When I started working more than twenty years ago, people know me as someone who has no kampung (hometown) as my mother and I lived in Gombak i.e. KL. So applying leave during Hari Raya (Eid) was a challenge then as I was first a bachelor and second, I have no kampung to go back to.
When I got married, I married a nice Gombak girl. Hence my kampung status then did not improve as I am married but both my wife and I have no kampung. My wife is better off as her school where she teaches normally closes during Hari Raya for a week.
As time went by, I insisted to take leave during Hari Raya. My colleagues who have kampungs teased me saying that I should sacrifice for them, so give them a chance to balik kampung as I am already a local. So one time (this was probably 15 years ago) after Hari Raya, I asked one of my colleagues who took leave to Balik Kampung, where did he go during Hari Raya.. he told me he went back to his parent's house, prayed the Eid prayer in the morning and then stayed at his parent's house until he came back to KL. Then he asked me where did I go during my Raya leave, I told him on my First day Raya, I visited 15 houses including my Mother's and Parent-in-law's house. Second day Raya, I visited 7-8 houses and I related him similarly every day of Raya until I returned to work.
This Raya is my first Raya where I update my FB hj malek with my Raya visits (prior to that I have been a long dormant FB user). I shared photos and short snippets of my 7-day Raya celebration on FB. When I came back to the office, many at the office commented that I really had my Raya as they were following my FB postings. Well I told them, that has been how I celebrated my Raya, not only visiting parents and siblings, but uncles, unties, second uncles and unties, cousins, second cousins, neighbours.
So Raya for me is not about taking the journey of Balik Kampung, which is the beginning. Once you Balik Kampung, then the next step would be to visit your relatives whom you had not had a chance to meet them because everybody are busy nowadays and stay far apart. This is the true meaning of Raya and Balik Kampung.
