For me, fasting means patience

It brings me closer to God and makes me more thankful for everything He has provided me.

Name: Serap Gezmen
Nationality: Turkish
Age: 24 years
Profession: Journalist
Ramadan for me is family time. At least that's the way how it used to be back in Turkey. I have a large extended family in Turkey and we used to open our fasts everyday at my grandparents' house, where all my uncles and aunts, their children and grandchildren would gather.
In fact, one of the best memories I have of Ramadan are the times spent with all my family, cousins, uncles, aunts and grandparents. One of my most memorable Ramadan was in the year 2009, when all of my family, including my uncles who live abroad, came back for Ramadan to Turkey and spent the whole month there. We would all gather for Iftar where we had the best cooked Turkish dish as well as homemade Turkish künefe. It was the best Ramadan meal I have ever had and I wish we soon have another good family reunion soon.
Although I am lucky enough to be here in the UAE with my family (mother, father and brother), something seems to be missing when we all sit down for Iftar together. I miss that feeling of being with that large group of familiar faces of all relatives, chatting, smiling and breaking bread together. I miss our lovely Ramadan gatherings in Turkey because we are a large family and it's better to have Iftar in a big group with people from all ages.
In Turkey during Ramadan I used to read the Turkish version of Quran to understand it better. I also used to watch Islamic cartoons. I still watch them every Ramadan and read the Turkish version of Quran as well as the Arabic one.
On a personal level, fasting for me means patience. It helps you understand the plight of the less fortunate. It brings me closer to God and makes me more thankful for everything He has provided me.
When Ramadan approaches, I train myself to eat less than the usual because I love eating. So it is better for me to get used to eating less so that I am able to fast easily these 30 days. I have been fasting properly from the age 14.
An hour after Iftar, I try to exercise, since we only get to eat once properly and this can cause me to gain weight. I sleep at 1am and wake up for suhoor at 3am.
I recently graduated from college and I am unemployed, so fasting is not very strenuous for me as I am home most of the time. I am very active on social media these days, so I talk to my friends and relatives in Turkey or do video chatting with them so that time passes quickly.
Honestly, I love this country (the UAE) but fasting here can get a bit difficult because of the extreme hot weather conditions. But I love the rules the UAE government has in place of reduced working hours and not being allowed to eat in public. This helps almost everyone reach back home during Iftar time and spend quality time with family.
(As told to Saman Haziq)

Ramadan Kareem

• Ramadan News
• UAE