A Simple but Carefree Life (2E5 Junwei's Mother)

Interviewer:  Goh Jun Wei

Interviewee:  Teo Bee Leh, My Mother

My mother, a housewife was born and brought up in a kampong in a wooden house near a cemetery. At that time she was the second child in the family. She and her elder brother were both born and grew up in the same kampong. Although her father, a bus driver then had to work very hard to feed the family including his mother, her grandmother who was living with the family, they led a simple but carefree life.

Two of my grandfather brothers' families were living just next door. My mother and her elder brother and used to play hide-and-seek, marbles and flew kites at an open space near the cemetery where my grandmother and all my mother's aunties would gather and chitchat while feeding their children during meal times.

As a child, my mother could recall that my grandmother would need to go to the nearby well to fetch water for the family to do the cooking and washing. Water was not so easily accessible. My grandfather would wait for my grandmother returning from work at the main road when darkness fell as their house was very near the cemetery.  

My mother also learned to cook from my grandmother who learned cooking from my

great-grand mother, who was like a Peranakan (Straits Chinese who were the products of intermarriage between Chinese men and Malay women). My great-grandmother had lived in a Malay kampong where she learned all her cooking from the neighbours.  My mother has became a good cook now for all the Peranakan dishes such as kaya (jam made from coconuts) and

curry. My mother said my great-grandmother was able to speak Malay well although

she was of Hokkien origins.

A few years later, my mother and the whole family shifted to a rented place at the 6-storey block of flat near Bukit Ho Swee. My mother has 4 more siblings, which made up the family of 4

brothers and 2 sisters. The whole family stayed in a 2-bedroom flat. In order to feed

the family of 8 persons, my grandfather had to find more jobs to do as

my grandmother, who was a housewife then, had to take care of the children and

looked after my great-grandmother. During those days, finding a job was not easy, my

grandfather had to work two jobs in order to support the family where all the children

were still very young and my mother was in primary school. Mother said those

days were tough for my grandfather but they led a simple and happy life. A television,

fridge, or radio were all luxury goods during those times and all the children enjoyed  watching television at the nearby community centre.  However, grandfather was working so hard to make sure his children could enjoy television at home. He managed to get a television at home so that the children could watch at home with the family.

My mother did not do well in school and started work at a young age. She worked

as a production worker in a factory, where her job was ironing clothing and

packing. She also helped out in looking after the siblings as they were all still young and also helped my grandmother in the housework after she finished her work at the factory. My grandfather worked very hard to make sure all the children completed their education. My mother’s brothers and sister have all graduated from university. My grandfather and grandmother retired once the children had their own families.

My grandfather fell sick a few years after his retirement, but fortunately, he got to see my mother and all his children get married and the grandsons being born before passing away. My mother and my father got married in their early thirties. They bought a three-room flat, which is where we stay up to today.