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| UMM students who had the opportunity to take part in the student exchange program from IISMA (Photo: Special) |
Spending the month of Ramadan in a Muslim minority country is a challenge in itself. This is also experienced by Ahda Mutiari Hifdhi, a student at the University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM) who is currently undergoing the 2022 Indonesia International Student Mobility Awards (IISMA) student exchange program in Thailand. During almost a month of fasting in another country, Ahda, as she is usually called, tells of various interesting experiences she experienced in the month of Ramadan this year.
The majority of Thai people are Buddhists. Ahda said only a small minority of people adhered to religions other than Buddhism, including Islam. Therefore, the atmosphere of Ramadan in the country of white elephants feels like an ordinary day.
“I was in the Hat Yai area, which has a fairly large Muslim population, but the month of Ramadan still doesn't feel like it is in Indonesia. Finding a mosque is also very difficult in this area. Therefore, for the tarawih prayer, my Muslim friends and I usually do it in our respective rooms. Sometimes we also pray together. For the Azan and Imsak times, we rely on notifications from smartphones," said the student exchange program at Prince of Songkla University Hat Yai Campus.
Although he can't carry out Ramadan worship like in Indonesia, the eldest of two children said that tolerance between religions in Thailand is very good. Around where he lives, he can find a lot of halal food. There was one unique moment that Ahda experienced when she was about to buy food, namely the seller who honestly said that the food was forbidden for Muslims to consume.
“At that time, my friend and I were ordering food at a restaurant. But, the owner kindly reminded us that the food he sells contains ingredients that are haram for Muslims. There I was very grateful and amazed because the seller was willing to lose a buyer to remind us,” recalls Ahda.
Interestingly, a few days earlier, Ahda visited one of the festivals that coincided with the fasting month, namely the Songkran Festival. Although it is not a Ramadan festival, he and his friends are happy because there are many foods to try and a lively atmosphere. “So the festival is actually to commemorate the Thai New Year. My friends and I also took the time to break the fast on the agenda," her added.
Furthermore, Adha admitted that she missed Indonesian food, especially the takjil menu which is easy to find on Indonesian streets. To treat his homesickness, he often goes to the market to look for Thai snacks that are similar to Indonesian takjil.
“For iftar, I like to buy Thai tea or mango sticky rice because it tastes sweet. Then for heavy meals, I like the clear tom yum beef soup with rice or when I'm bored I buy pad thai or clear noodle soup. Even so, I really miss Indonesian food. I even made a list of foods and drinks that I would eat when I got home, such as compote, padang rice, and meatballs,” said the student from Purwokerto.
Besides missing Indonesian food, this UMM industrial engineering student also admitted that he really missed his family in Indonesia. therefore he often shares photos of what he eats and drinks with his family. “I often make video calls when I have free time. My family also often asks me for my iftar and suhoor menu. It was enough to cure the longing that I felt while in Thailand,” he concluded. (Syi)
