I remembered something bout how I grew up with my grandma last night. Before I was born, my mom told me that in my village, there were no water pipes or electricity. Everyone get their water from a self made well or perigi, and uses candles or oil based lamp for light and night. Back then, she said, everybody knows each other by heart. Not just names as we are now. Everything is shared with love and respect. Nowadays we only share gossips.
When I was born in 79, everything started to be easier for everyone. As I recalled, my mom said to me that about a year before, waters are supplied to their houses. Bills are started to be an issue and topics to talk bout among the villagers. But my grandparents still couldn’t afford the payment then, so their water supply came in a bit late. A few months later, power was in. white neon gave some people a thing to watch at their close neighbor’s house. And with the help of my mom’s salary in k.l those days, my grandparents and I, also gets our share of water and electricity.
It’s funny how things were so easy for me, yet I’m still struggling to live. I mean, I remember growing up there till I was 5 or 7. I remembered how hard it is for my late grandma to feed us. My mom had to stay working in k.l to cope with all the debts we have to make just to get some rice in the plate. I never complaint then, all I know is that I will get food no matter what goes on. But I did cause a lot of trouble for them too. During early school days, I start being asked for things that I never understood back then. And it usually is about my parents and family. I usually got laughed at for I can’t give any answers to what some would think an easy question. Example, what’s my name?
Now, don’t get me wrong, here. As a small kid, I was called with a different name by my family and my neighbors. And yet it’s a different name on my name tag. So wouldn’t this be something odd for you to answer? If your family called you Alang for five years since you are born, wouldn’t you answer the same name if anyone else asks you that?
That’s what happens to me. It kind of gave me the feel of not wanting school. I skipped some classes then. In fact, I think that’s where all my class skipping behavior started. 7 years old, standard 1, in S.R.K Permatang Pelanduk 2.
I guess I don’t want to see the faces of those pupils that keep laughing at me. It made me feel uneasy being around them. But I was not usually alone. Not every kid in my village goes to school much either. So I got places to go and friends to be with during that time. The only time I stayed in school was when I know that my grandma or my mom personally will come to pick me up. Otherwise, I’d go for a stroll around the school area, or even went to help my grandma with her rubber tapping. Of cause, I got scolded for this by my grandma.
And since my mom was in k.l those days, it became a habit for me not going to school. Knowing that my grandma won’t be mad at me if she knows where I am. As long as I’m alright, she won’t be that angry. But it’s a different thing for my mom though. For my mom, my education is a must. And since she’s not around to watch for my school ditching habit back then, I felt superior of doing so. Hehe…
Naah. I guess I only did it because I know every time I do it, my grandma would wrote my mom bout it. And usually it made my mom goes back to live with us for awhile.
Huhu…
naughty, me. =j
