Sami Moog

Sami Moog is a 2007 graduate of  McLean High School. He now studies dentistry and journalism at George Mason University. This is his blog and his life in McLean. Here’s the link to his earlier column.

MCLEAN, VA – Today is the 14th day of Ramadan, the ninth month in the Islamic calendar during which Muslims are commanded to fast from sunrise until sunset everyday of the month.  I have only fasted a couple of days successfully, and I have attempted a few days unsuccessfully. For most people fasting gets easier as the month progresses because their bodies and stomachs adapt and become used to the trials that come with fasting.

Ramadan is considered a holy month in the Islamic tradition. According to Islamic tradition, each day that passes is better than the day before, during the month of Ramadan. That is, as the month progresses, more blessings come down on earth. For me, however, fasting becomes harder as the month goes by. In the past, I have fasted almost the whole month, with the exceptions of a day or here or there. Because I am so skinny and I have minimal energy reserves, and also because fasting makes one lose weight if done properly, the month become progressively harder for me.

This is something that I must bear with patience, however. Something I have been bad at this year and the last few years.

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Danielle Rein

This time of year is always  sad for me. Most of my close friends from high school all leave for their respective universities. My closest friend, Danielle Rein

Sami Moog and friend Carolyn Whitebread

, left the other day for East Carolina University, in North Carolina. Every year I dread the time when she has to leave, yet it must come, every year. My other closest friend from high school, Carolyn Whitebread left two days after Danielle for Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg. Though I have a few close friends from high school, and many good friends from GMU, it is always sad to see a friend leave. What makes this departure even worse is the GMU usually starts a week later than most schools, and therefore I must wait a while, this year ten days, before I can busy myself with school and everything that comes with going to university. I love when each semester starts.

Finally, last night was a very fun and interesting night. It was one of the better nights out I’ve had in a while. I met up with four high school friends, and a friend from GMU who now goes to George Washington University. His name, Rayan Othman, and he is by far my closest friend I met while in university. I met up with  high school friends Molly, Abin, Kailey and Kareem. We met up at my house and hung out for over an hour.

At about 11 pm., I drove us to Georgetown where Rayan lives, and we went to his on campus apartment-dorm. After a half hour, we went K Street Lounge, a nice club on K Street in D.C. In K Street I saw many of my sister’s friends, who I am also very close with. That was definitely a nice surprise. Afterward we all went home and on the way home we listened to music. I dropped everyone at their home and then I went home, only to see my neighbor having a lot of people at his house. I did not go because I was too tired. Something fun was in the air last night!