When is Ramadan? Really?

Bismillah...

What day is Ramadan really starting? We have this same problem every year, and then again for the last day and the day of Eid. Seems that the moon doesn't look the same for everyone. My in-laws live in Bahrain, and Bahrain always follows Makkah and Saudia Arabia. I always thought when the New Moon was sighted by anyone, that was it. But apparently Pakistan likes to do their own thing. Shi'as like to do their own thing. The various Sunni sects have reasons for doing their own thing. No one is united on this simplest of things.

We have always waited for the call from Ami in Bahrain, but it doesn't always match with whatever masjid we just happen to be going to at the time. Finding a masjid is a whole other problem, I'll get back to that. Last year or the year before the ISNA or ICNA (I never know which is which) decided to plot out the first day of Ramadan for the next few years. I was so against that because how is it possible to know that? Sometimes the months have 29 days, some have 30. I have noticed, also, the past few years Ramadan in Houston only lasts 29 days. I have read haddith that it is possible, but every single year? The Islamic Society of Greater Houston always rents the convention center at the Reliant Stadium, next the the Astro Dome, for the big Eid prayers. But more than once people have complained that they were under the impression that the day they chose to lead the Eid prayers was actually the 30th of Ramadan, while the people in the stadium were considering it to be the 1st of Shawal, the month after Ramadan.

So confusing...

About finding a masjid. We recently moved back to our old neighborhood. When we were here before we would go for Jumah at the masjid closet to our home. I always enjoyed the English dars but the when the next man would come to give the Arabic khutbah (which was usually the same as the English lesson) he would chant, in a kind of sing song voice, almost like he was reading poetry. I have never heard any other imam speak a sermon like that. My husband did not like it. It was kind of like he was reading the Qur'an like poetry, instead of reciting it properly. I was not fond of it myself.

So then we moved, but my husband's job was still in the old neighborhood. He would take his lunch break and go to a masjid that was two blocks away from the other one. He really liked it. I would go to another masjid when I could, but it was not always easy or even possible because the baby was only a few months old at the time and extremely fussy.

Now we are back and so far we have not gone to Jumah at all. My husband is in training for his new job and is not able to make it to Jumah at all. I no longer have a drivable car so I do not go either. So we really do not have any particular masjid these days. Probably when we ever do start going again, it will be the second one my husband liked.