Soaking it all in: Foreign workers hanging around at Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur. — LOW LAY PHON/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: Being far away from home has not hindered foreign workers of the Muslim faith from enjoying a special and memorable Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
Usually busy with work, they took the opportunity to catch up with fellow countrymen and explore the city, a place they temporarily called home.
Dressed in a black and orange baju kurung, Ririn Agustiawan, 38, a housekeeper from Indonesia, was busy snapping photos with her friends at KLCC Park on Wednesday.
Ririn said she could not go home yearly for the celebration since coming to work in Malaysia six years ago.
“I would have loved to go home but I don’t have enough money. The flight tickets are too expensive. It is sad to be so far away from my family,” said Ririn, who is from Medan.
Despite that, Ririn was thankful she had her friends to celebrate the festival with. She said they would prepare a Hari Raya meal with home-cooked Indonesian dishes like rendang, nasi impit and kuah lodeh later that day.
Engineer Mitha, 33, had a particularly memorable Hari Raya as she joined her husband in the city with their three-year-old daughter.
“I am from Jakarta, Indonesia, and I came here because my husband does not have enough annual leave to return home. Since he couldn’t return, we came here to celebrate with him instead,” she said.
Although the family was happy to reunite after three months apart, it was a bittersweet reunion since they were far from home. Her husband, Fajar, 35, who is also an engineer, was posted to Kuala Lumpur from Indonesia in January.“I am grateful to have my family here, and it is good to have someone take care of me while I work and fast,” he said.
Both Mitha and her daughter wore matching pastel green baju raya, while Fajar donned a blue outfit.
“All of our clothes are brought by my wife,” said Fajar.
Bangladeshi waiter Muhamed Ali, 28, has been living in Malaysia for seven years. He hopes to go home to celebrate Hari Raya, but is uncertain when that time will come.
“My friends and I performed solat early on Aidilfitri morning, and I called my family members,” he said.
Afterwards, Muhamed and four friends head to KLCC Park to take photos together and joined in the festive atmosphere.
