INTERVIEW WITH NILUFUR continued...

SADDQA BAHIDRAH:

“WHY IS RAMADAN SO IMPORTANT TO YOU?”

NILUFUR HACIOSMANOGLU:

“FOR ME RAMADAN MOSTLY FEELS LIKE A FRESH START. NOW YOU GET TO BE WHO YOU WANT TO BE. I LIKE THE IDEA OF SETTING GOALS, YOU KNOW THAT ONCE YOU ACTUALLY LEAVE THAT PE RIOD, YOU WILL HOLD ON TO SOME OF THOSE GOALS. YOU ARE TESTING YOUR ABILITIES AND YOU ARE TESTING YOUR LIMITS.

NILUFUR HACIOSMANOGLU:

“WHEN YOU DO MOST OF YOUR TRAINING, YOU DONT COMPLAIN ABOUT THE HOURS YOU’RE WORKING AND THE WORK YOU’RE DOING. RAMADAN IS TESTING OUR LIMITS AND SEEING WHAT THE MOST WE CAN DO. YOU TAKE THINGS THAT CAN SUSTAINABLY BE INTEGRATED INTO OUR DAILY LIFE, THAT IS WHAT I LIKE ABOUT IT.

HONESTLY, IF I WANTED TO, I COULD PRAY 20 RAKAAT EVERY DAY. IF YOU WANT TO, YOU CAN MAKE THAT TIME FOR IT. IT GIVES US THAT CHANCE TO REBUILD OURSELVES AS MUSLIMS. THAT’S, TO ME, WHAT MAKES RAMADAN VERY VALUABLE. GETTING THIS OPPORTUNITY EVERY YEAR.”

SADDQA BAHIDRAH:

“WHAT KIND OF NOSTALGIA DO YOU CONNECT WITH RAMADAN? ANY FOND MEMORIES THAT YOU HAVE?”

NILUFUR HACIOSMANOGLU:

“YES, HOW MY MOM WOULD TAKE US A DAY OR TWO DAYS BEFORE EID, TO THE MALL TO GET THESE NEW OUTFITS FOR EID. NO JOKE, FOR THREE DAYS STRAIGHT WE WOULD WEAR THE SAME OUTFIT. THAT WAS LIKE OUR EID OUTFIT. WE WOULD COME HOME, WE WOULD WASH THEM AND HANG THEM UP OUTSIDE OF OUR CLOSETS JUST TO SEE WHAT WE WERE GOING TO WEAR FOR THE EID. OH MY GOD IT WAS JUST LOVELY! WE WOULD JUST PUT THEM ON AND HONESTLY WE WOULDN’T TAKE THEM OFF UNTIL WE WERE FORCED TO TAKE THEM OFF. I LOVED IT. AND THE OTHER THING I WOULD SAY IS VISITING RELATIVES I WOULD NEVER SEE EXCEPT FOR RAMADAN, THAT’S WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS, JUST GIVING US A REASON TO CONNECT WITH OUR FAMILIES. I’VE MET SO MANY UNCLES AND AUNTS OF MY MOM AND DAD LIKE THIS. ALSO MY FAMILY, WHAT THEY WOULD DO IS HAVE STUDENTS WHO DIDN’T HAVE THEIR FAMILY IN THE CITY COME OVER FOR RAMADAN AND EACH NIGHT WE WOULD HOST THIS BIG GROUP. OH HOW LOVELY THAT WAS, THAT’S WHAT I WANT TO DO IN TEN YEARS, IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL!”