My mum came from China in the year 1949 at the age of 39. I was born two years later rightfully as a British subject at Nibong Tebal, Province Wellesley which was part of the Straits Settlements.
My mum could speak no other dialects except her own, Hakka. She could not even speak a word of Malay language. How she managed to obtain her citizenship later is still a mystery to many of us in the family. It was understood that at that time, any immigrant who wanted to get a citizenship in this country, had to pass an interview conducted in Malay Language.
As the majority of the Chinese residents in Nibong Tebal were speaking Teochew dialect, the social circle of my mum had to be confined to a few Hakka families in the area.
My mum had some closed friends staying in and around Nibong Tebal. Once in a while, she would visit them one by one. While we were small, before the school going age, we liked to follow her in her social visits. I was particularly so, as I always anticipated a cup of coffee to be served by the host. If luck was with me then, I might get some other things to fill my stomach.
For every visit that my mum made, she would chat with her friend for hours. They would talk about family affairs, or stories that occurred to them back in their ancestor homes of China. We, the children, either sat quietly listening to their conversation, or we had to find something else to do until it was time to go home.
Like any good diplomatic relationship between two friendly nations, my mum’s visit would be reciprocated by her friend’s visit weeks later. Likewise, coffee would be served to the guest and I too would be given another cup of coffee.
My eldest brother observed that although my mum was poor materially, nevertheless she was always a welcoming figure among her friends, the rich or the poor. That was due to, in my opinion, her sincerity, her trustworthy and her willingness to listen attentively to others that made her so.
My mum could speak no other dialects except her own, Hakka. She could not even speak a word of Malay language. How she managed to obtain her citizenship later is still a mystery to many of us in the family. It was understood that at that time, any immigrant who wanted to get a citizenship in this country, had to pass an interview conducted in Malay Language.
As the majority of the Chinese residents in Nibong Tebal were speaking Teochew dialect, the social circle of my mum had to be confined to a few Hakka families in the area.
My mum had some closed friends staying in and around Nibong Tebal. Once in a while, she would visit them one by one. While we were small, before the school going age, we liked to follow her in her social visits. I was particularly so, as I always anticipated a cup of coffee to be served by the host. If luck was with me then, I might get some other things to fill my stomach.
For every visit that my mum made, she would chat with her friend for hours. They would talk about family affairs, or stories that occurred to them back in their ancestor homes of China. We, the children, either sat quietly listening to their conversation, or we had to find something else to do until it was time to go home.
Like any good diplomatic relationship between two friendly nations, my mum’s visit would be reciprocated by her friend’s visit weeks later. Likewise, coffee would be served to the guest and I too would be given another cup of coffee.
My eldest brother observed that although my mum was poor materially, nevertheless she was always a welcoming figure among her friends, the rich or the poor. That was due to, in my opinion, her sincerity, her trustworthy and her willingness to listen attentively to others that made her so.
1 comment:
We, very happy whenever there were guests visited us, my grandmum must buy them "Thou Pan" (noodles) for the guests. If they can't finish, will be our turn to finish.
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