Never Too Old to Travel

Saturday, 26 November 2005

“Mum, come and visit me. It has been a long time since you’ve been here.” said Monica.

“I am too old to travel alone. How can chicken talk to duck?”, answered Mother. Who was the chicken? Who was the duck? That was how Mother categorised 2 persons who didn’t speak the same language. How could she, who only speak, Teochew (a Chinese dialect) converse with another person who speak English?

Mother is 79 years old and has never traveled alone. Having only a few months’ of lessons in the Mandarin language, it was understandable that she could not understand instructions on the sign boards. She was scared of the prospect of getting lost.

I understood her anxiety. It is like a little child being lost outside the home, except that this child will not cry, will not run around in circles crying for “Mum, Mum”.

“Don’t worry, Mum, I will arrange the Airlines to look after you all the way. You don’t need to read the signs. The staff would push you in the wheelchair and assist you with passport clearance, etc. etc. When you arrive, you have me, Mum. Don’t you want to meet your grandchildren? It would be nice for you to come for a holiday, for a change and be with me and the family here in Melbourne”, said Monica.

Even though the traveling aspect is taken care of, it took a lot of convincing and encouragement from Monica and the rest of the family, here in Malaysia, before she finally agreed. It took her a lot of consideration, a lot of courage and most of all, a mother’s unquenchable and unconditional love for her daughter, to say “yes, I will come and visit you and the family”.

And so she went. Departing at 1550 hrs from the Miri airport (26 November) and arriving at Melbourne airport at 0810 hrs (27 November), transiting in Kuala Lumpur International Airport for 3½ hrs.

Mother with Monica and family

Grandma and greatgranddaughter, Jenna.

Saturday, 31 December 2005

“Time to go home to my other children in Malaysia.” She wanted to get back before the school reopened on the 3 January so that she could help to look after her youngest grandchild, Clinton (yes, the same spelling as ex US President Clinton) This time, she was less afraid of traveling back after having experienced the good services provided by the Airlines when she flew to Melbourne in November.

She departed from Melbourne airport at 0045 hrs (31 December) and arrived at Miri airport at 13:40 hrs (31 December), transited in KLIA for 4½ hrs.

I asked “Mum, would you like to go to China and see your relatives?” “I could accompany you.” Mum answered “I don’t think so. I am too old”

There she goes again “too old”. After half a year or so of rest, we will see! Actually, Mum likes to travel!

First Email from China's Relatives

1 February 2006
I was so happy today! My first cousin's daughter, in China, wrote me an email, in English!

My fear of losing connection with my relatives in China is now a past. When Dad passed away, nobody, in my family in Malaysia, had written to the relatives in China. Mum does not know how to write. I do not know how to write Mandarin either. My brothers know how to write but they are ???? to write. I have only met my relatives once in 1999, phoned my uncle and first cousin once a year to wish them a happy Chinese New Year.

Communication was not fully understood because I could not speak the Teochew dialect the way they spoke. My China relatives spoke 'pure' Teochew. Mine have developed into our own family's kind of Teochew. I would say it has been malaysianised, with a little of Malay and other languages and dialects. I could remember when we talked to each other, when I was visiting them, in 1999, quite often we would look at each other with blank expressions when we don't understand the words exchanged. I just love to hear the 'pure' version of the Teochew dialect. It is so gentle.

I was worried that if my Mum, my uncles and aunties died, the family connection would slowly fade too, due to distant and so little communications and visits. Even though I only spent a week with the relatives in China, I could not deny my desire to be connected to them forever. I fear losing them.

Thanks to the internet world of electronic mail, I am now connected to my roots in China.