Where is Ramadan in the UK?

I'm over from Dubai for the summer. I leave around this time every year because it just gets too hot and besides I get to spend time with my family and friends.

We've been living in Dubai for 3 and a half years and have been experiencing our 4th Ramadan. We're not muslims and we don't fast, but we do observe Ramadan and alter our behaviour to accommodate those fasting which is more than 60% of the population.

I arrived in the UK at the end of the 2nd full week of Ramadan this year and to be honest I forgot it was Ramadan, we had our sons wedding on Saturday and a funeral on Monday. Today is the first day I've had some time to switch off. I went out for a coffee and it struck me that the windows weren't covered or that I was only able to purchase a take away.

Ramadan ends on Thursday this week and I'm pretty sure there are a lot of people in the UK who have no idea that Ramadan is actually taking place and exactly what it involves. I did hear a comment from a school volunteer who said they had wondered why year 6 has been making lanterns and why there were Arabic words on the classroom wall.

I've written about what Ramadan is like living in Dubai many times, which you can read more about here.

I'm actually missing Ramadan, even though I don't fast, it reminds me think about other people's needs and to have some discipline in my own life.

Are you observing Ramadan in the UK? How is the experience for you? Either as a Muslim or an observor?

Eid Mubarak 

May you have a blessed Eid Al-Fitr. 

What does Ramadan mean to a non Muslim living in the Middle East?

There are positives and negatives of course and as an non muslim, I don't have to deal with having with going about my daily activities in the heat of summer whilst fasting. With Ramadan starting next week, I thought I'd blog about what I can and can't do here during this time and can refer people to this post rather than answering endless questions that I face every year about what people think I can't do whilst living here.

The shops go into full retail mode with sales and fantastic deals on offer to everyone. There are Iftars (breaking fast) meals, social events and gatherings. And the end of Ramadan Eid al Fitr is marked with fireworks and celebrations.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic year, in which strict fasting is observed from dawn to sunset. In 2018 Ramadan starts 16/17th May. Our first Ramadan in Dubai, in 2015 was in the middle of June. On average it is 11 days earlier each year and whilst this is an approximate date, final confirmation isn't until the new moon is sighted.

If we're still here in a few years, Ramadan will be in winter, day light hours shorter and not as hot. It's the heat I struggle with the most and not being able to drink water if I'm out in public, although as a non muslim I can carry on eating and drinking as normal. I have actually been asked If I'm actually allowed to eat and drink during this month.

However there are some restrictions placed upon me in public during daylight hours whilst I go about my everyday activites in Dubai, during Ramadan and these include:

• No eating
• No drinking (not even water)
• No chewing gum
• No smoking

I can still do the above in the privacy of my own home, my garden as it's fenced off and on our balcony. 

However if I'm out it's a bit more of a struggle. You won't find anywhere to smoke during the day, unless you sit in your car, surrounded by sun screens. Although not recommend when the car temps reach 57c.

Food halls and some cafes are open, but finding out who is and who isn't and who is available for take away only and opening times is a different matter altogether. 

Every year I find more and more places open for non muslims during Ramadan. However opening hours change, with places opening later in the day and staying open later at night. Little is advertised on the websites. But if you're in Dubai on holiday during Ramadan, then your hotel restaurant will operate as normal. However you may find alcohol is restricted during day light hours in Ramadan.

Everyone is exceptionally friendly here in Dubai during Ramadan and they will allow for mistakes. You'll be politely asked not to eat or drink in the malls, outside of restricted areas which are clearly labelled and with a list of the rules.

Muslims who are ill, elderly, pregnant, breastfeeding etc are exempt from fasting and you will see muslims in non muslim areas feeding their children during the day. 

Living and Working in Dubai during Ramadan

Living in a Muslim country during Ramadan has been difficult, last year I spent 3 of the 4 weeks in Canada, this year I was working.

Now before ANYONE starts on me I'm just reporting on how I find things teaching in an Arabic school and living in Dubai during Ramadan.

I've been posting photo's and updates on social media sights and quite a few comments follow a similar line of:

'How come you have to live by their rules in Dubai, but they don't have to live by our rules when they come to the UK?'

I can live in Dubai how I like and choose. I can go to church, can work, buy and drink alcohol, drive a car, wear a swim suit on the beach, heck if I really wanted to I could wear a bikini. I could choose which school and style of education I want my children to have. I can have my own bank account, buy property.

I can celebrate Christmas, Birthdays, Easter, Valentines, Mothers and Fathers Day, Halloween and any other religious festival of my choosing. The Malls are decorated at Christmas time, playing jingle bells and the stores are well stocked. The only thing you won't hear are religious songs, but if you want to buy a statue of Buddah you have a wide chose of options.

In fact I can do anything here that I could also choose to do back in the UK.

Right that's all the background and the disclaimers covered, now here's what I actually wanted to blog about.

I've had a headache for over 3 weeks now due to working in the heat and with restricted access to fluids during the working day and commute home, in temps of 40c.

I am forbidden to eat or drink or even smoke during daylight hours in public in Dubai. Fasting starts at 5.30am and Iftar, breaking fast is around 7.10pm. I can of course do what I want within my own home as long as I can't be seen by any of my neighbours, but outside the home during these hours, it's a no, no. Actually it's illegal, but you will be given a warning first and not just arrested and frogged marched off to jail.

My normal week day in Duabi starts at 5am when the alarm goes off, giving me an hour to walk the dog, make my lunch, see to any washing, pack my bags, shower, dress and go to work at 6.15am. I teach at an Arabic School and the hours are 7am - 3.30pm Sunday till Thursday.

I eat my morning snack with the children in class and have a bottle of water on my desk to drink from during the day and at 1.30pm when the children go home I sit in my car on the far side of the car park and have a cigarette.

I often stop on my home to do a bit of shopping for the evening meal, maybe grab a coffee. When I get home I let the dog out for a pee, feed him and the cat and stay indoors until after sunset around 7pm, before walking the dog, bringing the washing in, watering the garden.

On the weekends we head to the beach or the lakes with the Dog, we are usually home by 8am again due to the heat, but we'll take a picnic breakfast with us or stop at a dog friendly cafe on the way home for a drink, as long as there is shade and we're not there too long. The routine of walking and outdoor chores stays the same and we have a lie in on one of the days. We pretty much stay in otherwise on weekends, other than a food shop or maybe a walk round a mall, but it gets a bit boring and we do eat out a lot on the weekends.

Temperatures are now around 40c during the day and dropping to 30c at night, Dubai is a city for being indoors during the summer months.

During Ramadan, despite working reduced hours from 8am - 2pm, my routine pretty much stay the same, except I eat my snack at 12pm in one of the non fasting rooms and if I want a drink during lessons I stand in one of the toilet cubicles in class and keep my water bottle on the window ledge, which as you can imagine by 10am if now warm.

I find the clothing restrictive for my job, I must cover myself from wrist to neck to ankle, which means a dress with jacket or trousers and a cardi.

I don't have any full length mirrors at home. 

I was gifted an abaya by a family from Jordan, it was lovely and cool to wear and meant I could wear minimum clothing underneath but it was a tripping hazard and I didn't have any pockets.

I still get up at the same time and whilst I can eat, drink and smoke in the privacy of my own home, I do have to ensure I can't be over looked by any of my neighbours.

Leaving work at 2pm the car temps are 45c+ so I make sure I have a drink before I leave for the car park and I go straight home because I won't find anywhere to get a drink if I stop on the way.

Weekends and early evenings have been difficult for us, the malls have screens covering the food courts with signs reading 'For Non Muslims Only' Prior to that you can buy food and drinks from outlets and the supermarket but you can't consume anything in the food halls until 12pm. So we either a) don't go out till 12pm or b) stand in a toilet cubicle and have a drink.

We pretty much stopped going out during daylight hours other than to work, in these temperatures, it is difficult to go too long without access to water, we're not prepared for fasting, our concentration levels drop. because it's summer less time is spent outdoors anyway, but cabin fever kicks in, Time Out compile lists of places to go and things to do during Ramadan and include a list of restaurants that are open during the day.

I don't like Dubai in summer, full stop. I enjoy Ramadan though other than the restrictions on food and drink. I have more of an idea now what it's like to fast and in this climate, it's not comfortable. My workload increased over the past 4 weeks and I was grateful when the temps topped 40c as supervising outdoor play whilst not being able to drink was hard work. But it's almost over for another year and I'm looking forward too observing Eid in South Africa this week. 

Iftar with HDYGG

It's Ramadan in Dubai

During Ramadan, people fast between sunrise and sunset, during fasting the body can develop low blood sugar and you can suffer with lethargy and headaches. Dates contain slow releasing carbohydrates and an excellent source of fibre, sugar, magnesium and potassium. Breaking the fast is called Iftar and dates and milk are traditionally eaten to break the fasting.

Living in Dubai we are surrounded by date palms in our neighbourhood. These palms require unto 40 litres of water a day in order to produce dates, sadly the palm we have in the garden doesn't produce dates and is considerably taller than the date producing palms in the area.

Date palms typically reach up to 23 meters in height, with leaves, fronds, up to 6 meters long.

The date palm Phoenix dactylifera originates in the Middle East, most likely Iraq, and has been cultivated for 1000's of years, it is a staple fruit and dates are known as the food Muhammad ate when he broke first.

All of the date palms I've seen have been around 12 meters high with the fruits growing around 1 meter from the ground. The date branch is tied to one of the fronds due to the weight of the dates and to stop them snapping off. Most of the dates are bagged in mesh to stop them falling onto the ground as they ripen, making them easier to harvest.

I was fortunate enough to be given a tray of fresh dates by one of my students from her garden, I was hesitant at first when I opened the pot as there was a strange smell of rotting fruit and the dates looked bruised, with soft spots on their flesh. I've only ever eaten dried dates that you traditionally see in the UK in boxes around Christmas times. 

When I ate one I was surprised at soft and fresh the fruit tasted, it is very fleshy and stringy in texture but even the skin just dissolved in your mouth and it was one of the sweetest fruits I've ever tasted.

Week 28 - My Sunday Photo. Fed up with Ramadan

I didn't plan it this way but I left Dubai for Canada the day before Ramadan and have been away for 3 weeks.

I returned on Thursday evening and needed a coffee and a smoke after a 13 hour flight. But it was still day light and the coffee shop at the airport was closed and it is illegal to eat/drink/smoke in public during daylight hours.

However there were people smoking, hubby was happy to wait for the sun to set (within the next 15 minutes) and while I then had a cigarette he queued for coffee when the Costa opened up.

Yesterday we went to the Mall, not only was every coffee store closed for business but the chairs and tables in the food hall had been put to one side. The supermarket was open, we shopped, I bought fresh bread, as I paid and in a moment of weakness, I automatically tore off a piece of the bread and popped it in my mouth, the very second I did it, I took it out and was mortified I'd broken the law.

Today we went to the Mall of Emirates. Most coffee shops were closed, however several were open for take aways and I've been told a lot of non muslims take their work breaks in the bathrooms so they can eat.

I find it very strange that there are screens around the food counters in the coffee shops that are open for takeaways, yet no screening at all from the supermarkets and as usual they were busy as you'd suspect on a Saturday in a major city.

The food hall at Ski Dubai end was open, this photo is one of the many screens covering the entrance.   Hubby had some lunch and I wanted a coffee, but they don't sell coffee in the food hall.

You'll see on the sign that it does say 'legal action will be taken and fines issued'

I've chosen to live in Dubai, a Muslim country and I am more than happy to live by the laws of the country I live in. To be out in a city centre on a weekend where there are no gangs of youths, no one swigging alcohol from brown paper bags, no fear of any danger or risk is truly wonderful.

My first thought about this was New Years Eve on the beach in Dubai. There were 17,000 people on the beach watching the fireworks at the Atlantis. Can you imagine that number? Now realise that not one single person had consumed alcohol and understand why I'm happy to obey the laws of the country I live in. No worries about something kicking off, no worries about getting caught up in any violence, no drunken youths spoiling our night.

The local papers, websites, employers, social media and the government issue guidelines for behaviour, eating and drinking and what you can wear and can't wear. They also make it quite clear that this is 'The Law' not a recommendation.

So why am I fed up with Ramadan? Because people are flaunting the rules. I can only assume that the two young men eating and drinking outside Carrefore were tourists and they were approached by security. The many women with strapless tops and cut off shorts must have also been tourists, I mean if they lived here they'd know the law, wouldn't they? Or are they just complacent?

I'm assuming that almost 100% of people who arrive in Dubai, do so by air, yet I didn't see one sign or poster or leaflet letting visitors know it was Ramadan and what to expect and to obey the laws. Nothing was mentioned on the plane prior to landing and when I received my email from Emirates to remind me to check in the day before I flew, there was no additional notification about Ramadan.

Perhaps I missed it all, perhaps it's not deemed necessary as after all what kind of mad tourist comes to Dubai in the summer anyway?

So maybe everyone who I've seen inappropriately dressed, smoking or eating and drinking in public during daylight hours lives in Dubai and thinks they are exempt from the law?

My Sunday Photo Week 7 No more Sundays

My Sunday is your Monday and your Sunday is my Friday.

Confused? I am. The weekends here are Friday and Saturday, but with Friday being the religious day. The Middle East used to have their weekends Thursday and Friday but it meant they only had 3 business days per week with the rest of the world so Fridays being the religious day are quieter with shorter opening hours and Saturday is just a nightmare as that is the day, the world and their mother go shopping.

My Sunday photo therefore no longer sums up the week, it describes the week ahead.

We've been in our new home for nearly 3 weeks and our first visitors from the UK arrive tomorrow night. I AM SO EXCITED. Today was spent cleaning, food shopping and ironing. Pretty much the same as my sundays when the children were still at home and I had a job.

Hubby is really enjoying going to work on a sunday, it's the one day of the week he can reply to emails and catch up with planning with constant interruption from the rest of the business world.