Ramadan is the holiest month in Islam. It basically is a time of reflection where devout Muslims fast so they can realize what it is to live like those who are not as fortunate as they are. They abstain from food, drinking (even water), music, dancing, and basically everything that people find fun. From sunrise to sunset you are not allowed to chew gum, or eat or drink water in public and everything must be done behind closed doors.
As a Westerner this is of course difficult. And most people don't realize how tempting a water fountain is when you are walking in the heat over here until you can't drink from it. It's almost a natural reaction to being thirsty. While I have not personally done it, I have had to coach several of my staff about it. It kind of slips the mind.
No, I am not fasting. But I have several friends over here who are (some are not even Muslim). Personally, I have been homeless (I had places to stay, even if it was my car... but I have gone without a steady place to live before), I have had to choose not to eat so I can have money to pay bills. I know what it means to be poor (even if we as Americans have little idea what it means to be truly poor), and while I can respect and understand why people fast over here, I am not partaking in it.
The new store is coming along pretty good. We were supposed to open in two days, but we had to push everything back due to construction. So now the date is August 17th. We actually start our first mock mocks today, practicing what we have learned over the last week of training as well as Ramadan service. It will be interesting to see what happens when we fill up the restaurant with hungry people and then have to cook all their food at the same time!
Still feeling a bit isolated, though not as badly as I was a week ago. I have not had the opportunity to get to know my staff that well, since I have been working on alot of projects for the store. Andrei and I have gotten alot of practice at moving boxes though. Thousands of plates and glasses, loading into the restaurant, then back into storage, then rearranging storage, then rearranging it again, then putting more back in the restaurant, then back to storage, then loading it up onto a truck to take back to the warehouse and today... rearranging dry storage again. I suppose this is part of the fun of having an offsite walk-in and dry storage.
I was so burned out on people yesterday from my last week of work that I might have spoken eight words all day and barely left my apartment Sometimes I wonder why I still do this kind of work with how much I dislike crowds and large groups of people, but then I remember that this is the only way I have been able to have the human interaction that I need. I learned a long time ago that I never do things the easy way, I always go way over the top, or not enough.
I suppose I should work on that.
I miss MOE. The staff was like family. I know that DBX will be the same, it is like saying goodbye to friends you see everyday. We will drift apart as friends so often do (just like the ones back home) and I will have to make more friends.
Have I mentioned that I dislike making new friends?
Life is going to be a bit hectic over the next few weeks as DBX opens its doors and I only get one day off a week (been that way for the last month or so) and work 70-80 hours a week (tired lol), but I will do my best to keep putting up blogs and hopefully put up the three chapters I have ready to post.
See you all on the flip side.
As a Westerner this is of course difficult. And most people don't realize how tempting a water fountain is when you are walking in the heat over here until you can't drink from it. It's almost a natural reaction to being thirsty. While I have not personally done it, I have had to coach several of my staff about it. It kind of slips the mind.
No, I am not fasting. But I have several friends over here who are (some are not even Muslim). Personally, I have been homeless (I had places to stay, even if it was my car... but I have gone without a steady place to live before), I have had to choose not to eat so I can have money to pay bills. I know what it means to be poor (even if we as Americans have little idea what it means to be truly poor), and while I can respect and understand why people fast over here, I am not partaking in it.
The new store is coming along pretty good. We were supposed to open in two days, but we had to push everything back due to construction. So now the date is August 17th. We actually start our first mock mocks today, practicing what we have learned over the last week of training as well as Ramadan service. It will be interesting to see what happens when we fill up the restaurant with hungry people and then have to cook all their food at the same time!
Still feeling a bit isolated, though not as badly as I was a week ago. I have not had the opportunity to get to know my staff that well, since I have been working on alot of projects for the store. Andrei and I have gotten alot of practice at moving boxes though. Thousands of plates and glasses, loading into the restaurant, then back into storage, then rearranging storage, then rearranging it again, then putting more back in the restaurant, then back to storage, then loading it up onto a truck to take back to the warehouse and today... rearranging dry storage again. I suppose this is part of the fun of having an offsite walk-in and dry storage.
I was so burned out on people yesterday from my last week of work that I might have spoken eight words all day and barely left my apartment Sometimes I wonder why I still do this kind of work with how much I dislike crowds and large groups of people, but then I remember that this is the only way I have been able to have the human interaction that I need. I learned a long time ago that I never do things the easy way, I always go way over the top, or not enough.
I suppose I should work on that.
I miss MOE. The staff was like family. I know that DBX will be the same, it is like saying goodbye to friends you see everyday. We will drift apart as friends so often do (just like the ones back home) and I will have to make more friends.
Have I mentioned that I dislike making new friends?
Life is going to be a bit hectic over the next few weeks as DBX opens its doors and I only get one day off a week (been that way for the last month or so) and work 70-80 hours a week (tired lol), but I will do my best to keep putting up blogs and hopefully put up the three chapters I have ready to post.
See you all on the flip side.
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