Why I dislike Ramadan in Jordan

September 23, 2006 at 11:30 pm · Filed under Roba

… because I become extremely unproductive and I absolutely hate it.

In Saudi Arabia, they would shift the work day a little further allowing you to sleep till around 10:00 AM, and they divide the work day into a day shift and a night shift, so you work for 5 hours in the day time, go have ftoor, then go back to work at 9:00 PM and work for another 4 hours. The shops close at 2:00 AM, giving you time to get all your needs done. This way, if your morning hours are only fruitful in terms of caffeine-headaches and a hunger panges, then at least you can work at night.

Meanwhile, in Amman, the schedule during Ramadan isn’t adjusted at all. For example, I have a few things to do this week, and I know I need to have my complete mental and creative abilities to get the stuff done properly. But how and when? I have classes from 8 to 4, so there goes my day. Not that it would have been much help because I can’t concentrate while hungry. By the time I get home, figure out the iftar social obligations of the day, which usually drag till 8:00 PM, there goes my evening. By the time I have the chance to get some work done, BAM! It’s 9:00 PM, and I have to wake up at 6:00 AM the next day! That leaves me with around an hour to get something done.

Bracing for a long month ahead…






  • http://kekosworld.blogspot.com KeKo

    Happy ramadan, I could not disagree with you more, god only knows what I Will be prepared to give for a ramadan in Jordan :(
    I’m gona spend half of mine in Ireland! I’m sure it will suck.

  • http://blog.sweetestmemories.com/default.asp?Display=311 Qwaider قويدر: [Ramadan Olympics]

    Roba, I just want to say something about the “Social obligation”
    Don’t view it like that. View it like, “I’m not cooking, I’m not cleaning, and I’m eating your food”… so THANK YOU…

    I thought classes are shorter and start later in Ramadan in JU .. no?

    and Like Keko, “God only knows what I would give for a Ramadan in Jordan”. I am dying for a “social obligation” :( and can’t have any

  • http://omernos.blogspot.com omar

    Roba

    E7medi rabbek you’re not having on here in England

    so please stop complaining,
    makes me feel like hitting you! LOL

    It’s terrible here
    you don’t feel it — AT ALL! :(

    omar

  • http://maktoobblog.com/abdelstarhamede hamede

    It is like you,r gona fast.

  • http://andfaraway.net Roba

    Keko, Qweider, and Omernos, LOL guys, I totally get your point, but come on, this is my third Ramadan (4th? I can’t count) in Jordan and it just sucks sooooooo bad compared to the 18 previous Ramadans I’ve had :P Bas wallah 3anjad Allah y3eenkom, mish Ramadan ya3ni!

    Hamede, two words: grow up.

  • http://hareega.blogspot.com hareega

    Some Muslims here work 12 to 14 hours a day during ramadan and they can barely take a break to drink or eat, and for some they stay outside in a 100-degree arizona heat , lol mesh 7ayaah

  • http://moey.wordpress.com Moey

    Same here in Kuwait roba, everything is almost like what u said..

    you know whats worse? the american university here isn’t going to change the schedule for Ramadan, my friends have classes till 5 and 5.30!!!!!!!!!!

  • anonymous

    i hate ramadan!
    why cant it be like the world cup? once every four years, and each time in a different country.

  • http://je-suis-ici.blogspot.com Ha Ana Za

    As Omar says thank God you are not in England for Ramadan. Here you feel completely alone in fasting and feeling shitty and ill and sometimes my classes continue til 8pm so I have no oppurtunity for Iftar.
    I would give ALOT to change places with you and fast in jordan- or any muslim country for that matter

  • kinzi

    Roba ,maybe it isn’t the right post to say so, but…Happy Ramadan!

  • http://www.black-iris.com Nas

    lol i just read this a few minutes before i start a 4pm to 11pm shift on a sunday night with my break time not coinciding with the meghreb. no time to eat, not place to pray and by the time i finish taraweeh prayers will be over.

    don’t look at it as jordan’s ramadan sucking, but rather saudia spoiling you too much lol :-D

    seriously, they shouldn’t make ramadan that easy

  • Faroo7a al 7ilwa

    Yes sir-ry bob! Now excuse me, while I sleep till 9 am. I’m so tired as I just got back from the mall (it’s 1:57 am) sooo, despite the 3 hour power-nap I took earlier today, I need my beauty sleep.

    lol j.k (heh, or maybe not)

    Well, at least you get the strenuous “Ramadhan” feel to your holy month, right? What’s the purpose of Ramadhan if you’re going to be sleeping and praying your nights away- and not doing much else? Right?
    Ah, who am I kidding. I do love the naps.
    Biltawfeeg, Roobs.

    ps: Mbarak 3laits gudoom al shahr, 7abeebty.

  • Nasreen

    Roba great blog! I was wondering, you mentioned that your not religious at all yet your fasting? This is the first year I decided not to fast at all, so I would be interested to know.

  • http://www.diasporicdiscontents.blogspot.com Carmen

    Try Ramadan in NY!!!! They don’t even acknowledge it here (though the White House DID send out Ramadan greetings that made me feel like I’ve been violated…)

  • shahrazan

    hi guys and ramadan kareem.

    first of all i would like to wish you happy ramadan and delightful fasting. Ramadan is the month where we concentrate more on worship and family reunion. But what if there is no time to do extra prayers such as taraweeh nor have relatives to share the great feeling of the holy month.

    I live in the U.S and ramadan is like any other month. The routine doesn’t change! Have to go to school early in the morning, gotta go to work during weekend. Arrive home one hour after Iftar time then burly squeez some time to make up the morning prayers and read Quraan.

    When there is no family to you other than T.V. series and the close ones to you are far away. Ramadan in Jordan feels like a heaven comparing to the one here.

  • 3abid

    Wallah you have no idea what ae you missing guys, in ramadan i ca do many things more that i can do in a regural day , as to the fact here were we live no one know what is ramadan so there is no special timing for work and gues what no one even bothered

    what i’m getting out of this hopfully the heavens, but i LOVE ramadan this is how you learn to control your self muslims way not hte shawleen way

  • Aris

    Hi… I am from Indonesia.

    We are muslim in Indonesia work as usual during ramadhan. We are fasting but not affect our productivity during the day eventhough we sleep less in the evening for additional prayer.

  • Maaria

    I dread Ramadan every damned year… My mother goes on lock down, and makes me feel like I live in a third world country, banning me from anything besides full pants and full sleeves, and makes me pray like the holocaust is coming or something. Like, really? I mean, I’m not religious, nor do I ever want to be. The Muslim extremist are out of control these days. Ugh… I can’t stand my mum or Ramadan. I can’t concentrate on anything when I’m fasting… I can’t study, I can’t concentrate on work…