Ramadan away from home feels quiet and sad Hasan Barakat

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

For many expatriates, Ramadan carries a different weight when observed far from home.

The familiar rhythm of family gatherings, shared meals and late night conversations is replaced by quiet rooms and distant memories.

What was once routine becomes something painfully missed.

Ahmad Karrar, a Bahraini student in Britain experiencing his first year at university, is also spending his first Ramadan away from his family.

In an exclusive interview to The Daily Tribune through FaceTime, he said that the month feels sad this year.

Dishes

“I miss my mother’s cooking,” he said, recalling the dishes that would fill the table each evening.

More than the food, however, he misses the gathering at his grandfather’s house.

He smiled as he remembered how he used to feel irritated by the noise of younger children playing around him.

“Now,” he said, “I would happily sit in the middle of 100 noisy children, as long as I am in my country.”

Distance has reshaped his perspective, turning small annoyances into cherished memories.

Celebration

In London, Ramadan decorations light up some of the city’s busiest streets, offering a sense of shared celebration. Yet the atmosphere is different.

The only tradition that feels close to home is the exchange of dishes at iftar between neighbouring flats, most of them occupied by fellow Bahraini students.

Homesickness

To ease the feeling of homesickness, Ahmad plans to organise a weekly Friday iftar in their accommodation, bringing everyone together around one table.

Instead of breaking their fast alone, the students would sit side by side, share the same meal and recreate a sense of family.

For him, one shared table can make Ramadan feel a little less lonely.