My friend knows that I am looking for a job and offered me to look after his vegetable farm. If I accept the offer, it will be back to square one for me. My father was a farmer, but I did not want to follow his foot step 40 years ago and left my village. Now I will be a farmer after going one big circle! Sometimes I wonder would I be happier if I just accept my destiny and did not go through so much troubles trying to be some thing different. Maybe I would be relaxing at home, letting my children and grand children to tend to the farm and not worrying how to support them to finish their education.
In those days, every child was expected to grow up and become a farmer with exception of a very few who came from businessmen or high government officials' families. But I did not want to become a farmer. My little heart silently promised myself that I would change my fate. I knew the only way to achieve it was through receiving higher education. Therefore I put my full effort into my study.My friends skipped class for the slightest reasons, but I never skip class even once. I went to school with torn clothes and gaping shoes, I ignored the teasing from others.My mother worked as a domestic help in the town, she would buy new clothes and shoes for me when she came home. But she was not allowed to come home every week end. I did not mind the waiting, study was of the utmost importance to me.
We all had to help our families to process the harvested products brought home by our parents. Arranging them neatly and hooked them up so that they were easy to be handled during the drying process. Although I was very tired after doing these chores, I persisted in completing all my home works and revisions. It paid off, I obtained a grade 1 for my primary 6 examinations. Only 2 persons from my school got grade 1, the other boy was from a rich family.
I told my father that I wanted to continue my study. He was not surprised at my request. He said, "wait till your mother comes back and discuss with her". My mother agreed to let me continue studying but only for 1 or 2 more years. when I grew bigger I would have to work in the farm or she would find me a job in the town.
My mother enrolled me in an English medium secondary school in the town where she worked. She said it would be advantageous for me to know English when I look for jobs in the future. She was definitely right! Since I came from a Chinese medium school, I had to spend 1 year in the Remove Class to strengthen my English before joining the other kids who were from English medium school in Form 1. Although all my class mates were from Chinese school also, but they were town kids so they already knew some English. Whereas the only English I knew were, "My name is...", and "I am 12 years old". Fortunately all my class mates were very nice, they always helped me whenever I ran into difficulty with English language. Thank you guys, if you are reading my blog!!!
During school holidays while my class mates were having fun, I worked in FELDA scheme and rubber estates to earn money for my school fees and especially for buying text books. Besides, I would go round asking friends whether any of their siblings or cousins wanted to sell their used text books. I could get them for half price or sometimes at 1/3 the price for a brand new book. You may not believe me, I had never own a new text book all my secondary school life, except on occasions that a new version was introduced, which was very very rare during those days.
Since I did not ask money from my parents, they allowed me to continue after 2 years. My mother gave me pocket money of RM30 every month. At the beginning of a new school term I would carry a flour sackful of rice from home, and I need not buy rice for the whole school term. I managed to complete my secondary school education on a year-to-year basis, hinging on whether I find jobs to earn enough money for the next term. I like to think that I was lucky because I found works every school holidays. But in fact it was due to the fact that people around me were nice people, they were always on the look out for holidays jobs for me, therefore I was never short of jobs.
With my Malaysian Certificate of Education(MCE)/Senior Cambridge(SC), I got a job with the Broadcasting Department (RTM) as a technician. I took up a correspondence course (now it is called distant learning)to prepare for the City & Guilds Institute of London examinations. It was recognized by the Broadcasting Department and the Telecommunications Department at that time. I obtained my Full Technological Certificate after 6 years, normal duration was 5 years but I met a road accident in between. After working for the government for 7 years I joined a private firm because there was the opportunity to learn computer servicing which was very new then.
I was job-hopping frequently after that because it was the fastest way to gain rapid salary raise.It proved to be of my own undoing later, my pay was so much higher than my peers that I was asked to retire early.
For the next 10 years I worked in many kinds of job which were totally not connected to my formal training.Now I can't even get one of those jobs due to my age.Soon I may have to become a farmer as I was originally destined to be. Oh what a joke!
