Madam Mahaya Binte Ab Gani, 70, who was born nearing the end of World War II, experienced much hardship even as a child as her family grappled to make ends meet for her and her nine siblings. The hardships she faced have made her more contented and optimistic about her life, despite continuous hardship faced by her even up till today. Today, as she reminisces about her past, she feels sentimental towards her experiences… Sharing the burden with her nine siblings in the Post World War II period, like many other females, she was denied her rights to education. Education then, was deemed by her parents as unnecessary as they were fearful of the plausibility that their daughters might secretly write love letters to the opposite gender which might spur them to elope in the future. Also, they did not have the financial means to send their children to school other than the first three children that only had primary education. Like many other children, she was overwhelmed with fatigue from running errands for her family. Due to poor infrastructure, her sisters and she had to make their way to a well to draw water for their family. Gradually learning the ropes from their parents, they realized how crucial it was to withdraw water at that precise timing. Eventually, they set out on their arduous journey with lighted candles at 1 in the morning when water in the well was almost full. After which, they were rewarded with $0.10 to share among themselves. Usually, all of them would agree to spend the money on an ice-cream especially in the sweltering heat. Remaining of her time was spent interacting with her siblings and other children in her neighbourhood. Toys were scarce in the past, and they had to entertain themselves with whatever they could find. One memorable game that they played was doing skits. They dolled themselves up by creating their very own costumes using leaves collected from trees. Sometimes, their hunger pangs overwhelmed them, leading to their mischief. They would steal fruits such as rambutan and jambu from their neighbours’ trees and feast among themselves. Consequently, they were reprimanded for their actions by their parents. Arranged marriage based on the other gender's parents' background was common then, and so similar to many others at that time, she married a man whom she previously did not know. However, this does not mean that there was no love between her husband and her. In fact, they fell in love eventually and had four children. She still feels happy whenever she remembers the time spent with her husband, and the small-scale wedding at the kampung remains as one of the best moment of her life. Madam Mahaya Binte Ab Gani, diagnosed with diabetes, has a strong spirit of optimism and enthusiasm, that has brighten many people’s lives with her smiles and character. Yet, even up till today, she is sometimes unable to keep smiling when it comes to her own family affairs. Firstly, as a mother of four, her greatest torment was when her youngest son was led astray. He was imprisonment many times for dealing with drugs and hence has difficulty finding a job. However, just like a blessing in disguise, her son changed for the better after the passing of her husband. Currently, he works part time and has a girlfriend that she adores greatly. Madam Mahaya is definitely a lady with a strong will to lead a happy life. Her greatest wishnow is just to lead her remaining days of her life with a healthy and happy family that would always stay together and help each other in times of need. Such rich experiences have taught Madam Mahaya to have a more sophisticated view towards the world. As she reflects her past experiences, she learns to be happy and contented with what she has now compared to her past. Despite her humble living now, she understands and empathizes with the less privileged and needy, and tries her best to help them. She learns to accept others for who they are and be more forgiving. Many uncertainties, changes, surprises and disappointments have taught Madam Mahaya to face life with an optimistic attitude and not to be too ambitious and stubborn. Currently, she stays hopeful for her future life as her wishes are simple and reachable. She simply hopes to lead a happy and healthy lifestyle herself and her children to have a prospective future ahead of them. Written by: Tessa Ng, Mok Yue Min and Qian Shuyi From: Nanyang Girls' High School