Spiritual rituals

We're half-way into the Holy month of Ramadan... If you want to belong in this society, and stop feeling isolated, take part in the rites and rituals of Ramadan. Fast from dawn to dusk--denying yourself water, cigarettes, sex, food, and intravenous injections. Attend the Salat prayers, and read from the Holy Koran. At dusk, go to the mosque, and with the call to Maghrib prayer, break your fast with a dried date, fresh guava juice, and water provided by charitable families living near the mosque. After the prayer, go home to the sumptious meal the women-folk have prepared from what you had earlier bought at the markets--a water melon the size of your fist, fresh frozen fish, some barely edible leaves, and anything else that had caught your hungry eyes, including some mouldy sticks of tapioca. After the meal, and a cigarette or two, go back to the mosque for the Isha prayer, and Tharaaveeh prayers (depending on your patience, and devotion to God on the night). It is then time to visit friends and family, tasting their juices, fries, bakes, roasts, and boils. Then, when your stomach grows to rest behind your throat, go home to sit infront of the TV with your women-folk, and enjoy the special Ramadan fare from TV Maldives: the singing and dancing, the game shows, the tele-dramas, and the cooking show that inspires the women-folk with what to prepare for "fast-breaking" tomorrow. Have a late supper, and then go to sleep, ready for the next Ramadan day's rituals and rites.

I've never felt comfortable going through rituals more complicated then shaking hands with people I meet, or saying "Hello" when answering the phone. This Ramadan is, as usual, a painful experience of isolation and disorientation. I need a cigarette, and it's only 11:30am--six more hours to wait...