The challenge has started! After indulging on watermelon and ice cream last night, we woke this morning to the stark reality of ration life. Our food for the week fits in a corner of the kitchen counter, not taking up much space at all.

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Our combined rations for the week: 3.8kg rice, 170g chickpeas, 2 cans kidney beans, 2 tins sardines, 900g flour, 340g lentils, 600ml oil

Breakfast today consisted of a 1/2 cup of rice each, with a splash of diluted milk (a bonus due to fundraising perks), and a dash of sugar/cumin respectively (also an added benefit of fundraising). We just ate an hour ago, but I have to admit that I’m ready for lunch now…

Just for interest sake, I’m going to keep an eye on my weight over the coming 7 days. I’m not sure I’ll really lose all that much, but it might be interesting to watch.

So, for the record, on the morning of Day 1 I’m weighing in at 60.0kg on the dot.

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Extra goodies! 50g of sugar (we both raised over $100, so that’s 100g total), 210ml milk (earned when Sean’s page reached $250 in donations), and one spice, cumin, (achieved at $350 of fundraising through Sean’s page). We chose cumin as a token of solidarity with our Syrian refugee brothers and sisters.

 

Already I feel affected by the challenge, thinking of the actual people impacted by violence and disaster and knowing that food is only a small part of the refugee experience. It’s a very topical issue, yet I’ve never spent much time thinking about what it must be like to flee your home, face horrible conditions, expose yourself to every vulnerability, only in the hope of something better. This challenge is a small thing and not at all comparable to reality, but it has a significant impact on the way I look at those who’ve lost everything only start over with absolutely nothing.

 

To donate to this worthy cause, head over here: https://my.rationchallenge.org.au/daryl-hiebert (my page) or here: https://my.rationchallenge.org.au/shoda (Team ShoDa).