Where are you going for Raya this year?
I’ll be here. The Raya here… The Ibanese celebrate Hari Gawai not Hari Raya. Hari Raya here for me, as a Muslim, would be a normal day for them. We will work as usual. The YBSB is very far from here to even give me duit raya [Laughs].
What is your Raya message to the people back in Semenanjung Malaysia?
Selamat Hari Raya! Maaf Zahir dan Batin. To my family, please do not forget about us. Always have us in your prayers. And to everyone else never forget your parents or those who have raised you. We, the young, must work to take care of our elders – our mother and father. It is the least we could do for what they have done to bring us up.
What is the difference between a child’s life here and back in Semenanjung?
It is different. Here, the children are more free. They have more friends. Over there,the kids will only play at night. They would go to the mosque to pray. But kids back in Semenanjung would also play with their phones most of the time. I don’t see that here. I think phones are not good for growing children because it will disrupt their studies.
