Tribute to PoPo (gran)

PoPo - that is my name for her. PoPo is my maternal grandmother. PoPo died at a ripe old age of 99 in her sleep at mom's on May 18th 2008.
PoPo became ill almost two years ago and starting living with mom full-time. She was in and out of hospital and became too weak to walk and mom took on the whole responsibility of caring for her.

I remembered as a child, I would visit PoPo once a week at her house in the city. I would call out to her "PoPo, PoPo I'm here!". She would come out of the kitchen and asked if I had eaten. And she would proceed back to the kitchen and get a meal ready for my family. Slowly the rest of the uncles came with their families and we will have a family get-together the entire weekend.

PoPo was a construction worker. She came to Singapore alone, leaving her family behind and worked as a SamSui women. Grandpa died at a very young age and it was left to PoPo to take care of her six children and mom is the only daughter. As long as I remember, PoPo is always doing something and will nap in the afternoon on her hard pillow (which I often teased her). She ran her household efficiently and quietly. PoPo to me, is a woman of few words and as a young child, she has never reprimanded me nor told me I have to behave myself. I often spent my summer holidays at her home. And enjoyed a very free childhood. She would cook and wash after Dennis and I. Even when I was really bad, she was never the person to reprimand me.

One of my favorite pass-time was to listen to the radio together with PoPo. I love horror story and I would huddle next to her and scared myself silly listening to horror stories. She just laughed at me and shakes her head. We would sometimes visit some of her Samsui friends. And to me, that was a different world, a world I never understood very well. I am often facinated by the long dark dirty corridor and small apartments I saw. I would asked PoPo why were they so poor but she never answer me.

When I became a teenager, my visits to PoPo became lesser as I slowly began to live my own life, gaining my worldly experiences. But PoPo came to me instead. Later, PoPo moved into an apartment and thats when I felt she became less happy. She moved away from everything she knew, her friends, her independence and her life she knew for almost half a century.

I moved to Hong Kong. It was later at one of mom's visit I found out more of PoPo. PoPo ran away from home in China. I was told she accidentally killed her child while running a bath for the baby and got afraid and left. She later met grandpa in Singapore who was her foreman at work and he often helped her read her letters. After one such letters informing her of the death of her husband, grandpa married her.

To me, PoPo was a very strong and independent woman. She ran away from a life that wasn't what she wanted and created a life despite all hardship and against all odds. I will miss her dearly and will forever hold her in my heart.

I am so thankful and glad I have had the chance to spend some time with her in March.