Back in the Saddle

I arrived back in Sefrou almost two weeks ago into a country two weeks into the month of Ramadan during the hotest time of the year. I could see a change in the people when and if you saw more than a handful during the daylight hours. They looked tired and in general a litle pissed, but as the time to break fast approach I saw more and more people on the streets, vendors were out selling food, cafes are filled with people just sitting and staring, not drinking and very little conversation. This was the time i would head back out to get my staples and observe... there was tension in the air and almost as if on schedule everyday, the square I reside turned into a mass of honking horns, people yelling and my two favorite hand gestures here. First, bring your hand up to the side of your head and turn your wrist as if you are screwing in a light bulb... two or three quick turns of the wrist, this is the sign for "ARE YOU F'en CRAZY!". The next is the the arm gesture and flip of the wrist over to palm up... so arm at a lose 90 degree angle in front of you and the flip of the wrist along with a slight movement of the arm to the side. This means many things but lately in my area it means "Iam walking here... think of Dustin Hoffman in Midnight Cowboy... with out the pounding of the car but the same voice level. Why there are not more fist fight amazes me... back in the States fists would be flying. One thing I will say is that when an altercation is happening by standers will intercede into the argument and most times they stop the argument from turn ugly with god phrases and wrapping their arms around one of the potential combatants. Once again to compare this to my world in the States if there is an agument between two people and a third jumps into the mix even as a peacemaker... it becomes like the old thirdman in a hockey fight... that person is now fair game.

Fasting: Well outside of one day that I cheated and had water during the day (it was close to 100 degrees) I fasted from 4AM until 6:30-7ish each day I was here during Ramadan... why you may ask, I have no good answer besides one I love a challenge and two it was the respectful thing to try to do. I found that everyone I met asked me if I was fasting, if I was muslim and when I answered yes and no they would smile and say t-bark allah. I never had anyone check my mouth to see if it was parch and white from the lack of water. I am not sure how many people in my town are "strict, by the book" muslims, but during ramadan everyone appears to fast and take the religion to a higher level.
Heat and drawing: Well the downside is that since my sleep schedule is ass backwards (I sleep from 4:30AM until 10-11AM) and the heat of midday and glaring light has mad it difficult to get up or out to paint or draw. I have instead played with my website (www.jameswilliamflynn.com) and updated the look and function, yet I miss the drawing and never feel quite right unless I have done a drawing or 10 a day. Lets hope I get back to it this week...inshallah.
PeaceCorps: Well Ramadan sucks the life out of any PC work I had been working on and between the lack of real work, not drawing much at all and a flipped sleeping schedule I have been like a caged lion pacing my home and town... I never do well with too much down time and look forward to the fall months, with many projects to move to the front burner and the end of the heat. Looking forward to see what Sefrou is like in the fall
Salam-