Ramadhan Experience in Canberra
This is a summary of my Ramadan experience in Canberra. It’s not my first Ramadan away from home (I’ve been a perantau since late 2008), but it is my first one abroad—in a country where Muslims are a minority. So far, it’s been a surprisingly good experience. Food? No Problem. While I was a picky eater as a child, years of living as a perantau have turned me into an omnivore. No Indonesian food? Not a big deal. As long as halal options are available, I’m good. Basa (a kind of catfish) wət, an Ethiopian delicacy Middle-Eastern/South-Asian style rice and salad. Yummy Time Differences: A Challenge in Itself When the course started on February 17, it was still summer. Fajr was at 4:50 AM (about the same as Jakarta), but Maghrib wasn’t until 8:10 PM, and Isha at 9:30 PM. By the time Ramadan began, autumn had gradually set in, shortening daylight hours— Fajr moved to 5:20 AM, Maghrib to 7:44 PM, and Isha to 9:10 PM. The fasting duration wasn’t the issue—the cooler weather made ...