Canada Day on July 1st fell during the time of Ramadan this year and the Canadian embassy organised for the first time a very Canadian event: a free skate from 6-8pm followed by a friendly hockey game between expat Canadians and the local UAE national team. There was a great response to both and when we arrived at 7 pm the ice rink was busy with skaters of all nationalities and many Canadians. My husband rented some skates – who would have known we needed some here in the desert?- and joined the crowds.
The game began at 8:45 pm with listening to the UAE and then singing of the Canadian anthem. I had high hopes for the UAE team with their best players against the Expat team. But no worries at all: the Canadian team was leading with 4:0 after the second period. At that time my hopes to see the UAE team score were so diminished that we decided to go home. It was a wonderful event with skating, watching hockey and singing the Canadian anthem twice with fellow Canadians. How better to celebrate Canada Day?
Let me tell you a little more about Ramadan and what we learned so far: June 6th, 2016 was the begin of Ramadan, a holy month of fasting during daylight hours for Muslims all over the world. This is the first time my husband and I are experiencing it as a way of life in our new home of Abu Dhabi. In the weeks leading up to it I heard so many different rules and stories about what to do or to expect as an expat in an Islamic country that I was not sure if I should be worried. So, I started to look for information from different sources and found a free two-hour seminar held at the Eton institute. Many local magazines and websites will explain the basic rules and expectations as well.
When listening to other expats Ramadan seems to be a time of year where everything shuts down, nothing fun is going on and life becomes too quiet and restrictive to stay around. Expats who do not need to work or have holidays left book them for Ramadan to leave the country and return to their country of origin. “Only expats who have to work will stay.” I had been told.
But, what really happens during Ramadan? Yes, no drinking, eating, chewing gum and smoking of anything in public during daytime is one of the rules applying to everyone. For this reason many restaurants will be closed during the day and the ones staying open will have all windows curtained.
This probably impacts a number of expats as it seems that a lot of socializing happens in restaurants and at weekend brunches. Still, many events are continuing to happen albeit at different times or moved to someones home if food and drink is involved. For me this is less of an issue since I spend most of my days at home or close to our apartment anyway and do not go out for food often. The only time I noticed the lack of cafes or restaurants was when I visited Yas mall one afternoon and could not find a single place to have a coffee. But my search was a short and incomplete one since I learned later that the food court close to the cinemas was behind walls and some of the chains were serving food. Government offices may have reduced work hours and buses are not going in the early morning hours until 5:30 am and stop again from 6 pm – 8:30 pm for Abu Dhabi. Thus, allowing time for prayer and food for the drivers. This will impact the low-income workers in their ability to get to or from work unless they use the more expensive taxis. The Government offices keep most of the same work hours and may close a little earlier at 2 pm instead of 2:30 pm to allow time for rest, prayer and preparations for Iftar, the first meal after sundown when breaking the fast.
During the seminar we learned about the traditions behind Ramadan: the fasting during daytime hours will help to build compassion for the poor and hungry in the world as only one can truly feel their pain when walking in their shoes. It is a months of charity where a Muslim is expected to donate 2.5% of their net worth! – not yearly income – and to purify their body (no smoking or drinking and trying to break bad habits e.g. eating chocolate daily) and minds (by spending more time in prayer and reflection). When our teacher talked about Ramadan she sounded excited and happy and gave the impression that this month is a great experience for a Muslim and something to look forward to. She admitted that the change of habits an be tough and often the week before will be used to ease into the fast by changing habits slowly, but the breaking of the fast with the Iftar meal in the evening sounded like a joyous and celebratory event.Many restaurants offer Iftar buffets and set up Ramadan tents for this. It will get so busy that a reservation is a must. Others will have guests over for the evening meal and celebrate with friends and family at home, the more traditional way. The time of day when fasting starts and ends is determined by the sunrise and sunset and published in the news and on the radio for each day. There is even a small time difference between the times for the emirate of Abu Dhabi to their next neighbour Dubai. Abu Dhabi still shoots a canon at sunset to alert their citizens to the time of Iftar. Even if one can not hear the sound one may be able to see the smoke in the air. The malls and roads are decorated with Ramada lanterns and light sculptures of a crescent moon: it looks very pretty and enhances the festive mood.
Nearing the end of Ramadan – most likely on July 6th – some government offices have shut down for the entire week to provide employees time to prepare for and celebrate Eid al Fitr. This means that obtaining my driver’s licence and mailing some postcards will wait until next week. At the same time my husband will be off for 3 additional days and this is a great opportunity for us to travel and explore another city and country with a cooler climate for the next few days.
Until next time, Maike
beecosydesign 
Seems like sleeping in the daytime and being active at night might be sensible in a desert. I wonder what diabetics do about food and blood sugar regulation.
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