Residents share harmless slip-ups on Day 1 of Ramadan as they adjust to new routine

On the first day of Ramadan, February 18, Dubai resident Shakeel Syed reached for his water bottle while working at his desk around 11.30am.

- SM Ayaz Zakir [e-mail]

From reaching for drinking water to walking into cafeteria before realising they were fasting, many residents ended up doing routine actions on Day 1 of Ramadan.

He stopped midway. “It was pure habit. For a second, I completely forgot I was fasting,” Syed said.Across offices, homes and gyms in the UAE, many residents admitted experiencing similar moments on the first day of fasting and they often jokingly refer to it as ‘Ramadan brain.’

Sana Rafiq, a resident of Sharjah, walked into her office cafeteria at lunchtime before realising it was closed for Ramadan. “I even thought of what I wanted to eat before remembering it’s Ramadan. I laughed and walked back.”

The change in work routine also sank in late for some. “I kept working till 4pm like usual office hours before someone told me Ramadan office hours had started,” said Fahad Ali, an engineer based in Abu Dhabi. “I could have left earlier.”