By SGN | 4 May 2020
To: Celeste’s parents, Kerryn and Gary, in Singapore
Celeste has lived in California for the past five years and recently moved to Santa Clara. COVID-19 has interrupted the family’s plans to reunite after their younger sister, Vanessa’s upcoming graduation in Singapore, but thankfully not their twice-weekly video calls.
To my father who prepared us enough face masks and disinfectant to run a pharmacy, my mother who has taken it on herself to feed the neighbourhood cats now that their usual patrons are in self-isolation, and my empathetic sister who provides free counselling services for her friends: the stories you tell me over Skype are the highlights of my week, and I hope to be able to hear them in person soon. I love you!
Celeste
From: Celeste Koh in Santa Clara, CA
To: The #WuKongFam family back home in Singapore, especially their mothers!
Jiezhen and her husband Jared are currently living in the US as Jiezhen finishes her Masters’ Degree at Harvard. Jared is based in Los Angeles and heads up Legal and Business Affairs for Gushcloud International USA.
Dear WuKongFam,
While it hasn’t been easy being away from family during this time, we are so grateful for the ability to remain connected through regular video calls and daily WhatsApp messages. The guidance, love and support (along with the memes, jokes, and laughter) that we can still exchange with each other has kept us grounded and connected. Know that we are only a phone call away.
Happy Mother’s Day Mom and Mama! We miss and love you so much.
Love,
Jiezhen x Jared
From: Wu Jiezhen in Boston and Jared Kong in Los Angeles
To: Gwyneth’s family in Singapore
After attending school in Los Angeles for three years, Gwyneth is now studying her Masters in Philadelphia. Her family is no longer flying to attend her graduation because of COVID-19 but she will be back in Singapore once she is done with school in the summer.
Hi family,
Sorry for letting you worry by being abroad during this time. Thank you for being so supportive of my endeavours and constantly showering me with love, care and concern. I hope you stay safe and healthy and I will see you soon. Take care of yourselves during this time!
Love,
Gwyneth
From: Gwyneth Teo in Philadelphia, PA
To: Anthony’s parents in Singapore
Anthony and his wife, Xunyu, live in Brooklyn with their toddler daughter and newborn son. They are coming to their sixth year in New York City. The family has weekly check-ins over FaceTime, and hope that Anthony’s parents will be able to come visit their grandchildren once the COVID-19 outbreak passes.
Dear Mom and Dad
What a strange time we are in! We hope everyone remains well at home despite you both having to continue carrying out your roles at work during this COVID-19 outbreak and Circuit Breaker period. It must be challenging having to alternate between being in a highly modified work environment and sheltering at home, and we hope that this will soon come to an end when things go back to normal. In the meantime, we hope you are enjoying each other’s company when you are at home together.
Mom, Happy Mother’s Day! We look forward to being together again, and we are blessed to have you as a Mom, Mother-in-law and Granny!
With all our love,
Anthony and family
From: Anthony Huang and family in Brooklyn, New York City
To: The Tee family in Singapore
Josephine has been based overseas since late 2015; she was working in Beijing for about 5 years before moving to Texas with her partner early this year.
Hello guys, sending you virtual hugs and lots of love from Texas! It was great to have spent much more time with all of you earlier this year. The CNY break 2020 has been unusual but I’m glad that we managed to get a lot of quality time before I moved to the States. Hang in there, and let’s continue to keep in close touch. Always know that my heart is close despite the distance and time difference. Mommy, Happy Mother’s Day! Stay healthy, happy and safe.
Jo
From: Josephine Tee in Dallas, TX
To: Stacey’s mother, Margaret Yeo in Singapore
Stacey has lived in Brooklyn, NYC for the last five years. Stacey’s mother and the rest of her family are back in Singapore. They do weekly Facetime calls where they talk about everything from work to food, and their mutual love for horror movies.
Happy Mother’s Day Mummy!
This self-isolation period has made me miss you and your cooking even more than ever! I’ve spent most of the extra time that I have now trying to recreate your specialities, through the recipes that you recited to me over FaceTime. My skills are nowhere close to yours, but it’ll do for now, and I can’t wait for my next trip home.
Stacey
From: Stacey Chia in NYC
To: Natasha’s parents in Singapore
Natasha and her US military husband, Shawn, together with their two kids, have lived in San Diego for the past 7 years. Natasha’s parents are both retirees living in Singapore and her mother, Doreen, is celebrating her 78th birthday in August. The family keeps in touch regularly through WhatsApp conversations/video chats but more recently have added Zoom calls since the outbreak of COVID-19.
Happy Mother’s Day Ma/Mamma. We miss and love you so much and can’t wait to spend time together again in Singapore once all this is over. In the meantime, please keep safe, stay home, wear your mask if needed and lastly, be patient, for soon you’ll reunite with your mahjong kakis to play mahjong again. We miss your amazing home cooking and are replicating what we can over here.
Much Love,
Natasha & Shawn
