Not missing out on reunion

 

CNY wishes from afar: Schoolteacher Lim Wei Xiu, her husband, Lee Choon Choy, and their children (from right) Hoy Jit, Hoy Yan and Hoy Seng from Jenjarom, Selangor, sending their online Chinese New Year greetings to family members Lim Kean Chiak and Wei Hong in Sungai Petani, Kedah. This is the first time since their marriage eight years ago that the couple could not be with their families for the festival.

PETALING JAYA: This young family may not be cruising down the highway to get to their loved ones in Kedah, but they will be “zooming” in from the comfort of their own homes.

Welcoming the Year of the Ox will be slightly different for Lee Choon Choy, 37, his wife Lim Wei Xiu, 33, and their three young children as they are unable to go back to Lim’s family home in Sungai Petani, Kedah.

This year, Lee and Lim, who live in Jenjarom, Selangor, had their reunion dinner yesterday via Zoom with Lim’s father and her two brothers.

Lim’s father Lim Kean Chiak, 70, lives with her younger brother Wei Hong, 29, while her older brother Wei Liang, 37, lives in Penang.

Lee and Lim, who are teachers at SJKC Pandamaran A and SJKC Wu Teck, Bandar Parkland, respectively, usually return to Lim’s hometown on the second day of Chinese New Year.

This has been the annual routine for the young family since 2014.

Lim said every year, they would usually go for the reunion dinner and celebrate the first day of Chinese New Year with Lee’s family in Klang.“But because we are unable to go anywhere, we decided to have the reunion dinner with my family via Zoom.

“It’s still disappointing... I feel like something is missing, because every year, on the second day of Chinese New Year, we would go to Sungai Petani and Penang to visit my side of the family, ” said Lim.

Both Lim and Lee said their children, especially the two older ones, look forward to visiting their grandfather and uncles in Sungai Petani and Penang every year.

The couple’s three children, Hoy Jit, aged five, Hoy Seng, aged three, and one-year-old Hoy Yan are also unable to play with their cousins in Penang, and would only be able to “meet” them via Zoom.

“The children would look forward to playing with their grandfather and receiving ang pow, but this year, it became an e-angpow, ” said Lim.

Lee said the reunion dinner was a small affair with a few dishes as there were only two adults.

“We can’t cook too many dishes because we won’t be able to finish everything. If we were home with our relatives, it would be very different – we would have a big feast, ” said Lee.

On the first day of Chinese New Year, Lee said he would be spending time with his family in Jenjarom watching television and playing with his children.

“We are not able to visit anyone or host visitors ourselves, so we will just be home. It is just an ordinary day for us this time around.

“Perhaps we will feel the Chinese New Year atmosphere with the programmes on television, ” said Lee.

He added that his two older children have asked if they will be visiting their grandfather and uncles in Kedah and Penang, but he had to explain why they are unable to do so this year.

Once the movement control order is over and the interstate travel ban is lifted, Lee said he take the opportunity to visit his father and brothers-in-law. - Star