Ramadan: Day One.

Well, day one of my fasting experience has come to a conclusion, and I am thankful to say: I am alive!

My first thoughts?

To be perfectly honest, my first day without food, drink + other things (like not being able to physically touch my girlfriend in, almost, any way) was not as difficult as I had anticipated it to be.

Pretty happy with the fact it's finally time to tuck into
some food!

True, there were some close moments where I nearly 'broke' the fast, but, in the end, I was able to withstand the 17 hours.

[On that note, I'm quite thankful I'm not in Scandinavia at the moment, where the fasts are said to last 21 hours per day at the moment!]


The day began and, with first prayer (the signal of the beginning of the fasting day) occurring just after 3am, I made sure to get a good feed in at around 2 in the morning. Actually, I went so hard chowing down a burek my girlfriend had made, that I chipped a good chunk out of one my tooths!

So, it wasn't a great start for myself, but a sleep-in 'til around midday fixed things up a bit.

For the remaining 7-8 hours, it was tough - but I found the biggest struggle to be dehydration, certainly not from hunger. My stomach did get a bit rowdy come the 15th or 16th hour, but nothing to become overly-concerned about.

The feeling when 'iftar' - which is the name of the meal following the conclusion of the fasting day - arrives is a good feeling, though. If the feeling of accomplishment to me was as big as it was, then I can only imagine the feeling Muslims have when they are doing it for their God and their religion.

I must admit I was a bit like a child on Christmas morning in those final 5-10 minutes before Iftar ... staring out the window for the green Mosque lights to come on!

Currently, it's 12:40am local Zenica time, and there's quite a number of people alive and awake outside - but not quite as many as I had expected. I intend to travel to the city centre at least once during the evening this Ramadan, where, perhaps, it is more busy.

As for myself, my body and health is pretty good. I probably went a bit too hard on the food and drink, and all a bit too quickly, but each minute it is settling more and more, and I am already preparing myself for day two, which is due to begin in just over two hours.

Again, wish me and all fasters (particularly those in Scandinavia, I think!) some luck.

Maybe it will tougher from here!

By the way, check out how they signalled Iftar in Sarajevo this evening. Just a casual shooting-of-a-cannonball into the sky!
Quite magnificent, as is the sight of the lights of the mosques afterwards. 
A truly amazing city, check out the vid [if you're impatient, skip to 1:50 for the 'action']: