Balik Kampung

I've never experienced 'balik kampung', even during Chinese New Year, as most of my extended family live in Petaling Jaya where I live. Well, I am happy to say that I have finally experienced the anticipation and rush when eighteen of us, seven from my generation, headed back to Lamtang in Huizhou, China, last weekend.

My mother's side of the family in Malaysia still keeps in touch with many relatives in the village, with each clan making reciprocal visits over the past few years. I too am friendly with my cousins in China, despite my not being able to read nor write in Chinese. Fortunately, those from my generation speak Cantonese and I am able to converse in my limited Hakka to the older relations.

One thing I know for sure is that the extended family in Lamtang are extremely warm and affectionate. They go out of their way to make us comfortable. And we can sense their pride when we make the trek 'home' so to speak. When we arrived by chartered bus from Shenzhen on Saturday, they welcomed us with a 50-metre firecracker display which lasted a whopping eight and a half minutes. It was certainly a exciting way to start off the festivites of our visit!

Firecrackers at the family home in Lamtang village in Huizhou, China.