Every morning at 4 a.m., College and Wharton senior Sakina Zaidi meets friends at Philly Diner for breakfast and then goes home to sleep, fasting for the rest of the day.
Since the beginning of the semester, Zaidi and many practicing Muslims in the Penn community have been celebrating Ramadan.
The ninth month in the Islamic calender, Ramadan is the period during which Muslims fast during daylight. It falls between September 2 and 30 this year.
At home, Zaidi would have begun her day with two glasses of water and a piece of toast before going back to sleep. But she says the pre-dawn breakfast - called suhoor - can be a nice substitute for what she's missing by being away.
"It's really nice because Ramadan is typically a family-oriented time . so it's hard to be doing that on your own," she said.
Zaidi, like many Muslim students, has found a pseudo-family in the University's Muslim Students Association.
"Coming in as a freshman, it was really nice to get a sense of that community," said Besan Abu-Joudeh, a freshman in the College and Wharton.
Added Zaidi: "That's why we bond so quickly - because they replace your family."
Yet, even with a sense of family, carrying on a daily fast for nearly a month is difficult.
"It's hard when it's really hot outside and then you sleep through breakfast," Zaidi said, although she added that fasting has gotten easier as the month wears on.
"It's been tough not eating and trying to get work done," added Abu-Joudeh. "Classes have been harder."
Come sunset, the first thing most students eat are dates from Mecca Market, according to Engineering sophomore Dara Elass.
From there, what's for dinner is dependant on one's culture.
"At home we have very traditional Ramadan food," said Zaidi. "Here, we resort to anything that tastes good and is halal" - food that follows Muslim dietary laws. That means a lot of Pakistani, Indian, and Arab food - even halal Philly cheesesteaks, once in a while.
For Engineering sophomore Mohammad Oweis, the problem has not been so much what to eat, but when. "A big issue here is that the dinning halls close early, so sometimes around the time I would be able to eat, all the dining halls would be closed."
Oweis has found a silver lining, however, as he sees Ramadan curbing any potential for the dreaded "Freshman 15."
About 350 students had the chance to experience what Oweis, Zaidi, Abu-Joudeh and others have experienced, by fasting this past Saturday through MSA's Fast-a-Thon.
The students had fasted for a day to "see what it is like for people who do not have the means to enjoy the kind of meals we have every day," said Zaidi.
Both non-Muslims and Muslims then broke their fast at a catered banquet donated by local businesses. The event raised $1,325 for Feed the Children, an international nonprofit that provides food and other necessities to those in need.
It is in this spirit of self-improvement and helping others that many have spent the past month.
"Ramadan is supposed to have this spin of inner reflection and trying to improve yourself," Zaidi said. Added Elass: "You have this whole month to start new things."
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