#They have respect for each other (even if Rama is like more tolerant)

[yore-donatsu]

We're going to smash you !

Fighting is one of the things they have in common

To Mondatta's detriment

[shystoryrebel]

Snowy January

Through the snowy January nightfall, upshots of thirty-one days snow fall, the news spread like a forest fire—the rumour or reality, nobody knows.  Something about Ayesha and a Pundit boy. Molested, hugged, romanced, love: none of them, sitting in a Madarsa after the Friday prayers, noon where the deodar trees stirred, covered with snow, cooling all, the cold breeze, hitting them, in frequent gush of decayed anger, their own stale breathing, knew exactly nothing what happened.

“He was Shankar Pundit,” said Maulvi Akbar. He was a young boy; a long, slim, fair-coloured boy with attractive features, who was counting the notes. “I know Shankar Pundit. He’s a shrewd pundit boy. And I know Ayesha too.”

“How do you know her?” a second teacher asked.

“What do you know about her?” a student asked. “A beautiful girl?”

“No,” the teacher said. “She is about thirty, she is divorced.”

That’s why she has no respect... “

“Respect, hell!” a bearded, strong built youth shouted. “Won’t you take a Muslim woman’s word before a pundit’s?”

“I don’t believe Ayesha will seduce a Pundit boy of twenty two.” The teacher said.  “I know Ayesha.”

“If women get old without getting married, their attraction for boys goes down---“Said Maulvi Akbar.

“I don’t believe anybody did ant-thing. Nothing happened.” I leave it to you to decide.

“Then you’re a hell of a pundit man,” the students muttered angrily.

“You don’t understand?” He said. “You accuse a Muslim woman a lie?”

The maulvi held the book, opened to teach to his students. He did not look around.

“It’s this cold weather,” another student said, “It’s enough to make any man hot do anything. Even to an old lady like Ayesha.”

All remained serious. Maulana said in his mulish tone: “I am’t defending the pundit boy. I know well and you fellows too, how a woman that never…”

“You damn kafir lover!” the student said.

“Shut up, paid rioter,” scolded the teacher. “We will first inquire about the incident and has enough time to act.”

“Nobody will touch him. The student murmured. “Facts, hell! I want him stoned to death. I am an expert stone pelter.”

“You’re comfortable with Hindu kafirs,” the student retorted. “Aren’t you?” You tell them Babur, “he said to the student. “You can add up on me, even if I am not only a muajjim and a stranger.”

“That’s right, students!” the teacher said. “Find out the truth first. I know Shankar Pundit.

“Shut up, Imran,” the second student said. “We have enough time to punish him.”

“Well, Allah!” the student shouted. “You think a kafir in this town…?”

Babur could not digest this. “Do you claim that anyone excuses a Hindu attacking a Muslim woman? You better go back to Vaishno Devi temple. Valley, Kashmir valley doesn’t want your presence here.

“Vaishno Devi what?” the second student said. “I was born and brought up in this valley.” He was baffled and shocked. He was ready for any tussle. He drew folded his sleeve. “Damm if I’m going to tolerate a Muslim woman---.”

“You tell them, Babur,” the muajjim said. Allah if they---.”

The main gate of the madrasa opens with a crash. A stoutly built man stood at the door, his long beard floating. He was wearing long black kurta, wore a round- skull cap. His hot, aggressive and violent looks created a sense of fear in the group. His name was Taimur. He was a local goon.

“Well,” he shouted, “You keep on delivering sermons and let a Hindu boy rape a Muslim woman on the streets of Islam Nagar?”

Getting support, the muajjim was very excited. His beard was floating like kabaylees. His armpits were stinking. “That’s what I have been telling them!” he repeated his hot tone.

“Did anything really happen?” third student asked. “Every time, everybody can’t watch her undress, on the river bank, like Shahrukh bhai says?”

“What?” a shocked student said. “What is that?” The teacher asked them to remain silent and pay attention to Quran and its teachings.

Aamir, flattered the third student. “You are waiting to happen?” Are you going to let the Hindu boys do what they like until you get evidence?”

“I am telling the same!” Aurangzeb shouted, cursing everybody.

“Here, here,” fourth student Nadir whispered. “Not so loud. Don’t talk so loud.”

“Right,” Aamir said; “no need of talking at all. It is enough of talks. Who’s accompanying me?” He rubbed his buttocks violently.

Maulvi Akbar silenced all. “First find out the facts students. I know Shankar Pundit. It wasn’t him. Let’s discuss with Haji ji and act accordingly”

Aamir angrily twisted his furious face. Maulana Akbar did not pay any attention to Aamir. They looked like Shia and Sunni sects. The other teachers pretended to be talking with the students. “You mean to tell me that you’d give more weight to a Hindu’s word over a Muslim woman’s? You damn kafir lovers---.” Aamir said.

Another student Laden rose and silenced Aamir: he too was also a local goon. “Now, enough is enough. Let’s figure out our action plan. Actually nobody knows, what actually happened.”  

“Figure out, my foot!” Aamir jerked his fists. “All there’re with me get here from here. The ones that ain’t---.” He stared his gaze and pushed his arms across the road.  

Four men rose. The students also got up. “Here,” they said, throwing their books; We are with him. We don’t want to live but by Allah, if our daughters and sisters and mothers---.” Aamir stood in the floor and abused other of enjoying free electricity and heating, donated by kafirs to keep the mouth shut. Another rose and moved with them. The leftovers sat awkwardly, ignoring one another and then one by one rose and joined the killing squad.

Maulvi collected the books from the floor. “Students, don’t attack him. Shankar Pundit can’t do it. I know him.”

Hot headed Aamir shouted, “Come on," He almost ran. From his long kurta pocket pulled out the butt of a heavy automatic revolver. They ran out. The madrasa door crashed be-hind them reverberant in the chill air.

Maulvi Akbar collected the books careful-ly and swiftly, and put them away, and ran to his room, and took his skull cap from the wall. "I'll be back soon as I can," he said to the other teachers. "I will help my people —" He went out, running. The two other Maulvis followed him to the door and accompanied him, leaning out and looking up the street after him. The air was silent and cold. It had a freezing cold at the base of the tongue.

"What can we do?" the first asked. The second one was saying "Allah ho Akbar," under his breath. "If he gets angry Aamir, today will be last day" “Allah ho Akbar," the second whispered.

"You think he really has relation with her.?" the first said.

II

She was thirty-one or thirty-two. She lived in a small-old house with her invalid brother and a thin, dirty, depraved uncle, where each morning, between five and six, she would appear on the roof covering her face with a hijab, to sit in the floor and listen the aarti from a Hindu temple. After dinner she takes rest for a while, until the afternoon began to cool. Then, in one of the three or four new salwar-kameej which she would go down-town to spend the afternoon in the local market with the other ladies, where they would bargain the prices in cold, pressing voices, without any fear of refusal by the sellers.

She was of at ease people— not the best in Muhammadabad, but liked by the sober people—and she ordinary-looking, with a brilliant, faintly faded manner and dress. When she was a student she had had a slim, nervous looks and a sort of rigidness which had enabled her to popular of the town's social life as epitomized by the farewell high-school party and jamat-social period of her age group while still children, without any class consciousness.

Very late she realized that she was maturing; that those among whom she had been a little attractive looks than any other were launching to learn the satisfaction of snobbery. But her face began to carry that dazzling but almost faded look. She still carried it to parties on dimly lit halls and summer lawns, like a cover, with that confusion and irate denial of truth in her appearance. One evening at a party she heard a boy and two girls, all school- mates, called her aunty. She stopped going to parties.  

She gazed at the girls with whom she had grown up as they married and got families and scores of children, but no man ever paid any attention on her steadily but the children of the other girls had been calling her "aunty" for many years. Their mothers told them in sarcastic tone about how fashionable Ayesha aunty had been as a girl. Then the backward going town began to see her moving on with Rama Shankar, a Sanskrit teacher in a college. He was a bachelor of about thirty-two —a fair-colored man, always smartly dressed. He owned the first Tata-NaNo car in town, saffron coloured. Ayesha was seated beside him wearing a designer burqa the town ever saw. Then the town began to curse her: "Shameless Ayesha!" "But she is matured enough to take care of herself," others whispered. She almost pleaded her schoolmates that the children call her "didi" instead of "aunty."

It was five years now since she had been branded as a bad character lady by public opinion, and four years since the teacher had gone to Akbarabad, re-turning for one day, each Diwali, which he spent with his friends in a temple. From behind their curtains the neighbors would see him pass, and during the across-the-street Diwali-day visiting they would tell her about him, about how well he looked, and how they heard that he was prospering in the city, watching with bright, secret eyes her haggard, bright face. Usually by that hour there would be the scent of perfumes on her breath. It was gifted her by her only friend. She was considered as immoral socialite aunty of corrupt civil society.

Her mother became very old and kept to her in the room altogether now; the bony aunt ran the house. Against those conditions, Ayesha bright dresses, her idle and empty days, had a reality of fuming worthlessness. She went out only with elderly women now. Each evening she dressed in one of the new dresses and went market alone, where her young cousins were already strolling in the late afternoons with their body wrapped in stinking burqas, tired heads and heavy, awkward arms and conscious hips, clinging to one another or staring and chuckling with naughty boys when she passed and went on along the tea shops, in the doors of which sitting and relaxing men almost ignored this single aunty, pining for their attention.  

Ill

The teacher, Maulvi Akbar went speedily up the street where the dim lights, insect-swirled, frowned in severe and vicious manner in the lifeless air. The day had died in a gloom of dust; above the gloomy square, chocked by the killing dust, the sky was sad as the inside of a grave. Below the east was a buzz of the twice-tamed moon.

When Maulvi Akbar passed them, notorious Aamir and three others were getting into an old jeep parked in the dark street. This jeep was used by Aamir to carry stone pelter in the valley. Amir roared with full might, “Anybody wants to leave, did you?" he said. "Damn good thing; by Allah, tomorrow when this town listened to about how you saved the honour of your faith”

"Now, now," Gazni said. "Dawood’s all right. Come on, friends; fast!"

"Shankar Pundit will never do anything wrong, boys," maulvi Akbar said. “Why, you all know well as I do there isn’t any town where they got better Hindus than us. And you know how women think about men when there isn’t any reason to, and Ayesha you know anyway? "

"Sure, sure," Gazni said. "We're just going to speak to him a little; that's all."

"Speak hell!" Aurangzeb said.  

"Shut up, in the name of Allah!" Gazni said. "Do you want everybody in town to know about everything?”

"Tell them, in the name of Allah!" Aamir said. "Tell everyone that'll let a Muslim woman eloping with a Hindu boy.”

"Let's go; let's go: here's the tempo." The tempo moved yelling out of a cloud of dust and black smoke at the street end. Aamir started his jeep and backed out and took the lead. Dust and smoke lay like smog in the street. The street lights dangle dim- floated as in water. They drove on out of town.

Old vehicles were creating ugly noise on rutted lanes. Dust and smoke engulfed it too. The dim bulb of the temple, where Shankar Pundit used to teach the downtrodden children in the evening, was unusually silent, perhaps, fearing some mishap. "Better stop a little before?" Gazni advised. Aamir did not reply. He slammed the tempo to stop, in the headlights; all were glaring for Shankar Pundit.

"Listen here, boys," Shah Rukh said; "if he's here, don't ask anything? If he was involved, he would run. Don't you see he would?" The tempo also came up and stopped. Aamir got down; Aurangzeb leaped down beside him. "Listen, boys," Shah Rukh said.

"Switch off lights!" Aurangzeb said. The wheezing darkness hastily engulfed the lanes. There was no sound in it save their breaths as they hunted air in the arid dust in which they rot; then the retreating chomp of Aamir and Aurangzeb’s feet, and a moment later Aurangzeb’s voice:

“Shankar. . . Shankar!”

Below the east the pale of the moon amplified. It lifted above the mountains, brightening the air, the dust, so that murdering mob breathe, live, in a sink of rotten lead. The night-bird was voiceless, so do insect, no sound except their panting and a faded tick of toning metal of the vehicles. Inside their impassive bodies crushing one another they seemed to be agitated dryly, for no more moisture came. "Allah!" a voice said; "let's get out of here."

They waited until blurred voices began to audible out of deadly darkness. They got out and waited tensely with heavy breaths in the dark. Aamir kept on abusing Shankar Pundit and Hindus. They all ran shouting, “Kill him, kill the kafir!”

“Not in the open,” Aamir said. “Pull him into the car.” They drag Shankar in. “Kill him, kill the pundit son!” the ruthless voices murmured. They dragged Shankar to the car. Maulvi Akbar had waited beside the jeep. He was feeling sick and low.  

“What is this, boss?” Shankar said. “What is my fault" Someone brought a long cable. They tied him. He submitted to the cable, looking swiftly and doggedly face to face, hoping to hear some kind word. "Who's here, boss?" he said, leaning to stare into the faces. He spoke a name or two. "What you-all say I done, Aamir bhai?"

Aamir pulled the door open and shouted, “Throw him in!".

Shankar did not stir. "What you- all going to do with me, Aamir Bhai? I haven’t done anything, I haven’t done anything: I swear ' in the name of Allah"  

The others struck him with regular blows and he spied and cursed them, and swept his tied hands across their faces and accidently hit Maulvi Akbar upon the mouth, and the maulvi struck him hardly. They pushed at him. He stopped struggling and lied quietly as all were hitting him. He lied between the maulvi and Gazni , coiled his body in so as not to touch them, his eyes going quickly and relentlessly from face to face. The jeep was running followed by the tempo.

"What's the issue? Daood?" Gazni asked.

"Nothing," Maulvi Akbar said. All laughed.  They drove towards the forest and turned away from town. The tempo came out of the dust. They drove on, gaining speed; the final glimpse of town left behind.

"Damm, he stinks!" Gazni said.

"We'll finish that," the man in front beside Aamir said. Shahrukh, suddenly moved forward and touched Aamir's shoulder.

"Throw out, kafir," Aamir said without turning his head. He drove speedily. Behind them the searching lights of the tempo glared in the dust. Presently Aamir turned into a narrow road. It too was bumpy in disuse. It led back to an old grave-yard, on the bank of river Jhelum. It had been used for grazing land.

"Shankar," Maulvi Akbar said.

"Throw him in the river, then," Aamir said, flinging the car along the furrows. Beside the Maulvi Akbar, Shankar spoke: "Aamir bhai."

Maulvi Akbar wanted to get down. Their action was like a dead boiler blast: cooler, but utterly dead. The jeep jumped from rut to rut. "Gazni Bhai," Shankar said. The Maulvi Akbar began to jerk frantically at the door. "Glance out, there!" Gazni said, but Maulvi Akbar had already kicked the door open and rolled out of the jeep. Gazni kicked Shanker furiously, and he swung out. The car went on without dropping the speed.

The force flung him rolling, through mud-sheathed wild plant, into the river. Dust winded about him, and in a deep, brutal crackling of lifeless marshy land he lay choking and gagged until the tempo passed and died away. He fluttered and tried to rise but collapsed.

The moon was clear, riding bright and clear of the worldly dirt and the town was frowning beneath. Shankar lost his consciousness, could not hear the sound of running vehicles and the blaze of dust behind them. Taimor’s tempo came last. Now one man was less in the jeep.  

They drove; the dust gulped them down; the glare and the noise died away. The dust hung for a while, but soon the eternal dust wrapped them up. Maulvi Akbar scaled back onto the road and limped on toward madrasa.

IV

As she dressed for dinner, on that Sunday evening, her own body felt like dancing. Her hands shook automatically, and her eyes had a bright sparkle, and her hair flew and crackling. While she was still dressing her friend reached and sat while she put on her very showy undergarments, stockings and a new red suit as if going to meet her beloved. "Do you feel hot enough to go out?" she asked. "When you have had time to get over the shock, I will tell you what happened. What he said and did; every- thing." All her friend was listening with bewildered astonishment.

In the leafed darkness, as she walked toward the mall road, she began to smile mysteriously, something like a socialite, getting her prey, until she ceased smiling. Both the friends walked slowly because of the terrible cold and due to her hilarious mood. But as they reached the mall she began to whistle, walking with her head up, holding her friend’s hand, looking at each other romantically, and glittering class of their eyes.

They entered the mall, took the corner seat, gorgeous in her transparent fresh dress. She was feeling young. She watched, as un-wed couples eat ice-cream, her head up and her eyes dazzling, fleeting the hotel and the scantily dressed  drummers in chairs along the curb around them, : "That's the one: see.? The one in saffron in the center." "Is that he? What did they do with Shanke? Did they—?" "Sure. He's all right." "All right, is he?" "Sure. He went on a little jaunt." Then the wine shops, where even the young men loafing in the entrance, casually dressed and chasing with their eyes the motion of her hips and breasts when she passed.

They went on, passing the rowdy boys, suddenly hushed silence, defensive, fear. "Did you notice?" the friend said. Her tone crashed like long hanging sighs of pain. "There's not a Hindu in the mall. Not one."

 They decided to go the movie-show-‘Page-3’. It was like a mini but artificial fairyland with its fashionable girls and bright presentation of life caught in its beautiful but dark metamorphosis. Her eyes and lips began to flutter. In the dark, when the movie was shown, she tightly gripped her friend’s hand. She hurried before other’s could see, without the feeling of amazement, and she took dozens of kisses and smooches on her friend’s face where she could see the hordes young men and girls sitting in two and two.  

The lights dimmed; only the screen lights visible, and fake life began to unfold, stunning and romantic but sad in real life. Young boys and girls sat, aromatic and romantic in the dimly lit hall, their paired backs in shadow, delicate, sleek, and their slim, beautifully young, kissing and embracing with the silver screen, inevitably on and on. They began to laugh. In trying to suppress their agony, it appears more abnormal than ever; heads began to turn. Still laughing, guards raised them and led them out, and they stood at the gate, laughing on a high, unrelenting note, until the taxi came up and they helped them in.

V

 It was almost midnight when Taimur drove up to the house of lovelorn Ayesha. It was orderly, clean and like a bird-cage. He parked and locked the jeep outside her house and entered. Shocked Ayesha rose from the bed beside the table-lamp. Taimur entered her room and stared at her until she looked down.

She stood before him, her face terrified, and an adult magazine in her hands. Her face became pale, strained, and fear stricken. "Haven't I told you not to talk kafirs?"

"Bhai!" she said. The magazine dropped from her hands. He glared at her with his hot eyes, his fierce face.

"Didn't I tell you?" He moved toward her. She moved back then. He caught her shoulder. She stood lifeless, looking at the debauch.

"Don't, Taimur. I am sick. . . . periods; please, bhai. You're slaughtering me."

Taimur violently removed her dress and the new under-garments and the stockings, and threw her to bed.

Suddenly, he pulled out the pistol. Ayesha became paralyzed. She opened her mouth but no word came out. He said, today was payback day. He said note down the time and day.

He took the pistol from his hip and laid it on the table beside the bed, and sat on the bed and removed his shoes, and rose and slipped his trousers off.

There was no movement, no sound, not even an insect. The dark world seemed to lie stricken beneath the cold moon and the lidless stars.

He pushed her, pinned her down, slapped her, bite her and hit her.

Taimur rubbed the pistol on the thighs of Ayesha. Ayesha shivered, and began to weep because she realized the penetration inside.

“Shut the slut up or I’ll shoot you.”

"Didn't I tell you?" He released her and half struck, half flung her across the bed, and she lay there and watched him quietly as he left the room.

Taimur was rough and violent. He spit on Ayesha. He stopped, zipped his pants, started the engine and drove away.

Ayesha stood dazed and confused, what had happened. Suddenly she stood and rushed out of her house, went straight to river Jhelum and jumped.

Next day devotees saw two dead bodies floating. One was of Shankar Pundit and other was of Ayesha.

Maulvi Akabar, his students and other faithful were there dazed and puzzled. With hushed discussion, puffing bidi in the fog.

While the ice was fresh and cold they stopped laughing and stood still for a time.  

"Shhhhhhhhhhh! Shhhhhhhhhhh!" they said, seeing the ice-pack, smoothing their heads, examining it for story; "poor girl with a kafir!" Then to one another:

"Do you suppose anything really happened?" their eyes darkly glitter, secret and passionate. "Shhhhhhhhhhh! Poor girl! Poor Ayesha and shankar!"

[holmjanson-blog]

The sun dips down in the sky disappearing into the Atlantic Ocean. I seldom have watched a sunset so intently; waiting, waiting, waiting for that last little sliver to disappear. So much rested on that last sliver. My gaze moved from the sliver of sun to the restaurant around me.  Families and couples sat at the tables with a platter of water, orange juice, a hard-boiled egg, and some bread in front of them.  It was then that I realized that traveling during Ramadan in Morocco was a real learning experience.

This wasn’t the first time I was in a predominantly Muslim country during Ramadan.  In fact, I still remember being in Zanzibar in 2006 on my career break travels when the hotel owner warned my sister and I not to go out right after sunset because it was Ramadan and the streets would be empty.  I didn’t really understand what he meant – but we did take his advice.  I was also in Istanbul Turkey one hot July during Ramadan; I was intrigued with the holiday, but I didn’t really try to learn much about it – until now.

A man sits in a mosque and reads the Quran in Turkey

When I arrived in Morocco, I had no idea Ramadan was supposed to start in 3 days. Unlike Christmas that falls on the same day every year, Ramadan changes days every year.  The Islamic calendar has only 29 or 30 days in each month; therefore, Ramadan changes by 13 days every year. That was the first of many surprises that I encountered regarding Ramadan in Morocco. 

For some reason I always equated Ramadan as the big Muslim holiday, similar to Christian Christmas, but I learned that this holiday was far from joyous, in fact it seemed like more torture than ‘joy to the world’.   Yet I also learned that Ramadan had more in common with Christmas than I first thought. 

Ramadan in Morocco

I took a lot of time on this trip to learn more about this important time.  And it was interesting being there at the beginning seeing the daily life go from normal to Ramadan.  95% of the population of Morocco is Muslim, so this holiday affects pretty much everyone.  However, I wanted to also understand how it affected travelers like me and ultimately answer the question – should you travel to a country when they are celebrating Ramadan?

But first – some background.

What is Ramadan?

Ramadan is the month in the Islamic calendar when the Quran was messaged to the prophet.

Mosque in Casablance

Praying in Turkey

Mosque in Casablanca

At this time Muslims fast from eating, drinking (even water!), smoking, and sex from sun up to sun down.  Depending on the time of year the month falls, this can be up to 16 hours of fasting a day!  They do this in order to know and feel the hunger pains of the less fortunate and be grateful for what they have. It’s a time to remember the poor and destitute. It is supposed to be a time when you work hard and focus more on religion and God. Muslims spend more time at the mosque and more time praying.  And they always go to Friday prayers.

How is Ramadan Celebrated Today?

Ramadan is powerful…so powerful it has the ability to turn back time! On the night before Ramadan started our guide told us the clocks would be changing by an hour.  No – this wasn’t some sort of daylight savings time – this was Ramadan time.  By moving the clocks back an hour it allowed people to break their fast a little earlier in the evening.  It will change back after the month is done.

Upon searching – I did find a lot of food pictures!

“Ramadan can be hypocritical,” our guide Rasheed told me.  “Normally people aren’t in the mosque, but during Ramadan it’s full, you can’t even find space to pray!”  It’s true – many times as we walked around the cities, we saw people praying outside the mosque as there wasn’t room inside. It seems as if Christmas and Ramadan have more in common than I thought!  What church doesn’t have to pull the folding chairs out of storage every December 24th for the extra people at the services they only see once a year?

And also, like Christmas, according to Rasheed it seems that Ramadan has also gotten caught up in modern day commercialism, straying from the original meaning and origins. Families and restaurants often have huge dinners on display for after sunset – going the other extreme to overabundance. I did see plenty of ads for ‘breaking of the fast’ dinners at fancy hotels around the area while staying in various cities in Morocco. It seems that even Ramadan has been swallowed up by social media and marketing.

Fasting and other Hardships

The abstinence includes food, drink, sex, and smoking.  I’m not a smoker, so I personally think that the not drinking any liquid would be the real challenge.  Especially considering it was well into the 90’s while I was in Morocco and I can’t imagine 15 hours without any water in that heat.  Plus, we were traveling around the Sahara Desert; it sounds like a bad horror movie – not being able to drink in the desert!

Rasheed said that the first 2 or 3 days of fasting are the hardest as your body adjusts to a new schedule.  I personally can’t imagine how hard it must be in the beginning, especially if you have to be around people eating like our poor guide. He would normally get us to lunch and then go in the back and take a nap or read the paper.

He also mentioned that this is a month where you get very little sleep since in the dark hours you are also making sure you are drinking a sufficient amount and waking up early to eat. He normally drinks 3 Liters of water at night; he’s up all night peeing.

Breaking Fast

This is where we get the term breakfast, and breaking fast at sunset is a pretty welcome experience as you would guess! I noticed that people go about this in different ways; some load up on food, and some start really light with water and soup.  But the thing that is consistent among everyone is that they are inside eating something at sunset.  This is when the entire place full of hustle bustle just minutes before, turns into a ghost town for an hour; vendors close up their shops, and the streets are quiet.  It’s actually an eerie experience to see the streets of Marrakech go from full to empty as if the zombie apocalypse is coming and no one gave me the message.

One of my favorite evenings was sitting at the Casablanca beach restaurant watching the sun go down.  I could sort of feel the energy in the air as families and couple came into the restaurant to sit down and wait.  The waiter was calm and collected as he placed trays of water, orange juice, bread, and egg in front of them.  I noticed that not many people were even watching the sunset.  I had expected that everyone would be facing the setting sun just waiting for it to disappear – because that’s what I would be doing if it were me! But to my surprise most people weren’t even watching the sunset. They weren’t really talking either; most just sat in a zombie state quietly.

I was also expecting everyone to open their water and chug it as soon as the sun disappeared. Or maybe quickly shoving the bread and egg in their mouth with a feeling of relief. However, it wasn’t like that at all; the people in the restaurant just got up and went the buffet at the restaurant and filled their plates.  It was all very civil.  I was astonished at why they didn’t open their bottle of water or drink their orange juice first.  I’m pretty sure I’d be ravaging after 15 hours of nothing.

Travel Considerations for Ramadan

During this time of fasting, I think you have to be considerate as a traveler, but it doesn’t mean that all tourism stops.  There were a few times on this trip where I hit my ‘hangry stage’, my stomach was growling, it was hot, and it was taking us forever to walk for lunch.  I had to stick with the schedule and the group which irritated me in my angry, hungry state.

My anger turned to our guide who was walking too slow for my liking. My stomach growled again as I took a drink from my water bottle and studied our guide walking slowly in his djellaba (long robe). He hadn’t even had breakfast or a sip of water on this hot day, and he was slowly plodding along doing his job leading us as he had been all morning in this heat. My hanger suddenly softened a bit and gave me a whole new respect to what they were going through.  While I was having a childlike temper tantrum inside my head thanks to my hunger, they were total professionals; you never would have noticed any discomfort on their part.

I thought a lot about how hard it would be to work in the service industry during Ramadan.  I don’t think I could do it!  Having to be accommodating and polite while not eating OR DRINKING all day was unimaginable to me. I think as a traveler though it is important to have patience and understanding for the people fasting while also working all day.

Travel Tips for Ramadan

1. Be patient People may be a bit more tired or irritable (especially the smokers!), but once you understand they ‘why’ behind it – I think your tolerance and understand increases too.

2. Plan your dinner before or after breaking fast The sunset hour of breaking fast minorly affects you as people tend to disappear for a little bit at that time such as hotel staff, shopkeepers and taxi drivers. You’ll have to plan accordingly and eat about an hour before or after sunset at any restaurant. I was at the bar in my hotel when the bartender came over and settled up the tab right before sunset and made sure that I had everything I needed for a little while; he said he was getting ready to go eat.

3. Stay off the empty streets during breaking fast Locals have warned me to not go out on the streets when they are empty for fear of theft. I always found that odd, as I thought everyone would be inside eating and I’d be safer! However, once I walked around an empty Marrakech I totally understood what they meant. You feel pretty vulnerable with no one around, and I made sure to follow their advice after that.

A busy souk in Morocco

The streets in Marrakesh during breaking fast

Should you travel to a country During Ramadan?

As a traveler, Ramadan is a minor disturbance, but it’s not enough to change your travel plans.

If you are someone who enjoys cultural travel and is curious about other cultures, then I think it’s a great time to travel! It’s a chance to see another side of a country and learn more about a religion and holiday that is celebrated all over the world. However, if you are expecting everything to run smoothly without any issues, then you might want to skip this time. But then again, if you expect everything to run smoothly with no issues on a trip, then you might as well burn your passport and stay home regardless!

In the end, I came back home more knowledgeable about a big part of the world culture – and isn’t that what travel is really about? Learning about each other, sharing, and understanding are the elements of a successful trip in my world!

Follow my Travels

The post Understanding Ramadan in Morocco appeared first on Ottsworld Unique Travel Experiences.

[indiannovella]

Myths of Jainism and Hinduism Clarified

At the outset let me clarify that there is no intention to belittle or discredit any religion or philosophy. Neither any religion nor any groups are targeted in this article. However, certain myths are being propagated by various people questioning the very independent existence of Jainism by claiming it as an offshoot of Hinduism. Such people, depending on their motivations, have given rise to various myths and falsehoods, which are analyzed and countered below.

Myth # 1 – Jainism was founded by Mahavira Swami.

The Truth- Jainism is an ancient religion that pre-dates Lord Mahavira. Herman Kuhn an Indologist and translator of Tattvarthasutra say – "There exists evidence of twenty-four enlightened teachers who taught identical knowledge at much earlier times.” According to Britannica Encyclopedia, Lord Parshvanatha, 23rd Jaina Tirthankara was a Historical figure who flourished in 8th Century BCE. (Ref : http://www.britannica.com/ebc/article-9374627 )

From the Buddhist and Jain records, it is clear that Jainism is older than Buddhism and was firmly established at the time of the origin of Buddhism. In the Samannaphala Sutta of the Dighanikaya, there is a reference to the four vows (Chaturyama Dharma) of Parshvanatha. Lord Neminath (22nd Tirthankar) and Lord Rushabh Nath (1st Tirthankar) are mentioned in various Vedas and Hindu Puranas. This proves that Mahavir Swami was a reformer and reviver of already existing Shraman traditions.

Myth # 2 – Jainism is a reactionary sect founded as a revolt against the Vedas and Brahminism.

The Truth- Jainism was (and is) against violence (e.g. Vedic sacrifices) and casteism. There was no question of it being reactionary or revolt as Vedic and shraman cultures had co-existed since ages. In fact, Jain history suggests that Jainism was already an established religion when the Vedic practices came into being. Furthermore, other ekantvadi i.e. one-sided philosophies are easily accommodated under Jaina multi-faceted philosophy of "Anekantavada.”

Myth # 3 – Jains are basically Hindus who have adopted a Jain way of Worship.

The Truth – The Worship is just a small part of Jaina philosophy. It is much more than a way of worship, namely:-

   *      it has its own Gods worthy of worship - Tirthankars,    *      separate set of rituals different from Hindus for e.g. Jains don’t believe in ritual of shradh for ancestors,    *      it has a totally different Shastras and Agamas.

The philosophy of worship i.e. Bhakti is also different. Bhakti in Hinduism believes in surrender to some higher entity, while bhakti in Jainism is merely instrumental in self-realisation. Emphasis is more on securing samyaktva i.e. rationality rather than ritualistic worship.

Myth # 4 – Jainism can be accommodated under the umbrella of Hinduism because Hinduism is a general religion and Jainism is a specific religion. Sanatan Dharma is a way of life and synonymous with Indian culture.

The Truth – There is no such thing as a general or specific religion. The word "Hindu" belongs to the category of words like "Muslim", "Christian", "Buddhist" and "Jain" and not to the category of words like "American", "British", "Indian", "Chinese" or "Japanese". Surprisingly, when Hinduism is compared with Islam or Christianity, it becomes a religion; but when it is compared with Jainism, it becomes "A way of Life", "Culture" and "Synonymous with Indianness" etc. What is to be realized is that Hinduism is a religion based on the Vedic tradition, while Jainism and Buddhism are separate religions based on Sramanic tradition. Both of these traditions have co-existed side by side, influencing each other, and thus creating a great ancient Indian culture. Just as Hindus believe that theirs is a Sanatan Dharma, Jains believe that Jainism predates Lord Mahavira to Lord Rishabhdeva, the founder of not only Jainism but entire human civilization.

Myth # 5 – Because of the same culture, heritage, history, customs and land Jainism and Hinduism cannot be distinct from each other.

The Truth - Cultural similarity, linguistic similarity etc. does not discount the uniqueness and distinctness of a religion! Religion is philosophy based. Not based on ethnicity or a shared culture. Sure Jains have lots in common with Hindus. Jews, Christians, and Muslims have lots in common too. They have a common cultural heritage, common linguistic group, common mythology, common prophets and a historical acceptance of each other's holy books. These three are Kitabi religions. They believe that God sent down three books, i.e. the Old Testament (Jews), the New Testament (Christians) and the Quran (Muslims). But the Jews do not claim that Christians are Muslims are all Jews! If one were to think that Hindu and Indian mean one and same, then it is quite possible to say that Roman Catholic and Italian mean one and the same and Protestant and English mean one and the same.

Myth # 6 – Jainism has a better chance of survival within Hinduism rather than outside.

The Truth - As long as Jainism was clubbed with Hinduism, it got a raw deal having no separate recognition amongst the scholars. Also despite of general doctrinal tolerance in the Hindu tradition, history shows instances of persecution against Jains such as in Tamil Nadu in the 7th century, AD when Hindu Shaiva poets and teachers popularized the notion of Jains (or Samanars in Tamil) as villains opposed to the Shaiva creed. Hindu Saints like Adi Shankaracharya and Swami Dayanand Saraswati led vitriolic attacks against Jain philosophy. Many Jain temples were destroyed and Jains killed. Today, a concern of modern Jains in post-independence India has been the preservation of ancient pilgrimage sites and holy shrines which in recent decades have come under pressure from certain fundamentalist groups - in the case of Girnarji, Hindu devotees of the deity Dattatreya. Bhagavan Neminatha's charana were established at Girnarji for many thousands of years. Now, Hindus have taken over the 5th and the 3rd hill, thus wiping out extremely important Jain heritage from Gujarat

If Jainism is indeed a part of Hinduism, then....

  1.      Why is Jain Navkar Mantra not a part of the list of Hindu Prayers?   2.      Why is Mahavir Swami and other Jain Thirthankars not accepted as their Gods?   3.      Why is Parvyushan and Mahavir Jayanti not celebrated as festivals by Hindus?   4.      Why are Jain sacred books not given equal status as Gita? When you accept the various version of Ramayana, then why not accept the Jain version of Ramayana also?   5.      Why is the contribution of Jain saints from Gautam Swami to Hemchandra Acharya ignored by Hindus and not accepted as their saints?   6.      Why subvert the actual History in the textbooks - that Chandragupta Maurya was a Jain. The Major Kings of that time were Jains or gave patronage to Jainism. But this is never mentioned in our History books. The likes of Murli Manohar Joshi have been tampering with history since Independence.

Jainism and its contribution to India are routinely ignored by all. The simple fact is that those Hindus who are claiming that Jains are part of Hinduism have no respect for Jainism and its ideals. Unless Jainism maintains its separate identity it is likely to be wiped out after a few generations. Hence there is a great danger and threat to this religion as long as it is considered as a part of Hinduism.

Myth # 7 – Many Jains believe in Kuldevi’s, visit Hindu Temples, pray to Ganesha and celebrate Hindu festivals like Holi and Diwali. This proves that Jainism is a sect of Hinduism.

The Truth – Concept of Kuldevis and praying to Gods like Ganesha who are not vitraag is not in conformity of Jain Philosophy. According to Jainism, these deities have attachment and passions. Those Jains who worship them are doing it on their own accord and not according to instructions from Jain Scriptures or Jain Gurus. Now if a Hindu goes to Haji Ali Dargha for prayer or a Church, does it mean that Hinduism is a part of Islam or Christianity?

Jains celebrate Indian festivals along with Hindu neighbors on account of traditions and shared culture. Festivals like Diwali which is celebrated as Mahavira Nirvana day have a different significance for Jains. Broad mindedness of Jains should not be construed as a sign of weakness.

Myth # 8 – Jain Puranas mention stories of Rama and Krishna, who are Hindu Gods.

The Truth – Jain have their own version of Ramayana and Mahabharata based on Jain philosophy. According to Jain Puranas, Rama and Lakshmana were the 8th Baldev (or Balbhadra) and Vasudev(or Narayana) and Balarama and Krishna were 9th Baldev and Vasudev. Rama and Krishna are not Avatar’s of Vishnu as per Jainism. Just as Hindus believe their version, Jains believe this version to be true.

This similarity of characters can be seen in other religions like Judaism, Christianity, and Islam also. According to the Principal book the Jews, Tanakh God's name is Jahveh and the Name of Prophet Moses i.e Hazrat Musa. The Principal books of Christianity are the Old & the New Testaments where God's name is Jehovah and the prophet is Jesus i.e Hazrat Eisa. The Principal book Islam is the Qur'an where the God's name is Allah and the Prophet is Mohammed i.e Hazrat Mohammed. Islam considers both Hazrat Musa and Hazrat Eisa as prophets of God but considers Hazrat Mohammed to be the final prophet and the Qur'an to be the final word of God. Many of the characters occurring in their holy books are the same. So, why don't we consider these religions to be one?

Myth # 9 – The principles of truth, non-violence, moksha are the same for both Hindus and Jains.

The Truth – Other philosophies including Hinduism, believe their truth to be absolute. As per Anekantvad in Jainism, the truth is relative and multisided. Non-violence in Jainism is ultimate – it encompasses even the minutest life forms. On the other hand in Hinduism, it is restricted to vegetarianism (that too under some castes) and cow protection. The concept of God is also different. Unlike Hinduism, Jainism does not believe God to be Creator, Operator, and Destructor of Universe. Thus it can be seen that same terms connote different meanings in Hinduism and Jainism.

Myth # 10 – Marriage alliances between Hindus and Jains are common indicating that there is no difference between the two.

The Truth – In India, the caste and socio-economic factors play an important role in marriages. People prefer marrying their sons and daughters within same endogamous groups. It is quite possible that a particular endogamous group, which is dependent on the area and socio-economic class, may have the people from both the religions. Hence marriage between Hindus and Jains is quite possible.

Myth # 11 – It makes no difference whether one is called a Hindu or a Jain.

The Truth – It does make a lot of difference. If so are Hindus willing to be called Jains? I don't think so. They do not accept Mahavir as their God, not our Agamas even equal to Gita or Vedas. It is their prerogative.

It does matter to me as to what I am called or known as. Because it will also define our posterity. Just as Hindus proudly want to be called Hindus, We must take pride in our Jain identity.

This article has been taken from the Jaina.org. Many Thanks to them for uploading such a beautiful article.

[rocket-hopping-simplton]

SIMPLTONS RULES ,AU'S AND SIDEBLOGS

Simpltons Rules and AUS

MY NAME IS GOLDA AND I AM THE MUN OF THIS BLOG. MUN IS 22 AND MUSES ARE OF LEGAL CONSENTING AGE UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED

i have sjw blacklisted and i think that might be it.

Basic Laws

Be respectful! Do not disrespect my muse or myself out of character. I will not tolerate it. I will not roleplay with you if i even feel a hint of disrespect towards me or my muse. I wouldn’t disrespect you or your muses so please be polite and refrain from doing it to me. However if your muse disrespects mine in roleplay, that’s is completely acceptable as it is an interaction between our muses.

Be patient! I have a life outside of the internet. I am a real human being and not some roleplaying machine.

Mun and muses ARE NOT THE SAME ENTITY! While my muses are of my own creation (in a sense) I do not always share their beliefs and or their attitude. I have my own beliefs and attitude, so please establish that we are not the same people.

Roleplay Laws

Read the information on the character you will be role playing with. That way you can be informed on the character you will be dealing with!

No smutting with minors! It’s illegal, i do not want to go to jail. It’s rude, irresponsible and puts not only you, but me as well at risk. You will get a slap on the wrist most likely. But me? Ill be on the sex offender registry and my ENTIRE LIFE WILL BE RUINED BECAUSE YOU WANTED TO BE SELFISH. So don’t do it. I don’t care if your muse finds mine sexy and they wanna get it on. If you are under the legal age of consent. DON’T FUCKING DO IT. you CAN RUIN AN ADULTS LIFE FOREVER. if i catch you lying, i will BLOCK YOU!

I WILL NOT RP SMUT WITH ANY MLP BLOGS/ GRAVITY FALL BLOGS/ STEVEN UNIVERSE BLOGS/ OR ANY OTHER CHILDREN’S SHOW BLOGS IN THE LIKE. THESE SHOWS ID LIKE TO KEEP CLEAN AND INNOCENT LIKE THEY WERE MEANT TO BE. (although i am open to suggestions of fighting because all have shown that and for a few maybe even death/ slight horror. BUT ASK FIRST.)

NO GODMODDING! It really shouldn’t need to be said but oh well. My character is my own, I CONTROL IT ONLY. The same for you and your muse. However suggestions or a push in a certain direction is fine. Such as “lets go so and so” I grabbed their hand and excitedly pulled them along.” This at least allows for the other person to respond to what’s being done. What is not ok would be something like this. “So and so kissed my muse and they wendt on a date.” this is not ok because you are giving my muse Orders. Only I can order them around. If i feel you doing this the roleplay will be terminated immediately.

No Instakills or permadeaths! I don’t like that shit. If we are gonna fight, i want a good fight, a fair fight, and unless otherwise talked out by both parties and agreed upon your muse, no matter how friggen strong or OP or whatever! can instantly kill or keep my muse dead. Understood? Because if this happens I will immediately terminate the roleplay. Be literate! Please check all grammar, spelling and tenses before posting. Roleplays should be easily understood by both parties. I have a hard time with my tenses so i will do my best to work on that! If roleplays can not be understood then i will cease roleplaying.

Please try to match length! I write a FUCKTON and i do not expect you to match it entirely, i do expect that you have at least a well written paragraph that notes all major points. I will however ask that you make an attempt to match my length, but it is not a requirement. However please let it be noted that if you respond with boring one liners or tiny meatless paragraphs i will cease to roleplay with you.

I prefer to plot! Drop me an I.M and let’s plan ahead what will happen. It’s not necessary but i do prefer it. So just assume i want to plot. However if you wanna throw a meme at me and go from there, that’s fine too.

Please let me know if you want to drop a thread! Now you don’t have to give me a reason, but letting me know you are no longer interested would be highly appreciated. I will delete the thread after being notified so i can keep my blog clutter free. I will also notify you with a reason so as not to seem rude that I want to drop a thread.

Do not bug me for responses/be patient! As i stated above I have a life outside of the internet. I am not a roleplaying machine. If i do not get to your response in a timely manner it’s is likely one of these reasons. A. Life is hectic B. my mental health is not doing well and I need a break. C. I am really engaged with a certain muse and mun so i am putting them as priority. D. I just plain forgot. If you feel like i’ve forgotten drop me an I.M with either your latest response to our thread or a “hey i think it might be your turn to respond.” if however you continually pester me i will drop or ignore the thread. In return do not force yourself to reply immediately. Take your time and enjoy it, let it flow naturally. Shit happens my man, and i get it.

Do not force relationships! I can’t stress enough how INFURIATING it is when people try to force friendships and or relationships with my muses. These things don’t always happen instantaneously, they take time. People need to get to know each other before relationships are established. Let them happen naturally, if they happen. If muses have chemistry it will happen. If they don’t then, they don’t. Not to say that instant friends and love at first sight can’t happen, because it can, but it is exceedingly rare. So don’t force it. If you do, or i feel you are I will first respond through the character, then I.M and if it’s still happening i will terminate the roleplay altogether.

Smut is ok! If your muse and my muse are vibing and they wanna get it on that is entirely alright to do. I will post smut in read mores and i go into HIGHLY DETAILED posts. I will also tag it as nsfw until the smut is over. That being said please abide by the following rule. My muse is not a fleshlight/dildo! If i feel you coming to me solely to smut with my muses with no established relationship or even having talked it out with me first then you will be ignored. My muses are not your sexuall toys to play with. I like diversity in my roleplays and I like CHEMISTRY even for smutty rps. Now it’s one thing if both muns agree that our muses would get along sexually immediately. Otherwise, don’t come to me for smut only. If you do you will be ignored. If you persist, you will be blocked.

Gore/mutilation/torture/death is alright! Just come and talk to me first beforehand so we can plot it out. I don’t like sudden losses of limbs or physical harm. I like to be aware of what your muse is going to do with mine.

Have fun! This is the most important rule by far. Roleplaying is a way for people to unwind and relax, it should be stress free and enjoyable. If both parties aren’t having fun you and I have every right to terminate the roleplay.

Things I am ok with Fighting style school style, adventures, mysteries, superhero, makeout sessions with heavy petting and touching

Makeout sessions with butt touching if shes under 15+ in our rp is ok but the chara also has to be under 18 and close to her age. (I know that shit goes on with people under the ages of 18, because i did it and so did everyone else.) BUT KEEP IT MODERATELY CLEAN (boob touches and butt touches over clothing you know that exploratory shit that goes on in the middle/high school years NOTHING MORE)

THE ABOVE RULE WILL ONLY BE BROKEN IF WE HAVE FIRST DISCUSSED IT BUT MUN MUST BE OVER 18 TO RP SMUT PERIOD!

original worlds and crossovers, OCS ALWAYS WELCOME

slightly kinky things (like being bound, spanked, dressed in outfits, stuff like that) Sex is ok so long as shes 18+ in our rp or we have discussed it.

Multishipping a- ok

Things I am not ok with sex with her while shes under 18, that shit wont play. unless we have discussed it! strange kinks like bodily fluids or excrement and the like animal killing for sexual pleasure child sex i mean really the list goes on but just think about it rationally.

If you have successfully made it through this long ass list please im or inbox me with the following quote “Sun tzu said that!“

Sideblogs 

Archive: thesoldiersarchives

 Art: simpltonsart-o-rama 

 Roleplay: storytimewithsimplton

 Smut roleplay: sollysmuts

AU (sfw & nsfw)

Aquatic fortress (mer)

Royal fortress (princess)

Dark fortress (evil)

Mystic fortress (witch/sorcress)

Fae Fortress (fairy)

Fur Fortress (were)

Mob Fortress (gang)

Night fortress (vampire)

Ye old fortress (knight)

Jungle fortress (amazonian warrior)

[motherfuckingpriestessofhecate]

Ship that you have as an OTP: 🌹Ship that you're indifferent to: 😑Ship that makes you sad: 💔Ship that you find disgusting: 💩Ship that you find cute but don't ship: ✌Ship that you secretly like: 💚Ship that you used to have as an OTP: 💙Ship that you find most sexy: 👅Ship that you can never see happening: 👎Ship that is canon but you don't ship: 💤Ship that is unpopular but you still like: 💘Ship that is taboo: 💦Ship that pisses you off: 💣Ship you're curious about:

Controversial shipping asks

(( Judging by what you sent me over Discord, I’m guessing you didn’t mean to have the last few cut out so I’ll do those as well ovo/ ))

Ship that you have as an OTP: 🌹

(( Medea x Kuzuki tbh. At first I was kind of wary of it because the basis of her falling in love was just that he was one of the first men to be nice to her, but as I’ve read more and more of their stuff it’s just grown on me. They’re horribly mismatched, but at the same time they’re in love with each other to an extent that they’re willing to make things work. They’re not soulmates, they’re not perfect for each other, but they still love each other and are willing to do what it takes to make it work even if it’s not natural. I just really like that about them. ))

Ship that you’re indifferent to: 😑

(( Kirei x Kiritsugu, actually.A lot of people don’t like it and I get it, but I also get how people could ship it seeing as they both spent like half of Fate/Zero obsessing over the other. I guess I’m not entirely indifferent so much as I have slightly conflicting emotions that balance out to say “whatever, ship what you want to ship” ))

Ship that makes you sad: 💔

(( Julius x Mordred. Actually not really, I just wanted to make two of my friends suffer at least once with this ask. If I were to serious though, Kotomine x Claudia. At that point, Kirei was just trying his best and Claudia believed in him even though, in the end, there was nothing to believe in. And then Caren got completely screwed over gg disease mom. ))

Ship that you find disgusting: 💩

(( Pretty much all Avenger ships honestly. Avenger Angra Mainyu, that is. I like the dynamics that he shares with Bazett and Caren, but considering the things he talks about doing to Bazett and does do to Caren… Even if I don’t see that scene as canon, I just can’t ship him with either of them in good conscience. Friends, sure. But romantic partners? No thanks. ))

Ship that you find cute but don’t ship: ✌

(( Medea x Kojiro. I guess I ship it a tiny bit and would be willing to RP it someday, but for the most part I just like art of them. ))

Ship that you secretly like: 💚

(( I’m not so sure it’s ‘secret’ but Jeanne Alter and Saber Alter. Those two are just constantly antagonistic towards eachother and I love it. Another ship that I’ve basically never talked about is Saber Lily x Jeanne Alter, mostly because every interaction I’ve had between my Jalter and Saber Lily’s has been good shit… well besides for one with an AU Jalter but we don’t talk about that one when we’re also talking about shipping. ))

Ship that you used to have as an OTP: 💙

(( Medea x Julius. With my main verse for Medea, she sees him as a younger brother so it’s kind of hard for me to seriously ship them. I still think they’d make a kickass team in a Grail War together, but I don’t particularly desire romance between the two of them. ))

Ship that you find most sexy: 👅

(( I don’t really ship stuff for sex, so anything with Medb I guess. ))

Ship that you can never see happening: 👎

(( EMIYA x Saber, but in the sense of “they’ll never be a happy couple together” and not in the sense of “they’ll never have feelings for one another.” I can see them liking each other but actually getting together? lmao, good fucking luck you angst nuggets. ))

Ship that is canon but you don’t ship: 💤

(( Uhh… Rama x Sita I guess? I’m not saying I dislike the ship, just that all I’ve ever really heard about either of their personalities is how madly in love they are with one another. I’m just not capable of having interest in characters, or their relationship, when all I know about is that they love eachother a lot. It feels like I’m shipping Romeo and Juliet or some shit. I know they both have more to their personalities, but I haven’t heard enough about it in Fate to be interested enough to even try and find that more. Seriously, all I’ve heard about is their love for eachother. I know more about the first two Earthbenders’ personalities than I do these two smh ))

Ship that is unpopular but you still like: 💘

(( Unpopular in the sense that I’ve rarely seen anyone talk about it? Jeanne x Karna. They’re both fucking saints in their own right, let’s be honest here. Also both of them died horrible and unfair deaths but don’t show much anger over it, and in general their interactions from what I’ve seen are just… Nice. ))

Ship that is taboo: 💦

(( Medea x Jason in any way, shape, or form. Disgusting. Gross. Foul. Rotten. Though I wouldn’t mind RPing a Medea that’s still enchanted to be in love with Jason at some point. But actual Jason x Medea stuff? Dude couldn’t even thank her for chopping her little brother up into pieces, screw him. ))

Ship that pisses you off: 💣

(( Any incest ship, really. Illya x Shirou, Hakuno x Hakuno, Jeanne x Jeanne Alter, Mashu x Lancelot… I don’t care if they’re actually blood related or not, if they’re described as brothers/sisters or parents/children then please do Not…. selfcest is also kind of eh to me, but not to the same extent, so to each their own. ))

Ship you’re curious about: 👀

(( Caren x Saber Alter. On one hand there’s no way they’d be able to stay in the same room for more than five minutes without Caren being cut in two, but on the other hand I feel like they’d make a really good master-servant pair and possibly develop something other than mutual tolerance for eachother, even if it’s just respect. ))

Ship that needs more love: 💖

(( Jeanne Alter x the female FGO protagonist. I only ever see ship art of her and Gudao, none of her with Gudako. Well, very little of her with Gudako. Let them be gay, it’s not gonna be the first thing to cause either one of them angst considering they’re fighting to save humanity’s existence. ))

Ship that is most misunderstood: 💢

(( Sakura x Shirou, I think. I don’t want to go at length about it, but basically it’s more of Shirou’s character being misunderstood when it comes to this ship, due to the Heaven’s Feel route.I think they’d make a very cute couple and agree that Shirou would walk through all nine layers of hell for Sakura… But he wouldn’t betray his ideal, at least not like he does in Heaven’s Feel. Him deciding to prioritize Sakura over the hundreds of lives she was taking each night AND possibly all of humanity just feels like a slap in the face after Fate and UBW explore him trying to figure out how to stay true to his ideal without becoming a complete fucking mess. For him to throw away his ideal I can understand, but under those circumstances? Are we really sure that Sakura was the only character to go ‘Dark’ in Heaven’s Feel because jesus christ boy.

TL;DR: Mind of Steel is my personal ‘canon’ end to Heaven’s Feel, but I still think Shirou x Sakura is a great ship when it doesn’t endanger a shitton of other people. ))

[blossomtola-inasia]

Final Host Country Report

Elizabeth Oriade

4/20/17

 Host Country: THAILAND

LOCATION & POPULATION:

It is no surprise that Thailand is one of the most visited countries in the World. Visits at high-quality hotels can be dirt cheap, the nightlife is unlike any other in the world, the white sand beaches offer crystal blue water, and the strikingly beautiful country is rich with culture. As you begin your sojourn, here are facts that will be useful to you on your journey.  Thailand is located in the continent of Asia, more specifically south-east Asia. Thailand is the 51st largest country in the world as it covers 510,890 square kilometers of land and 2.230 square kilometers of water. Thailand shares borders with four other countries: Burma, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Lao People’s Democratic Republic. Its neighboring countries are Laos (located to the north), Cambodia ( located to the south), and Myanmar ( located North-West).http://www.worldatlas.com/as/th/where-is-thailand.html

The country's current population is 68,268,763 composed of nearly 70 different ethnic groups. http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/thailand-population/

Thai is the official language spoken amongst the natives. However, there are 74 languages of Thai including the different dialects, ethnic specific groups, and various Chinese, If you fly into Thailand’s most famously visited cities such as Bangkok (capital) or Chiang Mai, natives who work there speak relatively good English. 94% speak Tai-Kadai languages with Thai form, 2% speak Austronesian language, another 2% speak an Austro-Asiatic language, 1% speak Tibeto-Burman languages, and finally 0.2% speak Hmong Meing. Standard Thai is based off of the dialect spoken in the Chao Phraya valley. The official currency of Thailand is Baht.

(Info retrieved from: http://factsanddetails.com/southeast-asia/Thailand/sub5_8c/entry-3211.html)

 Below is a picture of Thailand on a map of SE Asia

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Un-thailand.png

 THE ROYAL FAMILY

There is a monarchy in Thailand and the Chakri Dynasty is the current family that is seated on the throne. The former King of Thailand (King Bhumibol Adulyadej) passed away on the 13th of October, 2016. He played a crucial part in uniting Thailand. His people loved and respected him. His son (King Vajiralongkorn) took the throne after him, but is failing to follow in his father’s footsteps.

GOVERNMENT

Thailand is a constitutional monarchy to which the King serves the people of Thailand as the “HEAD OF STATE.” The successor of the king does not necessarily have to be a prince, she can be a princess; whoever is the first born gets to be next in line for the throne. Thailand recently adopted a new constitution in 1997 which is now in full effect. In order for bills to become laws, they have to be passed through the senate and the House of Representatives and then be approved by the king. The king has the right to approve/ reject bills. The executive branch of government is headed by the prime minister who is Prayut Chan-o-cha since 2014.

( Info retrieved from: http://www.thailawforum.com/articles/briggsgov.html)

 Below is a picture of Thailand’s prime minister:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayut_Chan-o-cha

CULTURE/RELIGION/TRADITIONS:

It’s important to note that because Thailand shares its borders with Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia its culture is influenced by the Chinese, Indian traditions. However the country has customs that are solely from Thailand. The country is separated into four different regions, each region has its own unique culture. Norther Thailand is home to the Thai Highlands which is its natural mountainous regions and many natural forests/valleys. Northern Thailand shares its borders with Laos and Myanmar and its culture is influenced by the Burmese culture. Southern Thailand ( On the Malay peninsula) is home to the beautiful white sand beaches, it is the most popular region for tourists to visit. It’s tropical climate makes it home to fishermen and their communities. Northeastern Thailand is isolated by a vast mountain range. This is a Lao speaking region and because of its mountains it has an agricultural economy. Central Thailand is the main event, here you can find prominent cities such as Bangkok (capital). Central Thailand is the source of economic commerce and where Thailand produces all of its rice. .http://www.reachtoteachrecruiting.com/guides/thailand/culture-in-thailand/  

Thailand’s culture is greatly influenced by the religion Buddhism. Roughly 93.6% of the population is Buddhist, making it the largest Buddhist population in the world. You will see Wats (Buddhist temples) everywhere you go, monks will also be walking around the streets. Even though the vast population of Thai people are Buddhist, religious tolerance is protected by the constitution in Thailand. This law guarantees religious freedom to all Thai people.

 (Info retrieved from: http://factsanddetails.com/southeast-asia/Thailand/sub5_8b/entry-3212.html)

 Below is a picture of Wat Phra Kaew in Bangkok Thailand

http://www.bangkok.com/attraction-temple/wat-prakaeo.htm

 VALUES/FAMILY/GENDER ROLES

In terms of values Thai people strive to uphold and maintain a respectful, non-confrontational, and overall positive attitude. Losing face and showing negative emotions in public is looked down upon, and telling a lie brings shame in Thai culture. This is why it’s called the “City Of Smiles” it is important for Thai people to smile no matter how upset they are. “Men pai rai” means all is well, a common saying in Thailand. The country takes a very neutral approach to communication because the only emotion you are expected to show is happiness. Thailand is a high- context culture because it is very reliant on communal and social harmony, building relationships is Thailand’s number one priority. Showing respect to your elders is a crucial value in Thailand. You always want to bow lower than the elder. Family is extremely important to Thai people. It is common that when a son or daughter gets married the extended family goes to live with the couple. Family owned businesses are huge in Thailand and remain an important part of the culture. As far as gender roles go Thailand has been typically dominated by males, however women are highly respected and there are more opportunities opening up for them to take part in the government, politics, medicine, and business.  If you want to greet a stranger the types of greeting can vary depending on the level of respect you are showing that individual. Saying “Wai” is the universal greeting. For instance a monk requires the highest level of respect. Put your hands together, relax your arms and bow so that your head reaches your thumbs. If you want to greet someone older than you such as your parents you will do the same thing but this time your thumbs will touch your nose. Finally if someone is at the same level (stage of life) as you, your thumb will touch your chin.  

(Info retrieved from http://www.reachtoteachrecruiting.com/guides/thailand/culture-in-thailand/)

Below is a Thai greeting tutorial video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiZOVZs2v74

Below is an article about former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. A 44 year old businesswoman who was the first and youngest female to ever be elected to prime minister. She was elected July, 2011 and removed May, 2014.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-13723451

 TIMELINE

In order to understand what makes Thailand such a great country to visit, here is some of the country’s history so we can get a feel of what makes Thailand itself.

(RISE OF MODERN DAY THAILAND)

1.      1782: Start of Chakri dynasty under King Rama I which rules till today. Bangkok is founded, country known as Siam.

2.      1804-1868: Reign of King Mongkut (Rama IV) who embraces western innovations and initiates Thailand’s modernism

3.      1868-1910: Reign of King Chulalongkorn. 1st railway network developed. Employment of western advisors to modernize Siam’s administration

4.      1917: Siam becomes Great Britain's ally for WWI

5.      1932: Bloodless coup against monarch King Prajadhipok. Government and constitutional monarchy introduced.

6.      1939: Siam changed its name to Thailand

7.      1941: Japanese forces land. After negotiation Thailand allows Japan to advance towards British controlled Malay Peninsula.

8.      1942: Thailand declares war on the US and Britain, but Thai ambassador in Washington failed to deliver the news

9.      1945: End of WWII, Thailand is forced to give back territory that was taken from neighboring countries (Cambodia, Laos, and Malay.)  Exiled King Ananda returns.

10.  1946: King Ananda is assassinated

11.  1976: Military takes over again

12.  1978: New constitution in effect

(Info retrieved from: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-15641745 )

 SOCIAL CLASS:

Like many other avian cultures social hierarchy goes with age, occupation, and wealth. Elders and monks are considered the highest on the social ladder as well as older male or females with money. Children and farmers are considered to be the bottom of the social heap. The culture also has an obsession with fairer skin. The lighter your skin is they believe that you have a good job that does not involve you being in the sun. If you have darker skin they believe that you are a farmer, or a beggar. They do not pay a lot of attention to people with darker skin. It is said that skin whitening products can be found everywhere in Thailand. Class and status is also determined by family.

(info retrieved from:

http://factsanddetails.com/southeast-asia/Thailand/sub5_8c/entry-3228.html )

 Below is an article of being black or of a darker skin tone in Thailand.

https://matadornetwork.com/life/im-woman-color-studied-thailand-nobody-knew-make/

 THAI CUISINES :

While you’re in Thailand be sure to try out some of its amazing food. Thai cuisines are some of the best in the world and Thailand is home to several floating and street markets that sell ingredients to make these dishes. Tom Yum Goong is Thailand’s number 1 dish. It translates to spicy shrimp soup. It is made of many herbs and spices that give it its herbal kick. Seasoned shrimp are added to the soup. Som Tum is a spicy papaya salad that comes from Northeastern Thailand. It is a mixture of garlic, chili, green beans, cherry tomatoes, shredded papayas, and spices that locals cannot get enough of. Like any Asian culture rice is the most important meal. A typical Thai meal includes four seasonings: Sweet, sour, spicy, and salty which usually satisfies all your senses.  In families it is important to share meals together. Going out to eat with friends and family is seen as a critical aspect of your social life. Thai people are eager to share food and believe that eating alone is bad luck.

(Info retrieved from: https://www.thespruce.com/thai-food-and-culture-3217393)

 Below is a video sharing the top 10 best foods in Thailand:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFyOeeox9Xg

 RADIO/FILM/NEWSPAPER

Are you looking for thai movies to watch while abroad? Not to worry! Thailand has a major film industry called “the Cinema of Thailand!” It dates back to the early days of filmmaking, not long after it caught an interest with the royal family and businessmen who bought filmmaking equipment to Thailand. Since then Thailand’s new wave of movies have been a hit with great directors such as  Nonzee Nimibutr, Pen-Ek Ratanaruang and Apichatpong Weerasethakul. A plethora of radio stations can also be found in Thailand as well. Thailand’s radio stations can range from Japanese style anime, to alternative rock, to pop, and country. It’s good to know that there is a country out there that doesn’t only rely on their cell phones for news. Thailand has many newspapers that will give you the inside scoop as to what is going on. The most commonly read amongst all is the Bangkok Post. This newspaper gives you the scoop on World business news, political news, prophecy watching, current events, and live radio online.

 Below is the top 10 newspapers in Thailand.

http://www.4imn.com/th/

 Below is a website that you can tune in to any Thai radio station.

http://www.101languages.net/thai/thai-radio/

 FILMS PRODUCED

1.    Monrak Transistor is a Thai film directed by  Pen-Ek Ratanaruang in 2001. It is about a man who goes AWOL from the army and tries to make it as a singer in Thailand. It is a comedy, romance, and drama.

2.      Pee Mak directed in 2013 by  Banjong Pisanthanakun is a Thai horror/comedy. The movie is about a group of four men in the army. One of the men was forced to leave his pregnant wife who later died in labor. Now she is a ghost who is haunting the house and the city.

 DRESS CODE

When traveling to Thailand please be aware of your attire. Thailand is indeed hot, sunny, and humid but there are just some basic things you shouldn’t wear out on the streets. Here are some do’s and don’ts:

DO: Bring sun clothes. For females make sure they cover your shoulders, and are flowy, summer dresses, and fitted tops. For men simple T-shirts or polo’s that cover your shoulders and shorts will do fine.

DON’T: Wear revealing clothing, cut up clothing, sleeveless muscle shirts, or spaghetti strap shirts. DO NOT SHOW CLEAVAGE.

DON’T: Wear your bathing suit around. Thai people only reserve bathing suits for the beach and they think it’s tasteless when they see people walking around in Bikini’s.

DO: Wear whatever you want on your feet.

DON’T: Walk around barefoot.

 Below is an expat's couple guide for what to wear to Thailand.

https://www.tielandtothailand.com/what-wear-thailand-dos-donts/

 Well friends that is all the information I have for your journey to Thailand. I hope this gives you enough information in order to be educated enough to leave for this beautiful country. I wish you safe travels and do not forget to write!