My stay in Dubai so far was a fine experience. Those horrible visions that i had about the life here were slowly beginning to fade away and a more beautiful picture started to take its form.
I had actually begun enjoying my stay and was in reality waiting to take things to the next level of my stay in this country. I have to admit that the sun and the heat were killing my attempts to venture out more often but when i thought about it, if the entire population was surviving under these climatic conditions, i should be able to adapt without problems.
It was not long before the entire GCC (Gulf Countries Council) and rest of the world alike was getting all geared for the holy month of Ramadan. Honestly speaking, i had no clue what i was getting into. After having lived in a country with so many cultures, it felt kinda weird to be surrounded by a clout of people who followed the same religion. Not that i had a problem so far but this holy month started giving me the creeps. Newspapers, television channels and even radio stations were announcing the start of the holy month and with every announcement that i heard, my heart starting beating harder. A sense of nervousness started to set in. I thought to myself. Will i be able to survive this?. Will i unknowingly do something during this month that could land me into trouble?. All these thoughts kept pondering in my mind as the first day of Ramadan finally begun.
The rules were pretty straight forward. No eating, smoking or drinking during the fasting hours. Something so minutely unnoticed as chewing gum in public during the fast hours was also considered a crime and if caught in the act, you could probably be paying a hefty pocket burning fine.
The work hours were cut down for the benefit of those fasting, work timings were changed, working after noon till bout 3pm in the open was strictly prohibited and leaves for those who needed it were being given left right and center.
It was a month were the entire country came to a halt. All that people were concerned about were their prayer times and iftars( a kind of ceremony where people have a feast so as to end the fast for the day which of-course is preceded by a prayer).
Adapting to these basic rules was not so difficult but that fear of unknowingly sipping water or grabbing a bite in public always remained.
While in the grind, i took time to go through the history of Ramadan to try and understand what the entire purpose of this holy month was and why the people took this month so seriously with the fasting and excessive praying.
The facts actually made a lot of sense and following these rules that were laid down was not so difficult to follow after i understood why everyone was going through this strict regime. I did make an attempt to follow the fasting part, but my love for food and the thought of missing a meal during the day took precedence over everything else. I obviously took all precautions before taking out that secret snack i carried in my pocket to quench those sudden bursts of hunger but did try and also avoid overdoing it due to the fear of getting caught in the act.
The month of Ramadan was a fun experience, with people like me praying for life to get back to normal so that we could just eat when we wanted to!. Of-course the work timings and laid back culture during the month was exceptionally fun but it was beginning to get kind of monotonous without any real work coming our way.
The 30 days (29 days this time) were over before i realized. As the month drew to the end, one could feel a sudden sense of celebration in the air. Alas, it was Eid!. Banners came out, people pulled out their new clothes and here i was in the midst of all the mayhem. The night after the last fasting session was all of a sudden filled with some kind of energy and vibes. People all around were in a party mood. Food stalls swung back into action, malls were over crowded and the roads were flooded with cars. One would wonder where all this population was for so many days.
I sure enjoyed the experience and actually am looking forward to the next Ramadan. Till then, Eid Mubarak!.
I had actually begun enjoying my stay and was in reality waiting to take things to the next level of my stay in this country. I have to admit that the sun and the heat were killing my attempts to venture out more often but when i thought about it, if the entire population was surviving under these climatic conditions, i should be able to adapt without problems.
It was not long before the entire GCC (Gulf Countries Council) and rest of the world alike was getting all geared for the holy month of Ramadan. Honestly speaking, i had no clue what i was getting into. After having lived in a country with so many cultures, it felt kinda weird to be surrounded by a clout of people who followed the same religion. Not that i had a problem so far but this holy month started giving me the creeps. Newspapers, television channels and even radio stations were announcing the start of the holy month and with every announcement that i heard, my heart starting beating harder. A sense of nervousness started to set in. I thought to myself. Will i be able to survive this?. Will i unknowingly do something during this month that could land me into trouble?. All these thoughts kept pondering in my mind as the first day of Ramadan finally begun.
The rules were pretty straight forward. No eating, smoking or drinking during the fasting hours. Something so minutely unnoticed as chewing gum in public during the fast hours was also considered a crime and if caught in the act, you could probably be paying a hefty pocket burning fine.
The work hours were cut down for the benefit of those fasting, work timings were changed, working after noon till bout 3pm in the open was strictly prohibited and leaves for those who needed it were being given left right and center.
It was a month were the entire country came to a halt. All that people were concerned about were their prayer times and iftars( a kind of ceremony where people have a feast so as to end the fast for the day which of-course is preceded by a prayer).
Adapting to these basic rules was not so difficult but that fear of unknowingly sipping water or grabbing a bite in public always remained.
While in the grind, i took time to go through the history of Ramadan to try and understand what the entire purpose of this holy month was and why the people took this month so seriously with the fasting and excessive praying.
The facts actually made a lot of sense and following these rules that were laid down was not so difficult to follow after i understood why everyone was going through this strict regime. I did make an attempt to follow the fasting part, but my love for food and the thought of missing a meal during the day took precedence over everything else. I obviously took all precautions before taking out that secret snack i carried in my pocket to quench those sudden bursts of hunger but did try and also avoid overdoing it due to the fear of getting caught in the act.
The month of Ramadan was a fun experience, with people like me praying for life to get back to normal so that we could just eat when we wanted to!. Of-course the work timings and laid back culture during the month was exceptionally fun but it was beginning to get kind of monotonous without any real work coming our way.
The 30 days (29 days this time) were over before i realized. As the month drew to the end, one could feel a sudden sense of celebration in the air. Alas, it was Eid!. Banners came out, people pulled out their new clothes and here i was in the midst of all the mayhem. The night after the last fasting session was all of a sudden filled with some kind of energy and vibes. People all around were in a party mood. Food stalls swung back into action, malls were over crowded and the roads were flooded with cars. One would wonder where all this population was for so many days.
I sure enjoyed the experience and actually am looking forward to the next Ramadan. Till then, Eid Mubarak!.
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