I am the third child in the family. Born in 1948, at the (midwife) nurse's house on King Street, across from our side of the street, about two houses down. I think it may be upstairs, in the second floor. Downstairs is a furniture maker.
This picture shows the old house, 96-B King Street, already modernized. The glass windows upstairs a re new. We just had shutters. Downstairs, the name plate across the entry is gone. It used to say "Song Loong" (Double Dragons). I am not sure about the original of the name, but interestingly, my grandmother's name is "Song Fong" (Double Phoenix.) Not sure about the relationship here.
I don't have too many memories of playing with Siew Loon and Siew Kai, growing up as a young kid. My memories begin when Siew Loon went to school at Shih Chung Primary School in Love Lane. He transferred to St. Xavier's Institution the next year. The next year, Siew Kai went to join him at St. Xavier's, and I began to be interested in school.
Even before I started school, I would sit with the brothers and uncles as they study after dinner at the big living room marble table. We sat all around the table, each reading and writing his own work, and occasionally cracking a joke and starting some conversation. I just sat there and pretend to work along with the big guys.
The year 1955, when my mother took me to school, it was at Shih Chung Primary School. Apparently she wanted me to go to a Chinese school, now that the two older ones have gone to English school, to balance out. The first day before class, mom fed me lunch, and after I showered, she combed my hair, and brought me to school. B
eing the first day of school, there were a lot of people, a lot of parents, and a lot of noises. Mom found the first grade classroom, and brought me inside. It was upstairs, towards the back of the school building. She marched me into the classroom, and handed me to the teacher, and gave her a cane. "Whip him if he is not behaving." she told the teacher. I guess that is the tradition. The teacher must have received a cane from each parent. I am happy to report that she never ever whipped me with it.
We each received a new book from the teacher, Miss Chung. Oh, she was my first love. I loved Miss Chung. I am not sure what she looked like, but she must have been a very pretty woman. Anyway, the first page of the book was "I love PaPa", and page two , "I love Mama." Thus began my education.
One day after school, I volunteered to stay back to clean the chalk dusters in the classroom. There were two or three dusters in each room, and you would beat the duster on the walk until all the chalk dust falls out, so it is ready for use the next day, clean and ready to erase the chalk board. It must have taken a while to clean the dusters. When I finished, Miss Chung said wait a few minutes for he to finish her paperwork, and she would give me a ride home. She had a big black car, not a Morris Minor, which was the popular car of the day, but a bigger model, probably an Austin. She allowed me to sit up front in the passenger seat, and allowed me to play with he crank in the windshield, which opened up the windshield to allow fresh air to come in from the fron
t. The car had automatic turn signal, which consists of lighted sticks on both the left and right side, in the B-pillar. When you turn on the signal, the lighted stick would pop up, indicating which direction you wanted to turn. I was fascinated by all these machinery. It became a life-long passion that I still enjoy today, looking at cars.
Amazing how you remember such detail! How old were you?
ReplyDeleteDid grandma take you to school every day?
Maybe Timmy Cael will be like you, he is #3 as well!
I started first grade at seven. The first week to school, Mom took me. School at Love Lane is about eight blocks away from home, so it is not too far. It was mostly one straight street, Chulia Street, pass the market, then right turn into Love Lane. AFter a week, my brother Siew Kai was able to walk me to school.
ReplyDeleteFor a while, Siew Kai also brought me food for breaks. Siew Kai went to a morning school, and my class was for afternoons, so he had time to bring food to my school.
I remember then, that curry noodles was only five cents a bowl, and a drink also cost five cents. Obviously you get more value out of the curry noodles. I did not get spending money until later in the school year.
As a child and student, I was always very serious about my studies. All my siblings were good students. I ranked number one after the first year, and so were my brothers and sisters. There was a saying then, that when there is a Mui in the class, the rest of the class may as well forget it. We will be the top students.
:)
ReplyDeleteWhere did you go after this school? Second form?