Fasting

Most of my friends are Muslim and fasting right now. Currently I’m living in a rumah kos which houses all-Muslim students (except for myself, of course). They wake up at 3 am every morning and eat breakfast together, and then pray. At about 5 pm they gather again to buka puasa. Given this arrangement, I decided to try fasting today, just to see what it feels like. I woke up at 3 am and wandered drowsily to the eating area, where I unhappily (because eating at 3 am after sleeping for four hours is not a nice experience) consumed some rice and a breadfruit-chicken concoction that is a specialty of Yogya. Knowing I would not be able to drink for the next 14 hours, I consumed at least 5 glasses of water and fell back into bed ready to sleep again.

I woke up and was immediately thirsty. Perhaps this was just my imagination or extra-sensitivity to water on this fasting day, but it was not a good way to begin my fasting experience. I went to Indonesian Language class all day, and was okay in the morning but in the afternoon felt extremely thirsty and could not concentrate in class. For some reason hunger was not a sensation while fasting – maybe because the thirst was so overpowering? After class finished I decided to take a walk and distract myself from the thirst. This was a good tactic because the last two hours of puasa flew by. At 5:40 pm, after a quick bath, I joined my friends in my rumah kost and drank the best glass of tea I’ve ever tasted. The sensation of tea on the tongue and in the throat was amazing after no liquid for so long. Surprisingly, I only wanted to eat a little (but drink a lot). My analysis of puasa? I think restricting liquid intake is not a good thing for body processes, and I will not do it again. However, restricting food intake is an interesting and possibly positive experience, especially when a group of friends are supporting and joining me in this experience. After fasting all day and eating a bit I felt very relaxed and happy. I may puasa again, but only with food – being thirsty for 10 hours is a very unpleasant experience! I also have incredible respect for all Indonesians who fast for a month, I don’t think I have the willpower to do it!