I see pictures of family reunion dinners, families & extended families of friends dressed in their CNY finery posted on Facebook, and a part of me feels a twinge of sadness & nostalgia for the days when we were all living in the same country, when uncles & aunties & cousins, grandmas & grandpas, were still alive and when family get-togethers were not as rare as they have become now.
My family migrated to Singapore when I was in pre-school. My extended family was/is spread out in different countries - Malaysia, Brunei, Australia, USA, UK, though there was a time spanning a few years scattered through my primary & secondary school days when a significant number was living in Singapore. Those were the years that I remember fondly - of dinners & holidays & laughter & tears, Christmases, New Years, Birthdays & Anniversaries.
Most of my friends are at least third generation Singaporeans. Their extended families are mostly in Singapore. I wonder if they take for granted, these special occasions which celebrate family togetherness. I sometimes wonder how it would be if our family was such, instead of the international hodgepodge that it is. I realize that in a way, I was also a third culture kid. Maybe that's why I am still wondering where home is.
No comments:
Post a Comment