| His father died when he was three. Times were hard then, but his father’s death made it harder. Hardship unbeknown to others fell on him, his mother and his siblings. Before he went to school, he and his siblings were already helping his mother in whatever they could. Folding paper bags for other people well into the night, for they were paid for each bag folded. He learnt to cook at a young age, helping as well as doing stuff around the kitchen. They bought rice with hard husks and often with weevils in them. Not that they had any choice to be picky with; they were poor. Their neighbors were kind to them, and often gave them food on the pretext of having cooked a little too much. Their relatives living in kampongs were easy to give as well, often insisting they take home with them large piles of vegetables, several trays of eggs and a few live chickens, which they reared in their toilet for more eggs, and in time, meat. When they started school, things got tougher. School fees had to be paid, uniforms and books bought. He was the youngest of the lot, so when he entered school, he had all the second-hand books and uniforms. But, he took what he had, and studied hard. He and his sister was the hardest working of their siblings in terms of studying. They would wake each other up at night when everyone else was sleeping, and open their books to study, for doing housework or folding paper bags took up their daytime. They did not go to well-known primary schools, but hard work and pure determination propelled them to greater heights and they soon studied in better secondary schools. He excelled in some topics but for those he was not strong in, he asked the teachers repeatedly, until he understood. He knew he was not particularly bright, and recognized the need to study hard in order to lead a better future. Soon, he sat for the ‘O?levels, and came out having better marks than expected. At the age to work already, he started working, providing money for his family, even up to today. His determination in the face of difficulties has won my immense respect. |
