Ramadan
Well, it’s been a nice four days of (un)strenuous teaching here in the lovely hamlet of Madiun. Ramadan is in full effect, which means classes have been cut in half, shortening days so that they end before noon, in time for a nice long afternoon nap. I was fasting the first day, Monday, for Yom Kippur, and I could easily share in the teachers’ and students’ pain of having to suffer through teaching and paying attention while starving. As an added bonus, the hot season is coming to an end with a roaring finale, and temperatures have been hot and the air particularly dry every day.
While my fast ended on Monday, I’d reckon 95% of the students and teachers observe the Muslim version of the month-long puasa. They wake up at 3AM, jam a full day's worth of food, pray at 4AM, maybe go back to sleep for an hour, and then wake up at 5:30AM, pray again, and head to school, which still begins at 6:30AM. I would say that I’ve been pretty considerate of everyone, making a point not to drink or eat in public. I did slip-up today, though. While teaching, I took out my water bottle, and took a nice long pull. When I heard moans and groans coming from throughout the class, I looked towards my students to see them eyeing me like a pack of hungry hungry hippos. Ma’af!
I have filled my days with a bit of extra work. In exchange for a custom tailored Batik dress shirt, I’m editing a teacher’s PhD thesis on idioms in nineteenth and twentieth century American Western novels. Some of the idioms he has underlined include “He thrust his enormous penis in and out of her, tearing her apart” and “She watched him gliding in and out of her.” Idioms? Right.
I also spoke at the local university again yesterday. This was a class of future nurses, all except one of the fifty late-adolescent women. You can imagine what sort of stir I made. When I told them that my Mom is a doctor (HI MOM!), the whole class began clapping and cheering for her. Sorry, Dad, no such luck for “medicine business!”
In any case, I’m off again on another holiday – if you can believe it! This one is the real deal. I won’t be back in Madiun until November 1st. That’s over three weeks – simply ridiculous. I’m meeting my buddies John and Ethan in Padang, West Sumatra tomorrow afternoon, where we’ll put together an itinerary for the next ten days.
Please don’t get nervous if you don’t hear from me for a while. There’s a good chance that I’ll be heading into the bush, away from internet, electricity, and cell phone service. Wish me luck!Ramadan
Well, it’s been a nice four days of (un)strenuous teaching here in the lovely hamlet of Madiun. Ramadan is in full effect, which means classes have been cut in half, shortening days so that they end before noon, in time for a nice long afternoon nap. I was fasting the first day, Monday, for Yom Kippur, and I could easily share in the teachers’ and students’ pain of having to suffer through teaching and paying attention while starving. As an added bonus, the hot season is coming to an end with a roaring finale, and temperatures have been hot and the air particularly dry every day.
While my fast ended on Monday, I’d reckon 95% of the students and teachers observe the puasa. They wake up at 3AM, jam a full days worth of food, pray at 4AM, maybe go back to sleep for an hour, and then wake up at 5:30AM, pray again, and head to school, which still begins at 6:30AM. I would say that I’ve been pretty considerate of everyone, making a point not to drink or eat in public. I did slip-up today, though. While teaching, I took out my water bottle, and took a nice long pull. When I heard moans and groans coming from throughout the class, I looked towards my students to see them eyeing me like a pack of hungry hungry hippos. Ma’af!
I have filled my days with a bit of extra work. In exchange for a custom tailored Batik dress shirt, I’m editing a teacher’s PhD thesis on idioms in nineteenth and twentieth century American Western novels. Some of the idioms he has underlined include “He thrust his enormous penis in and out of her, tearing her apart” and “She watched him gliding in and out of her.” Idioms? Right.
I also spoke at the local university again yesterday. This was a class of future nurses, all except one of the fifty late-adolescent women. You can imagine what sort of stir I made. When I told them that my Mom is a doctor (HI MOM!), the whole class began clapping and cheering for her. Sorry, Dad, no such luck for “medicine business!”
In any case, I’m off again on another holiday – if you can believe it! This one is the real deal. I won’t be back in Madiun until November 1st. That’s over three weeks – simply ridiculous. I’m meeting my buddies John and Ethan in Padang, West Sumatra tomorrow afternoon, where we’ll put together an itinerary for the next ten days.
Please don’t get nervous if you don’t hear from me for a while. There’s a good chance that I’ll be heading into the bush, away from internet, electricity, and cell phone service. Wish me luck!
While my fast ended on Monday, I’d reckon 95% of the students and teachers observe the Muslim version of the month-long puasa. They wake up at 3AM, jam a full day's worth of food, pray at 4AM, maybe go back to sleep for an hour, and then wake up at 5:30AM, pray again, and head to school, which still begins at 6:30AM. I would say that I’ve been pretty considerate of everyone, making a point not to drink or eat in public. I did slip-up today, though. While teaching, I took out my water bottle, and took a nice long pull. When I heard moans and groans coming from throughout the class, I looked towards my students to see them eyeing me like a pack of hungry hungry hippos. Ma’af!
I have filled my days with a bit of extra work. In exchange for a custom tailored Batik dress shirt, I’m editing a teacher’s PhD thesis on idioms in nineteenth and twentieth century American Western novels. Some of the idioms he has underlined include “He thrust his enormous penis in and out of her, tearing her apart” and “She watched him gliding in and out of her.” Idioms? Right.
I also spoke at the local university again yesterday. This was a class of future nurses, all except one of the fifty late-adolescent women. You can imagine what sort of stir I made. When I told them that my Mom is a doctor (HI MOM!), the whole class began clapping and cheering for her. Sorry, Dad, no such luck for “medicine business!”
In any case, I’m off again on another holiday – if you can believe it! This one is the real deal. I won’t be back in Madiun until November 1st. That’s over three weeks – simply ridiculous. I’m meeting my buddies John and Ethan in Padang, West Sumatra tomorrow afternoon, where we’ll put together an itinerary for the next ten days.
Please don’t get nervous if you don’t hear from me for a while. There’s a good chance that I’ll be heading into the bush, away from internet, electricity, and cell phone service. Wish me luck!Ramadan
Well, it’s been a nice four days of (un)strenuous teaching here in the lovely hamlet of Madiun. Ramadan is in full effect, which means classes have been cut in half, shortening days so that they end before noon, in time for a nice long afternoon nap. I was fasting the first day, Monday, for Yom Kippur, and I could easily share in the teachers’ and students’ pain of having to suffer through teaching and paying attention while starving. As an added bonus, the hot season is coming to an end with a roaring finale, and temperatures have been hot and the air particularly dry every day.
While my fast ended on Monday, I’d reckon 95% of the students and teachers observe the puasa. They wake up at 3AM, jam a full days worth of food, pray at 4AM, maybe go back to sleep for an hour, and then wake up at 5:30AM, pray again, and head to school, which still begins at 6:30AM. I would say that I’ve been pretty considerate of everyone, making a point not to drink or eat in public. I did slip-up today, though. While teaching, I took out my water bottle, and took a nice long pull. When I heard moans and groans coming from throughout the class, I looked towards my students to see them eyeing me like a pack of hungry hungry hippos. Ma’af!
I have filled my days with a bit of extra work. In exchange for a custom tailored Batik dress shirt, I’m editing a teacher’s PhD thesis on idioms in nineteenth and twentieth century American Western novels. Some of the idioms he has underlined include “He thrust his enormous penis in and out of her, tearing her apart” and “She watched him gliding in and out of her.” Idioms? Right.
I also spoke at the local university again yesterday. This was a class of future nurses, all except one of the fifty late-adolescent women. You can imagine what sort of stir I made. When I told them that my Mom is a doctor (HI MOM!), the whole class began clapping and cheering for her. Sorry, Dad, no such luck for “medicine business!”
In any case, I’m off again on another holiday – if you can believe it! This one is the real deal. I won’t be back in Madiun until November 1st. That’s over three weeks – simply ridiculous. I’m meeting my buddies John and Ethan in Padang, West Sumatra tomorrow afternoon, where we’ll put together an itinerary for the next ten days.
Please don’t get nervous if you don’t hear from me for a while. There’s a good chance that I’ll be heading into the bush, away from internet, electricity, and cell phone service. Wish me luck!
posted by Nick Taranto | 12:06 AM
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