Ramadan mubarak
Ramadan mubarak to everyone. Whether you are Muslim or not-yet Muslim, may you be guided always.
My first Ramadan in the United States. My first Ramadan away from the Philippines and everything I've ever known. What I have taken with me are the memories I hold dearly in my heart that forever affects my view whenever Ramadan comes. Here in the US, we started on July 10. The days are longer since Sahoor (pre-dawn meal) is at 4:00AM and Iftar (sunset meal) is at 8:40PM. I am not really bothered by this because how one spends the day determines your endurance. Your days may be short but if you do not spend it wisely then you will fail.
Another first that I have experienced here is the masjid sponsoring a pre-Ramadan dinner for everyone. My mother-in-law made a green bean casserole. My three failed attempts of making cheese rolls did not inspire me to submit this for my covered dish at the event. I cooked plain rice instead which proved to be a whole lot better since rice pretty much complemented with all the savory dishes that were served. I have never been invited to a pre-Ramadan feast. Nor has any masjid in the Philippines have ever organized one that I know of. The big deal usually only happens at Eid and that's all.
Even the Iftar and Sahoor meals at home was quite different from what I am used to. Back in the Philippines, the food served on Iftar consisted of some sweets and pretty much what's for dinner. There is a lot more cooking activities involved in Iftar. Basically, you only eat the "dinner preview" and then after Maghrib prayer, resume to eat the rest of dinner. Whatever is left for dinner is then extended to Sahoor, that way you don't have to be burdened with cooking/preparation when you get up early in the morning. When I was growing up in Zamboanga, cooking is very much like a community endeavor. If one does not have Sahoor or Iftar, a family is more than happy to invite you to their home. It was not uncommon to have a family friend or relative in our house to partake of the meal. It was also not uncommon to be invited to someone else's home to share in the meal either.
However, moving here in the US as well as feeling like we're the ONLY Muslims in Maiden, the meals are very family-oriented only. I find myself having to unlearn what I have been used to in the Philippines. Iftar consisted of dried fruits and nuts. Dinner is separate and prepared after Maghrib. I was quite happy to have been given the chance to prepare our first Ramadan dinner. I made ginataan halo-halo. In my mind at the time, I was going to serve this for Iftar and since I made a potful of it that it would extend till dinner. This was not the case since dried fruits and nuts were served first. What's good though is that the dish I made extended till Sahoor thus saving any effort of making something afresh. All was done was reheat the ginataan and pour into the bowls. Alhamdulillah, I managed to make this dish despite the limited ingredients. Perhaps in the future, I will be lucky to have a complete set.
A week has passed in Ramadan and I am getting the hang of the routine. Sahoor consist of light and quick meals like oatmeal, rice with milk, cream of wheat, scrambled eggs and most recently a plate of ready-to-eat french toasts. Each of the meals listed were taken per day. Now if anyone still wants to much, there is bowl of assorted munchies like granola bars, individually-packed pastry or dried fruits. Everyone else have coffee and juice. I'm the only non-coffee drinker in the family.
Another first is the Eid tree that my mother-in-law put up. Shamsa helped her decorate the tree. The tree is the same tree that was used for Christmas. The only difference is that the decoration has a different theme. Excerpts from the Qur'an in Arabic, painted eggs, stars and crescent moons. I have never known of anything like this until I moved in with my new family.
Throughout the day so far, activities are easy going and mostly done indoors. More reading. More reflection times. Extended hours of rest. I still attended karate class although some of the drills took a toll on me that I almost collapsed. I ended up slumped in the bathroom cubicle unable to move. I almost threw up too. But after regaining my strength, I managed to get through the class till the end. All I could think about at the time was my body has a right over me. I need the class to strengthen my body yet when my body complains, it has the right to rest. Moderation really is the key despite how tricky it may be at times.
Being the "ONLY" Muslims in the community where we live is not a new thing for me. Back in the Philippines, when we moved to Manila, this has been our reality as well. Our neighborhood consisted of a large majority of non-Muslims. We hardly were able to go to the masjid as regularly as we would want to because of the commute and most of the masjids hold khutbahs in dialects that we do not speak. Thankfully being here in the US, we are able to go to the masjid every Fridays and Sundays and the khutbah is in English. Although I may have those wonderful Ramadan memories from my childhood and teenage years growing up in my hometown in Zamboanga, I will grow more Ramadan memories and firsts here in the US. A new beginning.
May Allah accept our fasts and our efforts. Forgive us of our sins and guide us always to the Right Path. Ameen.