Page 127 - Stories from our Grandparents

a, I’m off to school now.” I shouted across the
living room as I wore my shoes. I walked out of the Mdm XX Born 19XX
house and made my way through the uneven rocky
“Mroad. My everyday routine was to walk for By Amanda
Pasir Ris Secondary School
almost one kilometre to school. There were no buses available by
the end of the day. My legs would have usually feel worn out.

While walking my way to school, I always detected a foul- After dinner, my neighbourhood friends would came into
smelling odor. I got very used to the foul-smell whenever my house and we watched shows on the black and white
I walk to school. At first, I was reluctant to walk along the screen television. As not every household could afford a
road but I had no choice as this way was the only television, kids would usually gather in one house to enjoy
passage-way to make it out of the kampung. The foul- watching cartoons. The atmosphere would be lively and
smelling things came from the excreting from the animals. full of laughter. After the cartoon ended, everyone would
go back home and get ready to sleep and start a new day.
“Residents living in the Kampung raise animals My mother always used her handmade straw fan to create
like cows, chicken and ducks. They would bring wind for me at my bedroom so that it will be cooling at
the animals out for a walk after their meals. While night. Her motherly love was evident to me.
walking on the road, they would pass out their As years went by, Singapore began to developed into a high technology
bodily waste, causing the road to have a stench. world and a garden city. People moved from kampungs to private housing
Itwas very unhygienic, but was a common sight.” or public estate as the governments had demolished the kampung houses
to use the land for other purposes. Every household would have proper
“Back then, after the sun had set, I arrived back basic services such as supply of clean water and electricity making life more
home. I lit up the lamp with kerosine so that I can start doing my convenient and easily accessible like switching on the light with just pressing
homework. Soon, “Ah Mei, come and help me set up the table,” the “on” button. Everyone would have their own phones to communicate or
my mother shouted at me. I came out of the room and took the for entertainment uses. It is not surprising for someone to own more than
utensils from the kitchen and place them neatly on the table. Then, one phone.
I took out
the leftover food from a cupboard which was placed beside Even though Singapore faces new big changes today, I still miss the good old
the dining table. That cupboard was used for placing kampung days where everyone would play catching or go to the river and
leftover food that we could not finish the previous day.” catch small fishes. But now, the younger generation would always have their
eyes glued to their smart devices’ screen. Even though life is much better
After everyone sat around the dining table, we began munching on today than the past on the whole, I still hope that the future generation will
our food. Although the leftover food was cold, it tasted good. There learn to appreciate the simple life.
were no refrigerators to store our food or drinks. My mother would
go to the supermarket and buy ingredients for lunch and dinner.

68 Grandma Stories Grandma Stories 69