Ramadan Kareem (2012)

That time of year has come upon us once again, Ramadan! There are many reasons it's my favorite month (apart from the religious and spiritual context). Here are a few:

• Vimto becomes the official drink of the month (Vimto gets the BIGGEST boost in sales during this month alone!).
• Less work, more sleep (never managed not napping in the evening).
• Some people are calmer, more friendly (note the word "some").
• For some reason food is much tastier.
• Related to the above, some food I only enjoy or even eat during Ramadan (like Harees ).
• Roads and some places are much calmer after breaking fast.
• You have an excuse to stay up at night (or until dawn for some people :-/).
• Tents, tents and more tents!
• You may end up being invited to someone's every day for the rest of the month to break fast (this can also be a downside).
• Eid comes right after .

Of course it's not all fun and games, there are a few downsides:

• A lot of food is wasted… Come on, you know you won't eat that whole dish! I at least get full pretty fast during Ramadan.
• If you do eat the whole dish above: some people end up in the hospital's ER soon after breaking fast. Take it easy .
• Some places do not reopen later, so if you need something you better get it in the morning.
• Some people get grumpy during the month. I blame either lack of sleep or their low glucose levels.
• Low sugar levels + driving + getting to or from work in a hurry = accidents (plus grumpy drivers).
• You feel like you haven't done anything productive in the day, especially if you end up sleeping to pass time.
• It's summer, and Bahrain has been witnessing the hottest months in history lately (May 2012 was the hottest in 100 years).

To sum everything up, I wish everyone a Ramadan Kareem