The Most Anticipated Ramadhan

By pakandi on Flickr

These may be late, but Happy Merdeka, and Happy Ramadhan. For me and many of my friends who have just graduated this year, Ramadhan in Malaysia is something that we have been anticipating for the past six years we had to fast and celebrate our Eid in Kursk, Russia. Now that I'm here in Malaysia, all of a sudden I've gotten a bit nostalgic and would like to share some of my memories there during Ramadhan.

When I was in first year, all the way till around my fourth year, fasting month fell on winters, which meant SHORTER duration for us to fast. Imagine imsaa' was around 6.30AM, and maghrib was at about 4.30PM. Plus it was cold so we didn't really feel that we were actually fasting, since there were less sun and more nights during those times. At times we finished our classes around 4.00PM, and we got back to our hostels, cooked, and by the time maghrib approached we were ready to have our dinners. And terawih prayers were usually around 6.30PM and we'd finish around 7.00PM..... really loved those long nights. From 7.00PM till midnight onwards, we really didn't know what else to do, after doing the basic studying and finishing up tasks. I tended to be a more of a night person when it came to studying so those times were very beneficial for me. And I hated summers because of the shorter nights. :P


There was one Philosophy lecturer of ours when we had the subject in our second year, she'd allow the Muslim students to go back early in order to break our fast. And when this became unfeasable for her because the Muslims were a minority in the large group of students attending her lecture...she allowed us to eat something to break our fast. All of the Muslim students would usually sit around the same area, and when maghrib approached you'd hear the rustling sounds of chocolate bars being torn open, or the sounds of people sucking out the small juice boxes until they were empty. I couldn't remember whether there was the more adventurous ones who brought proper meals to the lecture hall....I'm pretty sure there was someone or I wouldn't have the idea about this.

As for me, after the first year I had to fast in Russia, the five years that ensued became something of a norm. Back then, I prefered to not think too much about it as friends gushed over how they missed fasting in Malaysia, with their families, etc etc. It couldn't be helped as I was the one who wanted to study in Russia in the first place. Besides I just thought: even if I were in Malaysia then, my family were at Arab Saudi anyway so it wasn't too much of a difference for me. And Dhahran Arab Saudi being in the same time zone as Kursk Russia also helped, a lot -- because while friends had to consider the five hours time difference (by the time they broke their fast their family members would already be doing their terawih), I had the comfort that my folks and siblings were also preparing to break their fast just as I was preparing for mine. Jauh di mata dekat di hati.

Some of the highlights during our buka puasa there were the twice-per-month IFTAR organized by the Arab students. This usually translated to us as free food which consisted of hefty servings of rice, potatoes, roasted chicken (like those served in Kenny Rogers, mind you), dates, sweets and juices. The Arabs sure can eat A LOT and they marvelled at us petite Malaysians who usually ate a quarter to half a portion of what they ate, wondering whether we actually had enough? When the number of Malays increased over the years, we also managed our own IFTAR between the Malaysians as a way for us to gather around, seniors and juniors. The event would be organized by Kursk's PPIM and the foods prepared by the better cooks amongst us. Me....I helped out with the makan process. Heh.

 

  

  

Gambar hanya ilustrasi tapi lebih kurang beginilah kalau ada any gathering makan kat sana. This is from my 23rd birthday party. :P 

  

 

 How IFTAR was back there...

Terawih prayers....well the past six years hadn't been the times where I could admit of being a regular to the surau. One of the earlier reasons being that those who organized the terawih prayers wanted to compress a whole juzuk in the 8 rakaat prayers and not many of us could actually stand for so long, waiting for the exclamation Allahu'akbar which meant it was time to rukuk. I decided to do my terawih in my own room, my Hindu roommate didn't mind the slightest bit too so that helped a lot. And over the years, the more observants of the regular terawih-in-surau attendees began to realize why the prayer had gotten unpopular with the students and heard our suggestions for shorter recitations. Last year when I gathered the strength to regularly attend the prayers, it was only half-a-page for every rakaat.

And now....strangely, I don't feel the hype. Not too much anyway, even though I'm in Malaysia. Probably because my family is there at Saudi, so I carried on here almost like how I did it back in Kursk. The mosque is near my uncle's condo so I could walk there, and the prayers were surprisingly short so for me it's great and I had no problem to attend the prayers regularly. But if I could name one thing that I really looked forward on this Ramadhan, it would have to be this.



I just love Bazar Ramadhan. Foods galore! Lots of choices, and if it weren't for the fact that I have made a promise to watch my waistline I'd be tempted to buy everything. Foods in Malaysia are really very cheap compared to Kursk. Imagine, people doing occasional nasi lemak business there sell the nasi lemak at 70rubles (RM10) and we think that's cheap!

Ahh...chicken or beef kebabs. In Russia, sights like this usually mean pork kebabs. There were those who sell chickens only too, but you really have to ask, because porks are popular meals for the Ruskiis. 

Puasa belum mula but I've already gotten myself 2 pairs of Baju Melayu: one Teluk Belanga and one Cekak Musang, and one sampin songket. It was a spur of the moment shopping (I didn't get new Baju Melayu last year). I bought these early because I don't think I have the patience of having to beat the crowd to look for my ideal Baju Melayu during the month of fasting. So might as well got these early.

InsyaAllah, I'll be flying to Saudi on the last week of Ramadhan to spend the last few days of Ramadhan with my family and also my first Raya Aidilfitri ever with them after six years. Thankfully, I'll be called for the induction course after the Eid.  Here's hoping that nothing comes by and take that chance away from me.

Anyhow, my resolutions for this year's Ramadhan.

• To pray terawih every night (usually I did, but there times terlajak tidur etc etc...)
• Pray terawih at the mosque more often (improving since last year)
• To try waking up for sahur (I usually opt to forego sahur in favor of just a few more minutes of sleep, waking up as usual for Subuh prayers instead. Today however, somehow I woke up at 4.44AM. Those Chinese superstitous ones would say, sei, sei, seiya! Haha....)
• To lose 5--10KGs!! Haha dream big, dream big....but I have to lose at least something because I have purposedly challenged myself in doing so....the new pants I bought are just at their muat-muat size around the waist so if I still want to fit in those pants I better start cutting out what I eat. Living in Malaysia has not been good for the waistline........ maybe I should pay the gym a visit? No food + more workouts = more weights shaved off?
  
• To....uhhh.....hmmm......be a better Muslim? InsyaAllah. Always am striving for it. Syaitan pun dah kena kunci kan this month, but Mom said that remember that they have already spent 11 MONTHS doing their work on us, whether we realize it or not, so traces and residues of their dirty works STILL REMAIN, so tak payahlah happy sangat yee konon2 syaitan kena kunci. Heheh... the message goes for yours truly as well.
  
• World peace. Seriously.
  
• Last but not least I have to be at least at this size, like I was last year. I know I won't get that hair anymore since I wear them short and black nowadays.

InsyaAllah to everything.