Ramadan1 in America

By Amirah Ahmad

穆斯林斋月之际，信仰该教的人们会按照教义规定进行斋戒活动。这项活动表面上是对食物的限制，实际上却是让人们借此净化心灵，感悟生活，感激拥有的一切。正所谓只有失去时，方知珍惜。参与这样的活动，的的确确是一场对心灵的修炼。

Grocery trips have never been as painful as they are now.

The hunger that makes its presence known with a vicious growl can only indicate one thing: Ramadan is here.2. 如果人们饥饿到极点，肠胃咕咕地狂叫，那就说明一件事情：斋月来了。vicious: 剧烈的，严重的；growl: 咆哮。

The holiest month of the year, Ramadan is a period of time in which Muslims around the world fast and reflect on their spirituality.3. holiest:（holy的最高级形式）最为神圣的；fast:v. 禁食；reflect on: 反思；spirituality: 精神，灵性。Ramadan is a time to devoutly practice and emphasize the three of the five key components of Islam: fasting, praying recitation of the Holy Quran, and giving charity.4. devoutly: 虔诚地；recitation: 背诵；Holy Quran: 《古兰经》，又译《可兰经》，是伊斯兰教的根本经典。This isn’t to say that these principles are not highly regarded during the regular months, however Ramadan is a holy month where Muslims are encouraged to reevaluate their lives as Muslims. This is a time for purification5. purification: 净化。of the soul. Furthermore, this spiritual reflection comes with self-sacrifice6. self-sacrifice: 自我牺牲。.

Muslims over the age of 18 who have stable health are obligated to7. be obligated to: 有责任，有义务。fast. This means that from sunrise to sunset, Muslims refrain from8. refrain from: 克制，忍住。eating and drinking. Thus, my typical schedule is as follows:

1. Ramadan: 斋月，是伊斯兰教历第九个月，因教义规定穆斯林在该月履行斋戒功课而定名，是穆斯林修炼心性的宗教活动。

4:00 a.m.: Wake up and pray

4:25 a.m.: Head downstairs to eat in preparation for the fast

4:40 a.m.: Come upstairs, pray, and go to bed

11:00 a.m. —8:30 p.m.: Carry out regular duties, say my prayers, read the Quran, and read Islamic books

8:30 p.m.: Open the fast and eat dinner

12:00 a.m.: Go to bed

As you can see, my sleeping schedule has been disrupted9. disrupt: 破坏，中断。but that’s a little price to pay for spiritual reflection. What’s more bothersome10. bothersome: 麻烦的，令人讨厌的。, however,is the hunger and the thirst during such a hot month of July. Though I refrain from rigorous11. rigorous: 严格的。physical activity and spending time outside, the days I’m working at the dog resort are most difficult. My job requires me constantly stepping outside for short 5 minute walks with each of the dogs. What’s more, I typically have to ascend two flights of stairs just to get to the main yard where we walk the dogs.12. ascend: 爬； flight of stairs: 楼梯的一段。Climbing an average of 50 steps of stairs for every dog, and walking nearly 15 dogs 3 times a day in humid 85 degree Fahrenheit weather, you can assume I get thirsty.13. 在华氏85度潮湿的天气里，我每天要遛大概15只狗，一天三次，而且遛每只狗都要爬平均50个台阶。可想而知，我有多么口渴。humid: 潮湿的；degree Fahrenheit: 华氏温度，85华氏度约等于30摄氏度。

Even running errands can be brutal.14. run errand: 跑跑腿；brutal: 残忍的。A trip to the mall to return or purchase an item is never complete without sniffing the delicious smells that permeate from the dozens of restaurants and fast food joints.15. sniff: 闻；permeate: 渗透，弥漫。Passing by the food court, I can even hear the sizzle of fried rice or beef on the grill from Panda Express and the divine cinnamon and sugar aroma coming from the Cinnabon shop legitimately makes my mouth water.16. 路过美食街时，我甚至可以听到熊猫快餐的烤架上炒饭或烤牛肉的嘶嘶声，面包店里喷香的肉桂和糖香让我不由地直流口水。sizzle: 嘶嘶声；grill: 烤架；Panda Express: 熊猫快餐，美国著名的中餐连锁店；cinnamon: 肉桂。The grocery store,however, may be the most torturous17. torturous: 折磨人的。of all destinations.

The colorful isles filled with cartons and boxes of cookies, crackers, cereals, candy, chips,bread, and more are all too tempting.18. isle: 小岛，这里指一个个食品区；carton: 纸盒，纸箱；cracker: 咸饼干； cereal: 谷类食品；tempting: 吸引人的，有诱惑的。We all know what we end up with when grocery shopping with an empty stomach: a full shopping cart. Everything I can possibly desire I stack in my shopping cart, which isn’t the best decision considering my cravings are all junk food.19. 我把所有想要的东西都堆在购物车里，虽然这并非最好的选择——因为都是一些垃圾食品。stack: 堆积；craving:渴望。What’s more,I occasionally simply skip the produce section since it doesn’t look nearly as appealing as that carton of coffee ice cream with swirls of fudge and balls of cookie dough in the next isle.20. 此外，我有时会直接跳过农产品区，因为相比下一区那些带有软糖的成盒的咖啡冰淇淋和球形曲奇饼而言，这些东西看上去并不是那么吸引人。produce:农产品；fudge: 软糖；cookie dough: 曲奇饼。Come time for opening the fast, however, I regret my unhealthy decisions as I look upon a counter filled with junk food and nothing to nourish my hungry stomach.21. counter: 柜台；nourish:提供营养。

Despite these daily dilemmas22. dilemma: 困境。, however, Ramadan has given me the opportunity to reflect. As I sit at my desk working on the computer, hearing nothing but my hunger growls, I realize just how grateful I really am. Not only can I eat food whenever I need, I can eat food whenever I want. What’s more, the clothes on my back and the shoes on my feet are blessings in themselves.

I have everything to be grateful for. My appreciation for my life came as an epiphany23. epiphany: 对事物真谛的顿悟。. In fact, it came as soon as I woke up from a nap24. nap: 小睡。. About two weeks ago,I fell asleep on the couch after a tiring day at work. An hour and a half later, I awoke to an eerie stillness in my house.25. eerie: 可怕的；stillness:寂静。Considering there are five other family members residing in the same house as me, this lack of activity caught me off guard26. catch sb. off guard: 让某人措手不及。when I suddenly realized I was home alone. Just to check, I walked over to the door leading to the deck27. deck: （房屋的）露天平台。. That was unlocked. Surprised that my family would leave it unlocked,I locked it. I checked the garage28. garage: 车库。door, which was also unlocked. I locked it. Hoping that my family had at least the decency to ensure the front door was locked, I walked over to the front door. Unlocked.

Although I was angry at the carelessness of my family members, the incident made me realize how lucky I truly was to live in an area where a girl can safely sleep in her abandoned house alone with all gateways open.

Along with this new thankfulness of life, I have found time to cleanse my soul.I have come to realize that fasting does not only cleanse the physical body, but also the spiritual. As I draw back from the hustle and bustle29. hustle and bustle: 喧闹，熙熙攘攘。of regular life, I reflect on the more important things. It’s refreshing to take a step back, just so that you can step back into life on the right foot.