Fasting and prayer

Today was the first day of Ramadan, a month of fasting, prayer and hospitality for muslims. I was thinking about joining the fast but then decided to stick to my personal fasting routine... But the beginning of Ramadan reminded me of the time I spent with my Turkish class in Istanbul in 2005, the picture was taken there as well - a different soup for every iftar, the time in the evening when the fast is broken. The restaurants had special iftar menues on offer and we saw a public distribution of food to people on the street. The month is also a time for giving to the needy.
For me fasting is a time to remember - God, people around me and always also the ones who go hungry - not voluntarily. During our travels we visited many countries in which most of the population has a muslim background and so I want to take time during the next 30 days to remember and pray for these places and the people we met (and places that I would still like to visit :-).