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 it easier than fasting in Jakarta’s heat. What truly disrupted me was the shift in my biological rhythm. Adding to that, I had to schedule Zoom meetings with my daughter, who was preparing for a science competition. My wife was already handling everything while I was away, and she had enough on her plate—so I had to help however I could. Our calls usually started at 11:00 PM and stretched until around 1:00 AM.

I missed suhoor several times, but that wasn’t a big deal. Hunger and thirst are far easier to endure than the frustration caused by my own government. Over the past decade, they’ve rolled out one bad policy after another—each backed by terrible public communication, from the president down to ministers, agency heads, and regional leaders. The urge to curse them? A true test of patience, not just for me, but for all Indonesians.

The Struggles of Summer

Another challenge? Lowering my gaze. It was summer, after all, and girls with skimpy outfits were everywhere. Oh my… I'm not gonna post any pics about it.

Finding Comfort in Community

What I loved most was having access to a proper musala for iftar and tarawih every day. I didn’t always join for iftar, but I attended tarawih most nights. When I feel tired, I could join tarawih at a student logde close to my own—greatly reducing my walking distance compared to ANU Musala. Indonesian student there got a permission to borrow one of their room for tarawih. 

Iftar at ANU Musala

Waiting for jamaah for tarawih

On the first day of Ramadan, we went to the Indonesian Embassy for iftar together. Finally, I got to enjoy gorengan—a staple iftar snack in Indonesia, but nearly impossible to find in Canberra.

Finally, teh anget and gorengan. So Indonesian

Bukber at Indo Embassy

At Gungahlin Mosque (in Canberra’s northern suburbs), they even held qiyam al-lail and itikaf during the last ten nights. 

Itikaf at Gungahlin Mosque. Fully-booked

So despite being thousands of kilometers from home, this Ramadan still felt special to me.

Happy Ramadhan.