After Lunch Pictures @ Lebaran 1435 H

Happy Eid Mubarak to everyone. 

After having our lunch at mbak Ulfa who happened to live just near HUFS, I took the kids to the campus to play. Freya along with her new friends, Biruni and Sofyan--Pak Nugroho's sons.  

After taking the kids off with their parents, I let Freya play around in campus...just let her roam freely.^^ 

And she did. 

And me....let's take a selfie with a style.

what style? dunno. Just let the mirror do the trick. 

The mirror placed at the park was actually a camouflage to 'hide' the otherwise enormous-looking air exhausting facilities. 

Back to Mbak Ulfa's house. Now another friend arrived. This is Freya and Lala--mbak Rini, our friend's daughter.  

Although we live in the same city, we barely meet each other. So, Lebaran is a good way for us to meet up again with friends whom we barely have time to meet.^^ 

Mbak Rini and her son, Rangga. 

Along with our daughter, Freya and Eyra.

and the girl in yellow with purple glasses.....Lala.  

then ...along came my wife and mbak Ulfa-the host for the occasion of the day. 

It's about 5 pm and it's time for us to go home....and just when we were about to leave the HUFS complex, someone shouted Eyra's name.

It's Subin's eonni who happened to be around the campus.

Well...why not take a picture together then....

Lebaran Lunch @ Mbak Ulfa's

After having served the Eid prayer at Masjid Seoul, we headed to mbak Ulfa's house at Imundong..about 40 minute-ride by subway from Itaewon. She invited us to have lunch together at her house. 

Mas Choirul, Pak Nugroho (and his family), my family, and mbak Ulfa herself. 

What would Lebaran be without lontong opor!! Yes, a must-have dish in Lebaran.

resep lontong opor

Since I didn't have a picture of what Lontong Opor is....well...I took it from someone else's picture on the web..with the link. 

and..it was Freya's birthday a few days ago, so..why not celebrate her birthday again..^^ when other kids were around? After all, Freya kind of waiting to have a birthday party with a birthday cake.

Yes..she thinks that birthday won't do without the cake.

Oh, well....Selamat Idul Fitri dan Ultah ya, Freya.

Semoga semua yang baik-baik dan terbaik ada pada dirimu. Amin.

Eid Al Fitr ..Eid Mubarak @ Masjid Seoul

Eid Mubarak in Seoul Masjid @ Itaewon. This year is surely different from last year in term of whom we met and whom we celebrated the Eid Mubarak with. This year we met our students from Gadjah Mada University, Jogjakarta who happened to be in Seoul for student exchange program.  

Also..we met Andri sonsaengnim who happened to be in Seoul for a 2-month language training course. Then...we also met mbak Anna and her cousin from German who happened to be in Seoul for an internship. 

Yes..this is our picture in front / at the side of Central Masjid in Itaewon, Seoul. 

A good way to remember the celebration. 

And of course....we also had a chance to meet Pak Nugroho and his family who happened to be in Seoul for a 3-week visit.  

and....last but not least....all along, we're with mbak Ulfa, our dear friend and neighbor who's been living in Seoul since 2011. Yes...

that pretty much summed up whom we met in the first hours after the prayer finished at Lebaran Festival...or Eid Mubarak 2014 / 1435 Hijriyah. 

May Allah bless us all. Amen. 

Eid Fitr/ Idul Fitri/Aidil Fitri/ Eid Mubarak 1435 H @ Seoul Masjid

This is our 4th Eid Mubarak in Seoul. Yes...it's been 4 times. Gee..how time flies. 

Eid Mubarak..or Idul Fitri is a celebration for Muslims across the world celebrating the end of the Ramadan, the fasting month.  I think ..thousands of people thronged the Masjid for the celebration. (it's just inside the Masjid, more were outside).

After the prayer finished, people got up and began congratulating one another.... 

Oh, this year..I got to accompany Nuri. He's the son of my friend, mbak Anna. He's half-Indonesian, half Korean. While her Mom was at the women's section of the Masjib, I got to be with him all along.

Then...we bumped into mas Iksan..who turned out to be mbak Anna's close friend as well. I was a bit taken aback when I found out that they knew each other all along. What a small world.  

Then..as we stepped out of the Masjid and saw the front yard, we could see lots of jamaah were already on their feet...congratulating, hugging one another.... 

and not to forget....selfie-ing and taking pictures to seize the moment.

Happy Eid Mubarak 1435 H. 

A Decent Meal for Dinner

 Decent, simple, yet...irresistible for some. Okay..once again ..I am a vegetarian...so ..having a feast in Eid does not give me any huge difference of what I could intake into my body..in term of meals.  Last night, Mbak Ulfa generously cooked for us dinner. 

She invited some of us to her house to have mi bakso fiesta. Yes, mi bakso or meatball noodles.

Veggies, shredded chicken meat, pangsit or dumplings, sambal or spicy sauce, soy ketchup, and tomato ketchup...and others...(unseen on the pic). 

Oh...and..I got this Lebaran gift from my KBS crew. It's Lebaran and we usually eat lots and lots of cookies. So..what's the closest rendition of Lebaran cookies right here in Korea? 

They found this Pan-Fried Cakes that I love.

Sure...I brought along these cookies to mbak Ulfa's house...

and have them shared with others. 

As for this one, it is another home-made cookies. What a Lebaran or Eid Mubarak would be without cookies? Unimaginable. 

At least there should be one or two. It's all a cultural thing.  

Back to the meatball noodle I was talking about earlier. This is the picture. A combination of meatball, dumplings, vegetables, soy sauce, tomato sauce, and noodles (beneath all of these ingredients), and of course...

with hot chicken broth that surely comes along with it.

But...No...I did not eat it, well..at least in a complete style. The only thing I could eat was the noodle and veggies + dumpling (veggie filled).

Being a vegetarian.....always help me 'detach' myself from devouring myself into this kind of meal. No matter how delicious the food be. 

"Thank you, mbak Ulfa...for preparing the dinner for us"

*Then...we're still waiting for other invitations from other friends...to have lunch, dinner, or any other meals ....^^

Idul Fitri/Eid-ul Fitr/Aidil Fitri/Lebaran/Eid Mubarak @ Seoul Central Masjid (part 2)

Arriving early even before the prayer started gave us a chance to be 'inside' the Masjid without having to worry of being exposed to the summer heat outside. 

We got there at around 9.30, enough to find a cozy space for us. 

'Selamat Lebaran yang ke-2 di Korea, Mama, Eyra, Freya'

This is our 2nd year of Eid in Korea. 

After the prayer, we met our students from UGM. I am sure this is their 1st Eid in Korea. 

Being among other friends and acquaintances like this...eliminates or at least 'lessens' the homesickness of being away from families back home.

Right? Yes....! 

Then..we met other Indonesian families, too.
Well..we are all students who live and study right her in Seoul, Korea.

Along with our families, we live in Korea and call Korea our home for 2 up to 4 years. (or more for others^^) 

For some...this is one of the happy times we have in Korea.

Eid Mubarak in Seoul. 

Let's see how many families there are. Hmm at least 7 families.(mine, Mas Purba, Mas Khoirul, Mas Wawan, Mas Eky, Mas Iwan, mas Sulis'....) 

Oh, some of our married friends got to celebrate the Eid without their wives or husbands since they don't live together in Korea. It must be ..well..a bit sad..for them....I don't know. It could be, though. 

But..with the Eid occasion in mind...along with other friends like this,

we'd need to think of only one thing: happiness of being blessed with the fact that we are celebrating Eid together.

Once again..

"Happy Eid" Eid Mubarak. 

Mohon Maaf Lahir Batin....May We Live Prosperously and Happily. Amen.