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Fasting for 30 days can be intimidating enough, but fasting for 30 days during the summer--in the desert--can be downright terrifying to think about. Since arriving in Phoenix two months ago from St. Louis, I've been comparing the heat here to what I assumed Hell would feel like.
This will be my first Ramadan in Phoenix. When it dawned on me that I'd be spending the first week of this month fasting here (before returning back home to the midwest), I was nervous, to say the least. I'm constantly carrying heavy photography equipment under a sun that I could swear is much closer to the folks here, always hovering...so close....
- Although it may be difficult, try to avoid being out in the sun even more than you already try avoiding it.
- Try to steer clear of strenuous activities. These may involve, but are not limited to, political discussions surrounding the country's debt crisis and that whole health care thing.
- Carry a toothbrush and toothpaste. Turns out if you've gone the entire day without eating, your breath will be a fearsome thing to behold for your friends and colleagues around you.
- Ramadan is also about Muslims being on their best behavior. So, try to avoid punching your co-worker when he or she complains about "being starving" after just having finished a fruit parfait an hour earlier.
Keep Phoenix New Times Free... Since we started Phoenix New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Phoenix with no paywalls.
