It took a pair of Kiwis to make me miss America.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2M3LqJwisvE
Training is going well so far, and I promise that I'll update about that soon... early next week, incha'Allah. Until then, please enjoy the provided FOTC. They have nothing to do with my service or Morocco or Islam or anything, really, but they -- along with the email that the link came with -- made me smile. Thank you, Gervis!


As for something of substance, let's talk Ramadan.

Ramadan, the holiest month of the Islamic calendar, is quickly approaching. Here're a few resources to get you excited (or at least educated) about the holiday season, and a quick exchange with my brother regarding Ramadan and the use of the ubiquitous phrase incha'Allah.

http://french.about.com/library/travel/bl-ma-ramadan.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramadan
http://www.islamicity.com/ramadan/


Envoyé jeudi à 18:41
moi: yeah, im emailing mom and dad about ramadan right now in fact
Matthew: oh? when does it start again?
moi: 22 august, inchaallah
Matthew: is that really an inshallah moment - i mean, it wouldn't like... not start, eh?

Incha'Allah, or 'God willing', is used here in Morocco for anything that's going to happen in the future. In this fatalistic culture, it's used so frequently that it takes on an almost mechanical quality in its usage. The idea of invoking God's name doesn't change ('God phrases' are a big part of Islamic culture), but incha'Allah becomes automatic, like a 'thank you' after a post-sneeze 'bless you.' Nothing is guaranteed in a fatalistic culture, and when you mix fatalism with Islam, you get incha'Allah (which, again, is spelled with a ch here).

To be perfectly honest, it feels awkward when one mentions an event in the future without someone else following up with an incha'Allah. It's like a linguistic cliffhanger, or an unresolved chord progression. Painful to the ears, really.

So, Matthew, to answer your question: yes, that was indeed an incha'Allah moment.