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| Muhammad Muslih with his family are there in front of the National Taiwan Science Education Center building. (Photo: Special) |
Carrying out Ramadan fasting in foreign countries always has interesting stories and lessons. Muhammad Muslih, a lecturer at the Faculty of Health Sciences (Fikes) at the University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM) who is currently pursuing a doctoral study in Taiwan, feels the same way.
"If Bang Toyib fasts three times for three Eids, I have fasted five times for Eid here," he joked.
This is his fifth year of vacation in Taiwan, Muslih who is a student of Taipei Medical University, Ph.D. program in Nursing, already accustomed to the atmosphere of Ramadan there. According to him, the atmosphere abroad certainly has differences from Indonesia. There is no such thing as a culture of waking up people to sahur and hunting takjil. The season was also an obstacle when he first visited Taiwan because it affected the time span of the day which was increased by two hours.
“The only things that remind us are the Muslim clocks and apps that are on our devices. The length of fasting also depends on the season. If April is like this, usually at 4.15 it is dawn, and sunset at around 18.24. So it's usually a 14 hours day, even in summer it can be almost seven at night," he wrote.
He told me that he usually goes to mosques to meet Muslim brothers from various countries. In addition, Muslih who lives with his wife and children in Taiwan is also more likely to prepare iftar meals. Especially considering that there is no Ramadan festival in Taiqan that sells iftar food like in Indonesia.
"During these 30 days of Ramadan, I usually go to the mosque to break my fast and tarawih. If you go to other places, it feels the same as an ordinary day. The most exciting thing is when you go to the mosque, meet Muslim brothers from various countries, share stories and food," he added.
Regarding food, Muslih did not have a favorite food while there because he often cooked himself with his family. According to him, Taiwanese food is bland, different from Indonesia, which is unique with its spices. Even if I want to eat Indonesian food outside, I will invite my family to go to a number of restaurants that serve Indonesian menus.
“Taiwan is one of the three best Muslim-friendly destinations because there are many halal foods and products that can be chosen. So you don't have to worry about having trouble getting it," said Muslih.
He also felt happy because Muslim students in Taiwan often held iftar events and then continued with tarawih. He considered such an event to be able to strengthen the relationship in the month of Ramadan.
“The Tarawih prayers are generally performed in mosques spread across several cities. If in Taipei, there are the Taipei Grand Mosque and the Taipei Cultural Mosque. In addition, usually, most of the Muslim student communities in each campus also hold joint iftar and tarawih events during Ramadan," he concluded. (Zak/Wil)
