It's that time of the year again, the fasting month of Ramadan. Yeah, I know what you're thinking, "Lebaran was just over, wasn't it?...What, it's been a year already?!" I don't know why, but Ramadan has successfully caught me by surprise each year. I guess I was deceived by the false sense of security after Idul Fitri. (Wait, for the sake of being not-so-formal, I'll use Lebaran to refer to Idul Fitri hereafter)
It is totally normal, if not enjoyable, to experience some kind of "Lebaran hangover" after each occasion: you say sorry to anyone you meet during the hangover, including your best frenemies; you happily struggle to chat with your "Lebaran relatives" (the err-what's-his-name extended family you only see once a year during Lebaran feast); and you eat like there's no tomorrow -I can smell the Ketupat & Opor Ayam already. After you recover from the hangover, all you think is "I'm done, no more fasting. Viva la kaki lima! Let's live to eat." The world becomes one ginormous foodcourt. Then, as you gorge yourself on anything for almost a year, ads for Ramadan programs -including Ramadan editions of gossip shows- start to invade the television, again.
As the next Ramadan approaches, you begin to feel left behind, while everybody else is so gung-ho welcoming the blessed month. The one thing that assures you that Ramadan is coming is the media's covering skyrocketing food prices. In my case, I would only realize that the holy month's coming when people start apologizing to each other to "cleanse" themselves before entering Ramadan. My cellphone would start to ring continuously as my contacts begin to spread the love, and mobile operators can start amassing the "grace" early: for those who are still skeptical about Ramadan's being a bountiful month, just ask Telkomsel. Yet, I wouldn't really grasp the urgency until my mom wakes me so freakin' early in the morning for the sahur meal. Blurgh. No, not blurgh for Ramadan; but blurgh for my being so oblivious.
At this point, I question myself for using the pronoun you to describe my personal experiences related to Ramadan since my Ramadan and Lebaran traditions are somewhat off-the-beaten-track. I was writing as if all of you were so un-gung-ho about the fasting month, or as if all of you have got "Lebaran relatives" (oh God, just admit it already that you have such relative). Anyway, let's welcome Ramadan the Blessed Month with embracing arms and get the most out of it.
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