Photo by: Andrea A_83

It’s the second day of Ramadan and I know better: I need to get out of the house early for work or else have a nervous breakdown while driving. The fasting season is known for putting additional strain on the roads all over the UAE. Most of the offices have almost the same time frame of opening and closing during Ramadan which sends all the vehicles at the same times to roads, which causes a lot of congestion that leads to small and big accidents.

Heh, blame it on low blood sugar, lethargy caused by hunger, thirst, nicotine cravings and withdrawal symptoms etc. Yesterday, I got out of the house at 8:30 am and saw 2 near crashes, a swerving 4 x 4 car suddenly appearing in front of me. Sigh. Just general bad ass driving.

In the afternoon when work for most people end at 3 pm, the first 30 minutes after that shows a huge surge of traffic chaos, accidents and road rage. I don’t want to wade through traffic with crazier drivers. I need a plan to get away from the road right after 3 pm by going to the gym and going out at 4 pm when the frenzy dies down, a bit.

With shortened work hours, Ramadan is one of the things I love about living in Dubai but it’s also one of the things I dread, with regards to driving. It is unfortunate that a month meant for tolerance, patience, calm and peace has been tainted by people whose mission is to “rush home to eat”. A fasting person (for religious purposes) should be patient, putting others before himself for the pleasure of God but sadly, the opposite is what I see outside, every single year.