• Login
  • Home
  • Pakistan
  • International News
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • Opinion
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Pakistan
  • International News
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • Opinion
No Result
View All Result
Time of Pakistan
No Result
View All Result
Home International News Middle East

Ramadan abroad colorless: Students

ToP by ToP
September 7, 2010
in Middle East
0
0
SHARES
0
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

JEDDAH: As the holy month is about to end now, Saudi Students studying abroad talk about their Ramadan experience away from their families and friends. Some think it was a perfect time to learn how to make it on their own. Others say that it was a way to get closer to other Saudi students in the same city.

“It has been four years now since I spent Ramadan at home. I miss being surrounded by my family during iftar and then watching local television afterward; the weird thing is that I love it here in London but when it comes to Ramadan I feel like it’s the worst country to be in because the day is too long and I have to wake up early for school, said Ahmed. I fast for hours in classes which leave me tired,” he added.

Being away from family makes students depressed and unhappy. “Ramadan is depressing because my family isn’t around me. Sometimes I go and have iftar with my married friends and other times I’m all alone and as a single person, it is sad and depressing to have to sit at the table all by myself and I feel like Ramadan has lost its special spirit,” said Sofana Al-Khereiji, international marketing and business development student in Nice, France. “It feels like a regular day but with me being starved and homesick,” she added.

Ramadan family gatherings are what students miss the most. “This year, I was lucky that my parents and brothers got to spend Ramadan with me because it’s a school vacation back in the Kingdom. Last year, I spent it with my Muslim friends who go to college with me,” said Ali Ismael, marketing student in Cairo. “I got to eat my mother’s Ramadan special dishes and enjoy iftar with my brothers, which is what makes Ramadan special for me,” he added.

Living and being surrounded with non-Muslims make fasting hard on Muslim students. “My roommate is not a Muslim so he spends his morning eating and drinking even smoking and of course I can’t ask him not to do that for me because what’s the point of it?,” said Alia Kamel, a public relations student in California. “So I try to stay in my room or spend more time at the university to avoid seeing a cold glass of Coca-Cola in his hands,” he added.

Gulf students gather on a daily basis to have iftar together and go to pray in a group, said Hamza Khushaim, an MBA student in Michigan. “We try to maintain a little bit of our tradition in Ramadan,” he said. “We have been gathering for a while now, every one of us gets to cook his country’s famous dish and with that we get to be introduced to one another’s culture and food every day,” he added.

Newlyweds see Ramadan as an opportunity to start their own traditions and their own home-cooked dishes. “This is my first year in Canada and I’m not used to the cold weather but I’m trying so hard to adjust to it so my husband and I can start a happy life. But when Ramadan came, I became homesick and I missed my mom’s famous soup and her Arabic coffee, so my husband came up with idea of making our own soup and coffee so when we have kids they will miss my special coffee and soup,” said Nouf Al-Ashaary, a medical student in Montreal, Canada. “Now I look forward to going home and making my new soup after a long day at college,” she added. -arabnews

Previous Post

The change is imminent

Next Post

Report: Money can buy you happiness, to a point

ToP

ToP

Related Posts

OIC envoys deplore Israeli actions against Palestinians
Middle East

OIC envoys deplore Israeli actions against Palestinians

by ToP
July 6, 2021
22 Palestinians, including 9 children, killed as Israel strikes Gaza
Middle East

22 Palestinians, including 9 children, killed as Israel strikes Gaza

by Jameel Ahmad
July 6, 2021
Violence erupts at Al Aqsa mosque as Israel marks Jerusalem Day
Middle East

Violence erupts at Al Aqsa mosque as Israel marks Jerusalem Day

by Jameel Ahmad
July 6, 2021
UAE finance Minister Sheikh Hamdan Passes Away
Middle East

UAE finance Minister Sheikh Hamdan Passes Away

by Jameel Ahmad
March 24, 2021
Kuwait to lift visa ban, says govt on eve of FM’s visit
Middle East

Kuwait to lift visa ban, says govt on eve of FM’s visit

by Jameel Ahmad
March 18, 2021
Saudi Arabia Suspends Entry from 20 Countries
Middle East

Saudi Arabia Suspends Entry from 20 Countries

by Jameel Ahmad
February 3, 2021
UAE to open an Embassy in Israel
Middle East

UAE to open an Embassy in Israel

by Jameel Ahmad
January 25, 2021
Next Post

Report: Money can buy you happiness, to a point

Popular Stories

  • Welcome to Ghas Mandi: Asia’s largest gambling den

    Welcome to Ghas Mandi: Asia’s largest gambling den

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Bodybuilding Champion Found Happiness in God, not Competition

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Watch Video: Indian Father Buried His Ten Year Old Daughter Alive

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Google shuts failed social network Google+

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
Time of Pakistan

About Times Of Pakistan

kralbetbetturkeyikimislibahis1xbetm.infohipas.infohttps://www.wiibet.com/restbetcdn.com

Other Categories

  • Beautiful Pakistan
  • Fashion News
  • Funny News
  • Viral Videos
  • Weird News

Recent Posts

  • 11th J.A. Zaman Memorial Open – Powered by Gem Golfers
  • Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi Sentenced to Jail in £190 Million Case
  • World’s Largest Submarine Cable Arrives in Pakistan: Could This End Internet Woes?

Times Of Pakistan © 2024. Design & Developed by E2E Solution Providers.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Pakistan
  • International News
  • Business
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • Opinion

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In