My Grandmother's Story
When you’ve lived through from a conservative time to present day, much change takes place in the physical and mental. We sat down with 80-year-old Rosalind Ang and uncovered some of these jarring dissimilarities.
Story by: Jovianne Tan
Photos by: Rosalind Ang and Jovianne Tan
Spaces, both physical and mental, have changed so rapidly over the last few decades, and especially in Singapore. Rosalind Ang, currently 80 and retired, is no stranger to all these changes. Born in 1941, she saw the advancement of Singapore from fishing village to First World country happen right before her eyes.
Rosalind grew up in Kampong Geylang with three brothers and two sisters. She went to school at CHIJ Katong Convent but was pulled out by her parents after six years of primary school. Later, at the tender age of 17, she was arranged to marry her husband, Allan Tan. She then went on to give birth to her first son when she was 19 (who passed at four months old due to a hole in his heart), her second son at 21 and her third at 33.
Money was tight for the family of four, which resulted in Rosalind working odd jobs to make ends meet despite being a housewife. Her jobs ranged from sewing children’s clothes to domestic work for different households a few times a week. She only landed herself a stable job at 54 years old as a part-timer at Singapore Post.
Her life took a turn for the better in her golden years. After years of struggling with poverty, Allan and Rosalind inherited a large sum of money after the passing of a relative. This enabled the couple to do everything they couldn’t do before. She shared, “With the money, I was finally able to enjoy life. We could travel overseas and I bought myself whatever I wanted.” Despite losing her husband in 2009 to cancer, she still continues travelling annually with her family.
When asked about the physical changes that have taken place in Singapore, she brought up the huge gap in living space between kampongs and high-rise buildings. “Now, I have to travel far to eat out. Buying food was simpler back in the kampong. Hawkers would come to my doorstep and I would hear the knocking of pots and pans outside my door,” she said.
The most jarring difference to Rosalind though is the vast difference in mental space – how children are brought up. She shared that children now are more fortunate as parents are more loving and raise their children with a westernised mindset.
This dissimilarity in upbringing results in youths possessing a different set of characteristics as compared to before. Youths in the past were generally “timid” and “controlled by [their] parents”. On the contrary, youths now are braver and more willing to try new things, owing to the freedom received from their parents.
When asked how she has adapted to the drastic changes, she responded that she has accepted it for what it is. With old age, she finds it especially difficult to keep up with technology. Thus, she involves herself in her neighbourhood elderly activity centre that occasionally provides lessons on technology use.
Reminiscing her younger self who lived a tough life, Rosalind has told her younger self that she would have a better life with more freedom in the future. “You won’t have your parents or your husband to control you anymore and you will have the money to do the things you want to do,” she said.
To the youths of this generation, Rosalind had some words of advice to share. Having experienced her fair share of hardships, she advised youths to hold their ground and persevere through the hard times. She also suggested that youths be kind and respectful to those around them, especially their parents.
“My mother didn’t know how to show it but I know that she loved me. Respect and love your parents while they’re still around or you will regret it when they’re gone,” she shared.
