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¡Bienvenidos and Ramadan Kareem, my blog readers! Today marks the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, and I’m spending it over here in Costa Rica! I feel extremely blessed for this opportunity, and I want to share a little more about my culture and how I’ve fared living as a Muslim in Costa Rica.
Before I jump into it, I want to explain what Ramadan is. This is the 9th month of the Islamic calendar, and Muslims believe that God revealed the Quran (our holy book) to the Prophet Muhammad (S) during this month. Muslims fast(i.e. don’t eat or drink anything) during this month, from pre-dawn to sunset to become closer to God while also practicing self-control. Ramadan is a month of gratitude and compassion for the less fortunate, while also practicing spirituality and devotion to God. Muslims should abstain not only from eating and drinking but from any negative acts including gossiping, lying, swearing, arguing, etc. It is truly a month of bettering oneself and becoming more aware of God. After 30 days of fasting, Muslims celebrate the major holiday Eid ul-Fitr. Eid ul-Fitr is a day of feasting and celebration with your community and loved ones. It’s a vibrant and beautiful holiday, one of my favorite holidays of the year!
Now that I’ve explained Ramadan, let me pivot back to my experience here as a Muslim. Today was my first day of fasting, and it honestly went very well! The fasts here are shorter than in the US, from 4:47 AM to 5:52 PM (but it changes by about a minute or so every day). It was definitely a struggle to get up at 4 AM to eat for suhur, but I had a relatively easy first fast. I prayed in the library at school because I’m not sure there’s a designated prayer room, but it was a very calm and peaceful environment.
In general, Costa Rica does not have a large Muslim population. I searched it up, and there are about 1500 Muslims in the country when the general population is over 5 million. The only Muslim I’ve talked to during my time here was at a halal butcher shop so I could buy meat that I’m able to eat. Honestly, as someone who grew up in a primarily white suburb, this isn’t too surprising or much different.
One common question I receive is “What does it mean for meat to be halal?” Well, for starters, there’s no difference in taste between halal meat and regular meat. The differences lie in the way the meat is prepared. Muslims slaughter the animal in the name of God, and in a way where the animal suffers the least. Almost all meat can be halal except pig, which is completely banned. In Costa Rica, I’ve honestly found it extremely difficult to find halal meat, but thankfully there was the butcher shop I mentioned, located close to where I live, that I went to with my host mom. I’m so glad I went there too because I got to speak with the owner, who is a Bangladeshi man who speaks Spanish, English, Bangla, and Urdu! I was pleasantly surprised he spoke my native language of Urdu despite being Bangladeshi, and it made me feel like some of my culture was alive in Costa Rica. Talking to him made me feel much more at ease, and he explained that a few Muslims resided in the area of his shop, and there was a mosque nearby as well.
As I mentioned, you’re most likely not going to find halal food at any restaurant in Costa Rica. This is pretty similar to the States, but the lack of places is even more prominent here. I also don’t think there’s a single Pakistani restaurant in this whole country, which makes me all the more eager for when I can go home and stuff my face with my mom’s biryani. However, Costa Rica has a lot of seafood (which is halal) and vegetarian options, so there’s still quite a lot I’m able to eat.
I haven’t had any issues practicing my religion here, and my host family has been very accommodating and understanding of my religion as well. I like that they are curious and want to know more; it makes me feel very comfortable and welcome. Costa Rica is a Catholic country, but I’ve never felt particularly uncomfortable with my identity and it’s been fairly easy to adjust here. I do miss Pakistani spices and flavors, but I’m sure I’ll more than make up for the lack of Pakistani food here once I’m back in the States!
Overall, I’ve had such an incredible experience, and I feel like my culture and identity have only enriched my experience here. I feel like it’s pretty uncommon to study abroad as a Muslim, but I HIGHLY recommend it. You won’t regret it!
Below are some pictures of my week!
The sunset on the evening of my first fast 🙂
I broke my fast with trenza de manzana, this delicious apple bread
People selling things on the streets of San Jose! We always take one route from the bus to our classes at Clinica Biblica, sometimes I forget how much more the city holds
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