From A Distance

The feeling of missing the family whenever I am on an overseas work trip is truly inexplicable. When overseas, I used to derive news about the Bees when they were little toddlers from my mum or Hubby over the phone. Then, gradually, I got to converse with the kids a little over the phone. And since late last year, we had been using free internet video, and the Bees had been highly participative chatters! 

However, the crucial milestone would definitely be during my long 2-week trip to the UK in June last year. I started an email account for Big Bee, and we sent a couple of brief emails to each other! That was exhilarating and liberating, as in I could speak directly to her through my emails. 

And during my recent 9-day trip to China a couple of weeks ago, I just casually mentioned to her to email me. And I had the loveliest surprise when I received an email initiated by her on my second day abroad (in the past, it was usually me who would initiate the correspondence first). 

Furthermore, this time, her emails were a lot more informative, longer and were redolent with the hues of her personality. And the biggest bonus was that we were corresponding so regularly, once every 2 days (in the past, she only sent 1 to 2 emails at most)! What touched me the most was that after her very first email to me, I received a wonderful e-greeting card from her, with a little sad bear looking up at the moon, proclaiming "I miss you so much!".

I was almost tearing in the privacy of my hotel room - my eyes brimming with tears of happiness. 

The felicity of corresponding directly with a child is truly gratifying. It is so meaningful to hear our child's voice through the words she writes. 

Little Bee is a little young to correspond by email, but I was pleasantly surprised today again, when I flipped through her diary to find one more new entry that was not initiated by me! Once again, it showed fantastic motivation by Big Bee and excellent teamwork between the 2 sisters for Little Bee to write about her outing to my parents' house when I was away. Apparently, Big Bee was on a date with Papa, so she persuaded Little Bee to write about her grandparents' trip for her. 

Hence, these days, whenever I travel, it is indeed delightful to read about what the Bees are up to - from a distance, from their perspectives :)

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Little Bee's pages from her diary (with one page of illustration) could be found below.

Some excerpts of Big Bee's email can be found below mei mei's diary entry (she mentioned in one email that her emails are private, not to be shared with anyone else, so I need to be extra cautious to take away certain sentences with more personal information!). Max in her email referred to my cousin Irene's cute little Chihuahua that the family was helping to dogsit, much to Big Bee's thrill :) 

Little Bee's latest diary entry

Big Bee's 1st email excerpt:

Hello Mummy!!

Max is already here. He loves our house so much! He's so cute!!!   Max keeps staying on our carpet. Hope he doesn't pee or poop. BTW, Annette is extremely scared of Max. She says that all dogs bite people. Can you believe it, she doesn't even dare to touch him so she just ignored him!!!   Annette woke up SUPER late today. At 10.45 a.m. I can never wake up that late!!!! Nothing much happened today, so that's all.

Love: Nicole