Last Wednesday was the official moon sighting/start of the Holy Month of Ramadan. If you're not well-versed on all things Islam, it's basically a month where the Muslims fast from food, drink, sex, smoke, and impure thoughts from sunrise to sunset. Of course, there is a lot more to it than that, but I suppose that's the part that affects us non-Muslims the most.
Anyway, Dubai strictly enforces the fast, and most restaurants are closed until sunset. If you want to eat, smoke, or even take a sip of water, you have to hide it well, or risk getting a ticket...even if you're not fasting! Throughout the entire month, the city is eerily quiet during the day, roads are empty, and most businesses have shortened working hours. However, when the sun dips below the horizon and the calls to prayer erupt from the minarets, the city comes alive. The streets become snarled with traffic as drivers race to restaurants for the Iftar meal and shopping malls are bustling with shoppers taking advantage of extended opening hours.
Anyway, as you can imagine, Ramadan is basically a month where things slow down to the point of shut down, particularly true this year as it falls in the summer. This also means that there are zero jobs on the market. Not a good thing for me.
Just yesterday I was contacted by the company with which I had interviewed in Abu Dhabi; unfortunately, they had to put the job on hold. As soon as they told me, I felt a wave of relief...who was I kidding? I did not want to move to boring old Abu Dhabi, no matter how much I tried to pep-talk myself into it!
So now it's back to square one...I've pretty much given up on the job search until after Ramadan. Actually, I'm off to Europe for a few weeks the first week of September, so I might as well put it off until I'm back on the 25th! No need to rush these things...
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