So, Ramadan started a little over a week ago. I’m not going to talk about all of the specifics of Ramadan in this post, really just one aspect. If you’re interested in learning more about Ramadan, check out this link, or just google it.
Everything You Need to Know About Ramadan
What a lot of people do know about Ramadan, is that during this month, all Muslims are required to fast. There are some exceptions to who is required to fast: small kids, pregnant women, women on their menstrual cycles, the ill, and a few others. If you don’t fit into any of these categories, you are supposed to observe the fast. This means no food or drink (including water) from essentially sunrise to sunset.
Muslims do this for a few reasons. One of them is to feel a closer connection with God, and to focus harder on being a good Muslim and a good person in general. Additionally, abstaining from food and drink causes one to empathize on a greater level with people who go hungry every day. As such, charity and giving is a huge part of Ramadan.
In the spirit of Ramadan, I decided to try to fast for a school week (5 days). Our school weeks being on Sunday and go through Thursday. On Sunday last week, I woke up at 3:30AM to eat breakfast, then went back to sleep before getting up at 6:45AM for class. We spend most of the day at the center where we have classes from 8:00AM to 12:40PM followed by 1 hour for lunch, and 2 hours of speaking with language partners (3 times a week). Three days a week, we get home around 4:00PM, the other two days we get home at around 2:00PM if there are no special events or lectures.
The first two days of my fast were probably the easiest. I was surprised at how little I thought of food during the day. Our instructors, all of whom are Omani (and Muslim), are fasting so we are encouraged to keep our food and water bottles hidden (though most of them don’t mind). Most of my friends were good about this but often forgot and started eating near me. It didn’t bother me unless I could smell it. The smell of food was the only thing that really reminded me that I was hungry during the day. The first two days, I still had plenty of energy. After class, I would just come home and sleep or preoccupy myself with reading or a movie.
I will say, the last hour or two of the day, right before 7PM when I could break my fast, were the hardest. But it was always really fantastic to drink water and eat when the clock hit 7.
The last three days were the hardest. Each day it seemed like I had less and less energy. I wasn’t that hungry, I just felt dehydrated and lethargic. I usually read or did homework far away from the kitchen during lunch. Only the kitchen in the second building is being used during Ramadan so as not to cause any problems or distractions for the instructors. Or me 🙂
During my short 5 day fast, I learned a few different things about myself and gained some perspective about fasting and about hunger:
- Fasting allows me to focus on other things and to be more productive during certain parts of the day
- I get really sleepy when I’m dehydrated. It makes class a ton of fun -_-
- It shouldn’t be that hard for other people to conceal their water and food for a few hours of class. You’ll survive without water for 60 minutes until the next short break. I promise.
- Self-discipline is an important skill to develop and maintain during Ramadan.
- My fast was only 5 days long and it felt like a pretty long week.
- Muslims do this for an entire month.
- Millions of people around the world do this every day of their lives, and they can’t just break their fast at the end of the day. They don’t have big meals to consume in celebration. Going without food isn’t a choice, it’s life.
- Muslims do this for an entire month.
- I take food for granted.
- I take water for granted.
- I am blessed to be able to say that never in my life have I gone hungry.
Why did I fast? I wanted to have a taste of what it was like for Muslims across the world. I also wanted to know what it felt like to be hungry and to abstain from food and water. I always had the option of breaking the fast but millions of people around the world are starving and don’t have this option. I wanted to challenge myself and my self-discipline. I wanted to try something new. I wanted to gain a little perspective. All of these reasons are why I decided to fast and I’m glad I did.
If you have the option, I might suggest trying it, even for just a day, to see what it’s like for Muslims and to understand a little bit of what it’s like to be hungry and dehydrated. It could be a pretty eye-opening experience if you’re willing to give it a try.
Source: The Other Rocky Mountains
Full Article: On Being a Foreigner…Part 2