Doris, Audrey and Jia En
Doris & Audrey:
I was separated from my parents when I was 3-month-old and was sent to an orphanage. I was adopted by a nun and my foster mother forced me to become a vegetarian and disciplined me in harsh ways.
I was being forced to grow up at the age of 8 as my foster mother needed me to take care of the premise. Whenever I did something not to her liking, she would punish me by not allowing me to eat. She even forced me to kneel on the durian shells and a bucket of water hung over my head. If I got up, the bucket of water would spill on me. The only person that took care of me was my nanny. She would come to my rescue when I'm being punished.
I loved to disturb my teachers and friends. Most of the time I was being punished, either being canned or shamed. I needed to wear a punishment badge and stand outside the classroom. I chose being canned than shamed. Before I went to the principal's office, I would apply medicated oil on my buttocks. I was named the most notorious girl in Primary 4.
In order to get what I wanted, I started lying. There was once, I told my foster mother that I have a meeting with my teachers and needed to go out at 2am, just to hang out with my friends. When I was 19 years old, my foster mum forced me to marry a rich old man to be his 7th wife but I refused. I hated the rich because they are proud and bad. Later, I married a man that I loved.
I started a family and have 5 children. I'm 87 years old this year and I want to live a happy and healthy life with no regrets. I'm glad that all these hardships that I went through left wonderful memories that I can share.
Jia En:
At age 13, I was a curious thrill-seeking student. Being shy and anxious on my first day of school, I summed up the courage to get to know two girls from my class during recess time. I offered them a packet of milo each and we became best friends ever since then. We would go to the toilet together during lesson time, think of ways to play truant, and hang out together after school.
During the holidays, we had planned to hang out with a few boys from the same school, wanting to get to know each other better. I didn't expect this would lead to an unforgettable experience. The girls got the approval from their parents to stay out, but my mom was very strict. Feeling the butterflies in my stomach, I called her. She immediately said "NO" and told me to come home at once. Feeling upset with the disapproval, I switched off my phone.
We played games and hung out at the void deck of different housing blocks. There were much laughter, singing, and teasing. We enjoyed every moment! It started to rain heavily and we were freezing. We hugged as a group but it did not keep us warm. So, we decided to hug in pairs (a boy and a girl). We looked at one another and giggled shyly. After a while, I felt awkward and decided to head home.
I was worried and frightened when I reached home. I saw my mum on the sofa, upset and disheartened. She did not even take a look at me. Feeling dejected, I went to my room to sleep. It felt like I'd slept for days until my mum placed her hand on my arm and asked if I wanted to eat. I was surprised by her reaction. She was so nice to me when I let her down making her so worried.
I overheard my mom say to my father "she is back home, I don't want to scold her. If I scold her what if she decides to not come home again? Let's forget about this and hopefully, our daughter will realise that we care for her safety and well-being". When I heard this, instantly guilt rose. Since then, I would ask for their permission before I go out. I learned to treasure my parents more and we are closely knit.
