As I write this, Irfan and I are getting ready to visit my family in Melaka. I’m excited to visit the place where many generations of my maternal ancestors were born. Migrating at a young age can disconnect families from extended family and our heritage, and I’m glad that I’m able to reconnect with mine, after so long.
I haven’t visited Melaka in years! I think the last time I visited was when I sixteen or seventeen, and I came with my parents and siblings. Today, I’ll be introducing my husband to my grand-uncle for the first time.
On another note, Love InshaAllah posted my “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” article. I’m still so amazed at how much my story connected to readers around the world. Being vulnerable can be scary, but also very, very rewarding.
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Published by Raidah Shah Idil
Raidah Shah Idil is a student counsellor, poet, writer, and creative instructor with a passion for YA (young adult), fantasy, sci-fi and detective fiction. She was born in Singapore and moved to Australia at the age of 12. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (English) and Bachelor of Science (Psychology) from the University of New South Wales in 2005.
After working as a marketing copywriter and studying the Islamic Sciences in Amman, Jordan for nearly two years, she returned to Sydney, got married, then moved to Malaysia. While working as a part-time tutor at Axiom Learning, she works as an online counsellor for Seekershub Global. She has completed her Diploma of Counselling through the Australian Institute of Professional Counsellors. Her full-time job is raising her baby daughter. Everything else is squeezed in between. Literally. Her writing has been published in The Feminist Wire, SISTERS magazine, Daily Life, Lip Mag and Venture Beat. Raidah’s poetry was recently published in the ‘Armed With Only Our Souls’ online DDFS chapbook by New York poet Caits Meissner. Her debut double-featured novel, “Finding Jamilah and the Story of Yusuf” was published by MyLegacy publications in early 2014.
In her spare time (ha), she reads, listens to audiobooks, goes on walks, and is always on the lookout for tasty noodle soup. She currently lives in a green, leafy suburb in Kuala Lumpur with her husband, three small children and mother-in-law.
View all posts by Raidah Shah Idil
As I write this, Irfan and I are getting ready to visit my family in Melaka. I’m excited to visit the place where many generations of my maternal ancestors were born. Migrating at a young age can disconnect families from extended family and our heritage, and I’m glad that I’m able to reconnect with mine, after so long.
Raidah Shah Idil 