'It was a bit lonely as I missed my family'

A Dubai expat has described how "lonely" his first Ramadan was as a new convert to Islam because his family did not celebrate the holy month.

Mathieu Garvi's first Ramadan was in 2011 back in his home country of France. The 27-year-old said it was a difficult time for him as he had no one to share his experience with.

Garvi had a Christian upbringing. His father is an atheist and his mother, a Christian. He decided to convert after studying about Islam and reading the Quran.

"It was a bit difficult because my family wasn't celebrating and so I was pretty much by myself at the time," Garvi said.

"I remember the time being difficult because I couldn't share it with anyone. I had a long day of fasting because in France, you open your iftar at about 9.30pm. I had to go to work and I couldn't complain. At the end of the day, I didn't have anyone to share the experience with."

During his first Ramadan, Garvi's family made sure the regular family dinner was served at Iftar time as they knew he was fasting.

Although, Garvi believes that his journey helped him become "closer to God". He said at the time where he'd be fasting for more than 12 hours, he had only God with him.

"I would pray and say that I'm going through this difficulty for you. It was difficult but eventually I got invited to Iftars by some families. It was nice being able to share that experience with people," Garvi said.

He ended Ramadan and spent his first Eid with a Muslim Moroccan family back in France. He said they helped him experience what a family Eid was like and what the Ramadan ambience in a Muslim country would be like.

Garvi got married this year and said that this is his first Ramadan truly "not alone".

Source: .khaleej Times