The month of Ramadan is a time of fasting, reflection, prayer and study of the Koran for the Muslims of the world, and In Cairo it is no different. Except that Cairo is a huge metropolis teeming with at least 18 million inhabitants. Usually Cairenes (I've seen that term in the guidebooks, is that really what you call people who live in Cairo in English?) are yelling conversations over the incessant honking, the roar of wall-air conditioning units and old diesel engines rattling by. This yelling mayhem continues during Ramadan, but only before around 4-5pm, and after about 7:30pm. Between about 5 and 7:30pm...the city is quiet. Yes, I used the word quiet to describe Cairo. It's almost eerie. These past few evenings Justin and I have been heading out around sunset to just walk. It's a beautiful time to walk with a breeze moving across the city as the hot sun makes way for a cooler evening. Right around 4pm is when most businesses are pulling down their metal security rolley doors and heading home for Iftar (the breaking of the fast). Iftar is an affair that most in Cairo spend with friends and family if at all possible. So around 5:30pm (sunset has been around 6:10 the last few days) the streets are steadily emptying, with a few cars zooming past as they rush to make it home for Iftar with their family. Those who can't leave work to celebrate Iftar such as some larger grocery stores or security guards, simply break fast on the job. The formal grocery stores close their doors for about an hour during Iftar, and employees break fast together. The security guards and military men guarding embassies and companies simply plunk down on the ground in a circle, AK-47s leaning against their backs, in front of the door they're guarding and enjoy a meal together. After a few days of observation we realized the government posted military men all eat Iftar out of the same boxes. Then we saw a restaurant loading up truck after truck with those boxes. We've come to the conclusion that the government provides Iftar for men on the job, but I haven't had a chance to ask anyone to confirm. While walking around town we've been able to see some businesses sitting down for a meal in their shop behind glass storefronts. Laughing and eating after having not had a thing to not eat drink or smoke all day. Did I mention it's really hot in Cairo right now. AUC's class schedule is completely turned around for Ramadan so that students are able to celebrate Iftar with their families. My classes are all night classes, generally 4:30 or 5 until around 8pm. But for Ramadan we are all meeting between 8-10:30pm. It's traditional for Muslims to break their fast during Ramadan with a date each evening. I've had fun observing folks breaking fast with dates while still on the street. Just the other evening, I was leaving the metro station on my way to AUC right around sunset. The call to prayer signifying sunset was still ringing about the city when a woman walking opposite toward me, chewing on a few dates, handed the rest of her bag to share with an older gentlemen with a cane walking the same direction as I in front of me. Pleasantries and blessings were exchanged without either breaking pace as they headed in opposite directions of each other, strangers sharing a piece of Iftar. Many restaurants, during Iftar have large tables they set out, way out into the street for folks to break their fast. The fancy restaurants around town all have Iftar specials, inviting the wealthy to enjoy Iftar with family in friends with deluxe accomodations. Ramadan does not just include Iftar, it also includes Sohour which is an early morning meal before the sun rises. Since we've moved into our apartment, around 1:30am every night/morning a man walks up and down our block with a small drum he holds in his arms. He beats the drum walking slowly up the block, then slowly back down, chanting a melody in time with the drum. Well, this was really a mystery to Justin and I. 1:30am, this random guy banging a drum walks slowly up our block and down it. We really didn't get it. I would start to hear the drum and race to the window overlooking the street to try and watch the guy and hear what he was chanting. Well, it turns out this guy is waking everyone up for Sohour! It's a traditional aspect of Ramadan. It's such an obvious aspect to Muslims, but we were just totally baffled! Have I mentioned that our windows don't seal? There's about an 1/8 to a 1/4 inch between our windows and their frames, so when a guy walks up and down the street chanting with a drum it's really not something we could ignore. It's also hard to ignore the temper tantrums of the bowabs two year old when he errupts just beneath our window. But that's another story. I'm including a few pictures that have nothing to do with this post. A few of the neighborhood we're living in, a pic of me with the stack of reading for three out of my four classes this semester. I'm really excited about my classes, I think they're going to be good and challenging. I'm gearing up for a year of studying and writing papers.