
• Another change will be the work week. Fridays here are like Sundays in other countries. However, unlike the west, Friday is the only day off. So that means 6 day work weeks. 
• Internet is relatively fast here and easy to find. 
• While it's clear that Hargeisa is developing and is lacking proper infrastructure, it's easy to find nice food and coffee, and even stores seem to sell a relatively decent selection of items (for very cheap prices). I'm still a bit confused how this can happen since most other African countries I've visited are not actually that cheap if you choose to live a more "western" lifestyle. 
• In two or so weeks Ramadan will start and I'm not sure how this will affect my working schedule. Pretty much everything closes down during the day so I will definitely have to be cooking for myself. 

 That's all for now. Hopefully I manage to write more coherent and interesting posts in the future!