I have known Betty and Wayne since the day I photographed them for their elopement, which is quite some time ago now. I was so lucky to also be invited to Hong Kong to document and experience their amazing wedding and meet their beautiful family. This was definitely a life experience I will never forget. I have also followed their journey to parenthood and now I am so grateful to be able to see the family grow. They have now two lovely boys and I love coming to their home to photograph them all! Betty always makes lovely home cooking and I end up forgetting that I am there to also take pictures haha! .. It’s always so cosy and I feel part of the family ;)
When I asked Betty, what does home mean to you she answered ..
- To be brief, I think Hong Kong is my forever Home, just that it’s in my heart now.
There is a saying in my language, “A place that makes one’s feel peaceful, that’s my home.” The home is kind of a state of mind where you feel at peace.
To me, home is the place I live with the people I love, particularly my family. I moved to Denmark with my husband from Hong Kong, and we started our journey in Europe.
Finding my home in a distant land is something I have not imagined before and it was not an easy process for me. It took many months and years to settle down and you may not be completely satisfied with the new home.
I miss the food from Hong Kong, so I keep making Hong Kong style meals for my family and friends to keep passing on our food cultures. We also speak our mother tongue Cantonese, watching Cantonese TV cartoons, movies and listening Cantonese songs at home, as we believe our language is a great gift to our kids, to let them understand our culture and feel more like home.
Anyhow, I am grateful to be settled in my home in Denmark for now. I feel more comfortable to be back to my home every time after travelling to other places.
All in all, I think it is better to first keep your lovely settings from your home country, and then integrating to a new culture, to make yourself feel grounded.
xx Betty.
All the beautiful illustrations on the pictures are drawn by Betty and you can see more of her work on in.moment.like.this