my first day at work

Last April, during Ramadan, I started a part-time job at a fast-food restaurant. My high school classes had wrapped up just before Ramadan, so I had a lot of free time while waiting for my graduation announcement.

On my first day, my job was to assist all my colleagues while learning my own tasks. I helped with everything from packing food for drive-thru orders to setting up tables that had been reserved.

I chatting quite a bit with my coworkers about work, where they were from, and other casual stuff.

When it came time to break my fasting, I purposely delayed eating. I didn’t feel comfortable breaking my fasting first, and, honestly, I didn’t feel like eating since there were still tasks left to finish. But soon after, as I was carrying plates on the second floor, I slipped on the stairs and fell down hard.

To be honest, in that moment, I really thought to myself, “If I can’t handle this kind of work, am I really ready to leave home for college? Here I am, struggling, and I haven’t even started college yet.”

But as the days went by, my body started to adjust to the heavy work. I even found myself getting into the rhythm and handling things like a pro. Before I knew it, three months had flown by, and I realized I’d made it through – falls, fasts, and all!