My, what an interesting Ramadan and Eid it’s been. Things are slowly settling down. People are getting back into their routines. Schools have yet to re-open, but already you can feel the back to school blues setting in on young childrens faces.
Let me try to summarize my Ramadan for you:
1- Joy
2- Shock
3- Disappointment
4- Fatigue
5- Sadness
I felt joyful that I got to see my brother who lives in the US this Ramadan. I got a chance to spend a little time with young nephew, who has grown up so much.
I felt shock when I first heard about the Pakistan flood. 14 million people displaced. It’s so easy to write the number, but difficult to put it into perspective. Imagine if you may, the population of Jeddah, Dammam, and Riyadh put together, and you still haven’t reached 14 million people. What really shocked me was the slow and sometimes unavailable response by the world. Chile and Haiti got an immediate response, and the disasters there are dwarfed in comparison. Not that I’m downplaying the disasters in Chile and Haiti. People in need are people in need, whether they are Haitian, Chilean or Pakistanis. I’m happy that the response finally came. The King kicked off the Pakistan Relief effort, as did many groups.
I was disappointed to see that even after all these years, Jeddah airport is still the cesspool. Severe lack of order, lack of leadership, lack of discipline, and just a lack of heart on the part of the employees. Flights were delayed because the airport could not handle the influx of travelers trying to get to Makkah and back again. It’s beyond being disappointing, it’s now an official tragedy.
I felt fatigued, as did so many of us. Lack of sleep during the Eid days really took a lot out of me, and the ensuing night/day shift in our sleeping patterns is still taking a toll on me. I’m still trying to reconfigure my internal clock, but it’s more resistant than I expected.
I felt sadness as Ramadan came and went. The few days of Eid were nice, got to see my family and friends, but I always feel a sense of emptiness as these people all go back to their lives. These few wonderful days we share filled with laughter and hugs, just go by so fast. Before I knew it, I was saying good-bye to my brother at the airport. We would have to make do with skype and e-mails and texts.
All in all, it was a good Eid. Just being blessed to have your family and loved ones around you is more than enough. I pray that you all had a wonderful Eid with your families and friends, and May Allah grant you many more in good health and happiness.
