No soap for you! (Journal Entry)

When I fasted the first time, I was outside washing something with soap and Joyti came over to me and said, “No soap- when you fast, you don’t use soap…” I wasn’t about to refrain from using soap all day, so I told her that our fasts were different. She was fasting for her god, I was fasting for my God- and my God didn’t care if I used soap or not!!! I was half joking with her. My fast is also different because I don’t eat anything whereas they eat roti and dahi- and other ‘natural’ things. They also usually eat again in the evening. I don’t eat until the next day. They weren't surprised at my fast, but were surprised I didn’t eat anything and that I fast the entire day until the next day. I’m trying to connect with the culture, and fit it, but still have some differences…I think in this one area, somehow, in someway, I’ve found a blanace...