Jalan Raya di Pennsylvania

      

Eid Mubarak! Selamat Hari Raya!

Our morning started with Eid prayers at the Whitehall mosque (I drove like the wind, bypassing all those long trucks on the highway so as not to be late). The mosque was packed with Muslims of all nationalities. Everyone was dressed their best. The Malays wore their baju kurungs (even Amrin who came down from New York City to celebrate Raya with us) amidst the biting Fall winds. Hamidah and family even wore matching blue baju kurungs. Steve, pakai baju Melayu la!

Allahu Akbar! The takbir brought tears to my eyes as I sat in the prayer hall, my first Eid prayer far away from home. The sisters around me embraced me warmly. I then passed a compilation of Hari Raya songs to Hamidah and Rohana from Singapore. Eid is not complete without Saloma & Ahmad Jais' "Selamat Hari Raya" songs!

We then had breakfast at the mosque - bagels, donuts and coffee. The mosque was decorated with balloons and banners bearing Eid greetings. The kids were also entertained by 2 Mascots & 1 Superman! What a brilliant idea! We later headed to the sprawling countryside where Hamidah lives. More delicious food and interesting conversations followed. We had so much fun taking pictures at her backyard, amidst those gorgeous red and yellow Autumn trees.

After Steve & Ali successfully solved the computer problems at Hamidah's house, we headed home to Bethlehem for dinner at my house (most of us had classes that day but we skipped them to celebrate Eid). Amrin who had to leave for New York managed to sample Kak Alo's delicious Lontong, Rendang and kuih-muih. Yes, in the spirit of Hari Raya, Kak Alo took the effort to prepare all those food and we even changed the curtains in the house! When I told Emak this, she complained that there was no one to help her cook in Singapore now that I am in Pennsylvania! :)

Dinner was good. The girls also brought food (courtesy of Lehigh dining meal plans). We laughed and ate Kuih Tat, Kuih Lapis and pizza too! Most of us are far away from home but our Hari Raya outings made us less homesick. Ika and I are now inspired to cook Nasi Minyak this Friday to continue with the Hari Raya celebrations!

Khairil Johari Johar's Sepasang Kurung Biru broke the silence of the night as I tidied up the house. My heart grew heavy and my eyes went moist...

Tiada salam atau ucapan
Tiada pesan tanda ingatan
Suasana penuh keriangan
Ku teringat pada seseorang...

Tetamu datang tetamu pergi
Namun tak tiba orang ku nanti
Hanya sepasang kurung nan biru
Menjadi teman mengubat rindu ku...