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 * __ What challenges do they face? __**

**Interview with Muslim Student** When they are in Canterbury round October November it is really hard for them because the days are longer making it harder to fast. The cold weather assists the fasting. The constant changing weather through out the day makes it hard for them to sleep during the day, which is how they struggle through the day when its Ramadan. When Ramadan begins this is difficult for the muslims to find the dates to begin fasting - these dates have to come from Saudi Arabia and do not seem to be readily available in New Zealand.

During Ramadam fasting should happen with your family. This is a time for the family to support each other. With the students there isnt any support in Canterbury to help them through these times.

Their culture doesnt support drinking of alcohol and smoking. In New Zealand alcohol and smokes are readily available with most people using these substances. This makes it difficult to abstain from this.

In Saudi Arabia there are a large number of mosques close together but in Canterbury there is only one which means students are having to travel distances at various times of the day and night to be able to pray together, as a community.

There are very few Arabic Restaurants in Canterbury - approximately three. They find themselves having to eat Indian as a substitute.

New Zealanders talk very fast making it difficult for the students to understand what they are saying and at times meaning.

In Saudi Arabia families are very important with the upmost respect for parents and people in various positions. Families eat together and the males always look after the females taking them shopping and driving them wherever they need to go.

New Zealanders are more relaxed with families and religion being more relaxed. There appears to be less discipline in New Zealand when people dont behave the way that they should or break the law.

Many people think of Arabic/Muslim students and think 9/11. Some cannot see past this. Are we judging a whole culture on a few/minority? If a New Zealander goes on a killing rampage do other cultrues judge all New Zealanders on this persons act? If a student of a school does something wrong, do we condem that school forever?

We have had many Arabic students over the past 5 years. Every time we have had these students they have heaters going in their rooms for long hours to keep warm. When they go outdoors, the sudden change in temparature between indoors and outdoors is creating them to get sick. Family is very important to our students as without their family they know that they would not be able to do half the stuff they usually do. Many of them become world scientists, chemists, engineers and highly successful businessmen. They have to support their families and to do this they need to be successful. They believe that family is extremely important to achieve this. Our Arabic/Muslim students enjoy having fun just like us and they love soccer just like us, they have their religion just like us and they believe education is important just like us. Many of them have had to fight to survive unlike us. They love the innocence and serenty of our country.
 * My Experience Having Students**

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