Journey into the past

Last night, as I was taking a cab back home, I started to chat up with the cab driver. From the way he narrated his story to me - his younger days living in the kampong; it really seems that he really miss those days.

As he told me about his story, I listened intently and visualised the scene in my mind....

"... When I was small, I used to stay in the kampong, it was situated at Alexandra. The kampong had a marketplace at the entrance, and as you progress further into the jungle, there are huts here and there, all part of the same kampong...."

"...There were Chinese, Malay and Indian areas within the kampong, but some were mixed - Chinese also stay in Malay area, etc..."

"...During festive seasons, like Chinese New Year, the Chinese neighbours would buy satays and mee goreng for us. That's because during Chinese New Year, no other shops except those owned by Malays were open for seven days!"

"...When its our Hari Raya, the chinese neighbours became very full, because we prepare lots of traditional Malay food and give it around the kampong!"

"...Also, when I was young, the way we learn swimming is very different from today. My brothers and I used to go down to the seaside, where the current PSA is situated, and learn swimming. Look at my scar.... (he shows me his arm) I used to learn swimming there by jumping off the rocks into the sea, I was scarred by the coral and rocks there.... Swimming in the past is not about styles or pattern, its about survival..."

"...Last time, during the kampong days, we don't only know people from our own kampong, we even know everyone who is staying in the next kampong!... Nowadays, everyone stay so near, but everyone's door is closed... it feels so different.... When I'm at home, I always open my door, my neighbours all know me....."

..............

As I was listening to how he narrated his life story to me, I noticed that his eyes were filled with nostalgia, it lit up especially when he described the life of the kampong, and that the vanishing kampongs of Singapore are becoming too distant - much so that children of today won't even know that kampongs existed.

He did say, unless I went to Malaysia to the really rural areas, I won't be able to see kampongs anymore... It seems rather sad, because so much of the past is much different from today.

People of the past used to be so friendly to each other, courteous and open; there were so many things that can be learnt from the different activities that they did in nature, unlike the people of today, not so friendly, rude and very narrow and only know how to be in front of the computer, playing PSP, etc.

..............

I realised that it is a very important thing to listen, listen to what people of older generations have to say, about what they have experienced throughout their lives. These are the kind of information that will fade away in time, and these are also part of the heritage of Singapore.

Without knowing the past, the future will be hard to mold, because the present will be too ignorant.