Ramdan, quarantine, and advice for prospective applicants
By: Abdelmounim Ait Hammou,
Nazareth College/ Master’s in Higher Education Student Affairs Administration
Ramadan in U.S.A under Quarantine
It has been a challenging end-of semester for all students across the globe, especially for international students in the United States where the pandemic seems to have spread exponentially fast. As a matter of fact, it becomes even harder when you have to spend most of the holidays isolated from family and friends; however, it has been interesting to experience my first Ramadan away from my home-country, and precisely in the midst of what is happening globally. I have been reflecting in the last few days, and here I tried to answer three questions that shape my overall attitudes towards Ramadan and Quarantine abroad:
1- What challenges have I experienced since the beginning of the quarantine in the U.S.A?
As any international student, I believe that the sense of uncertainty clouds the clarity of our thinking; and when the quarantine happened, I actually had a lot of questions that were difficult to answer. Staying at home the whole day sounds very daunting, and I have been lucky enough to live with friendly housemates who support each other in these hard times. Shifting to online classes was also challenging, but the air of optimism among my professors and classmates was very essential in making everything learnable. Ramadan was also a bit challenging, especially that I am not good at cooking, and most food stores and Mosques are closed.
2- How did I try to cope with these challenges?
I have tried to look at this situation as an opportunity to reflect more on my present experiences and future goals. Since I have more time now, I divide my day into chunks to make the most of it. I am able now to go back to reading novels I have always wanted to read. I am also taking a free-online class on foundations of psychology which helps me understand the mechanisms of how we function and think. Ramadan pushed me to try some cooking skills, and I feel proud that my housemates appreciate the Moroccan Iftar I made for them. Also, my American housemates experienced for the first time a Ramadan Iftar with a Muslim student, and our discussions were very rich with regards to culture, language and religion, and this is actually one of the objectives of the Fulbright Program. Moreover, Meditation and deep reflection made it easy for me to connect with myself more and clarify my future goals.
3- Advice for prospective students?
I believe that embracing every experience you come across is essential, and this is because you will always emerge learning something new. Being flexible and resilient is surely important in every situation you may go through. Life can test you in different ways, and so you need to be conscious and ready enough to grow and be the better version of yourself. In addition, and most importantly, believe that you do what you do for a reason and you have to deliver the best of your work to benefit yourself and the people around you. Fulbright is a great opportunity to be a better version of you and through it; you can make the change you have always wanted to make.
