If you know anything about me, you know that I'm a girl who LOVES her food.

And Kuala Lumpur has some of the most delicious food I have ever come across.

Indian breads with spicy curry dip and sweet cucumber salad. Sizzling mee goreng noodles steaming with oil and hot chilis. Coconut ice cream, homemade, and pedaled out by busy street vendors, with coconut juice, served fresh in the lobbed off fruit. 

Now why, might you ask, after only a few weeks in KL, would I decide to fast during daylight hours for 30 long days?

Because for me, it is a choice. And that is a privilege. And my goal, through this internship, is to examine my own privilege, and to challenge it in every context possible.

Ramadan starts on June 6th, and lasts for 30 days. It includes daily fasting (no food and no water) from dawn to sunset as well as increased religious observance and self-reflection.

Through this challenge, I hope to gain a better understanding of Malaysian culture, which is predominately Muslim, while also experiencing what it means to be truly hungry. Because this is something that many of the refugees that I am working in close proximity with feel every day. The exception is that for them, there is no end in sight to their suffering.

The money raised through this challenge will support MSRI to deliver essential services directly to refugees. They need the financial support. I can do something to help. And so can you.

Please donate whatever you can. My goal is 3000 ringgits, which is $1000.00 Canadian dollars.

Thank you so much for your support!