I remembered my time spent with my grandma, Jumirah Abdul Rahman, when I was a young girl. I would help her to make 'ragi' , a kind of yeast or something that you used to make yeast. Later I would follow her to sell it to a merchant in Arab Street in Singapore. Every trip would be an adventure to me. Taking the trishaw at the JB end as well at the Singapore end and making the bus trip in between. This would be followed by a special lunch of murtabak Singapore. My grandmother would be in her best voile baju kurung and batik sarong, with hair neatly coiffed up. She must have been in her early sixtes or late fifties then if she had my mom af age 15. Wow could that have been possible. She was an entrepreneur doing business to make a livinb for herself. By then my mom was married with 12 kids, my youngest aunt was also married then, so she only needed money for herself
When we moved to the house in Kampong Melayu, she still had a room to herself. I remembered her growing old in that house. We moved there when I was 11 years old. My time spent with her was during school holidays when I was back from boarding school. Later my family moved again leaving my grandma behind with my aunt which by that time I went to further my studies in 1977. In the summer of 1979 my grandmother passed away while I was in England. The last I saw her was when she sent me at the airport in September 1977. As a granddaughter I never knew how she felt about me
And now as a grandmother to four grandchildren and four step grandchildren I wonder what they will remember of me. All I know is that I love them all and am trying very hard to leave some legacy behind of which I cant really say what it is or if there is any
I also remembered sleeping on her poster bed occasionally admist schedule among my other cousins. We took turns to sleep with grandma. By the way, I never met my grandfather and I never knew who among my siblings had actually met him. Grandma was the matriarch I remembered. We lived with grandma, I think instead of grandma living with us because the 7 bedroomed house was at the expense of my eldest uncle who housed his mom and his 3 other siblings and family. May Allah reward him
Those were my memories of my grandma. Everything else I have forgotten. She must have been a splendid chef when it comes to making dodol. I can't remember the other specialities though but I guessed mom being a good cook must have come from her
Those were my memories of my grandma. Everything else I have forgotten. She must have been a splendid chef when it comes to making dodol. I can't remember the other specialities though but I guessed mom being a good cook must have come from her
When we moved to the house in Kampong Melayu, she still had a room to herself. I remembered her growing old in that house. We moved there when I was 11 years old. My time spent with her was during school holidays when I was back from boarding school. Later my family moved again leaving my grandma behind with my aunt which by that time I went to further my studies in 1977. In the summer of 1979 my grandmother passed away while I was in England. The last I saw her was when she sent me at the airport in September 1977. As a granddaughter I never knew how she felt about me
And now as a grandmother to four grandchildren and four step grandchildren I wonder what they will remember of me. All I know is that I love them all and am trying very hard to leave some legacy behind of which I cant really say what it is or if there is any
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