No Place Like Home

No Place like Home

     Believe it or not! Fasting is the spiritual way to clean your soul, heart and body. Fasting is one the most important duties in Islam. Muslims fast during the holy month of Ramadan every year from dawn until the sun sets. They cannot eat, smoke or drink the entire time of the fast. Ramadan has a substantial climate in Saudi Arabia, which is very different from here. I miss the traditional atmosphere of Ramadan in Saudi Arabia, because the short duration of fast, the food delicacies and social interaction which have all disappeared since I arrived here.

     First, I miss the short time of fasting in Saudi Arabia. Muslims there fast only about thirteen hours. They have enough time to enjoy their meals. On the other hand, In the United States Muslims fast around eighteen or nineteen hours which is much longer than the fast in Saudi Arabia, because the geographic of the United States is different than my country.  Actually, when Muslims break their fast here, they just have seven hours to prepare for the next day. In these short hours, they cannot manage themselves to eat enough food, so they have digestion problems. They fill their stomachs excessively. Therefore, the longtime duration of fasting here affects me and reminds me always that I miss my homeland.

     In addition to fasting time, I also miss Ramadan’s special traditional dishes here in the United States. In Ramadan Muslims have two major meals which called Iftar Meal and Sahur Meal. After the sun sets they break their fast by Iftar meal which contains dates, Arabic coffee, water, salads, soups and juice. Then, in Sahur they eat a light meal such as yogurt, fruits, sandwiches, and plenty of water about half hour to one hour before dawn. Moreover, between these two meals they can eat variety of different sweet dishes like Konafah, Basboosa with cheese, Baklava, Qatayef and Luqaimat with honey. Also, they have main entries such as Kabsa which have lamb and rice, Macaroni with Béchamel salsa, Chicken Shawarma that contains hummus and pickle and Falafel sandwiches with Tahini. However, here in the U.S we just have the famous western fast food such as burgers with French fries, pizza or hotdog sandwiches. As a result, I miss the delicious Saudi special meals here in the U.S. But, I always try in Ramadan to cook these traditional dishes in my kitchen.

     Finally, I miss the social interaction in Saudi Arabia that is heightened in Ramadan. All the Saudis visit each other. Most of the families join to have the Iftar or Sahur together. They prepare big meals to feed all the family members. Also, the Muslims community can have their Iftar or Sahur jointly in mosques or parks. Saudi Arabia has a special flavor of harmony, because all the people unite in a wonderful climate and they feel Ramadan’s holiness. However, in America it’s very difficult to have this lovely atmosphere, because I’m far away from my family and my home.  

     All in all, I miss Ramadan in Saudi Arabia, which has a unique environment of the short fasting time, traditional foods and social life activates than United States. I get lost in translation here when I fast this special occasion far away from my family. Although I still enjoy my life here in the U.S. beside the nostalgia for my homeland. But, my focus now is to get my bachelor degree and finish all my studies successfully and return proudly to my family.