I ask you, how many of you REALLY know your own mother? I mean we sometimes take it for granted that they are here all the time, and be there for your by thick & thin, low or happy.
Me & my mum have a very close relationship, we can chat to each other like friends, but we were at a terrible stage where we argued alot, almost everyday... me teenage.... who not argue and start to think mum is being abit overbearing and in return mum think i'm not listening to her.
It take 3yrs being away from home going to uni, to appreciate how lucky i was to have my mum doing everything.
Then it take life experience to make you realise.... wot a unique relationship we both have, and if you dont take the opportunity to make a good memorable time... then one day i potentially could regret it.
So with experience and with reflecting on how to communicate with ppl, i start to think how can i communicate with my mum.... i mean i now can stand in her shoes and say.... of course my mum shouts at me, because she not that well educated, and she dont really know what i do...dont really have that detail of art, fashion.... its not her fortay.... tv drama, food shopping is my mum's interest.... so first of all i have to realise that if i want to share my thoughts on a particular subject, i first have to explain to my mum wot it is, before she can join in the conversation. Or talk about what she is most familiar...... its like talking chicken to duck if my mum dont know about computers right. Also, learn not to overreact.... if my mum said something not too nice... instead hit back with slanging words, i calm down, and tell my her 'mum, i dont think that was very nice....'.
So on that basis.... me & my mum have a very honest relationship, if she dont like something she tells me, and if it hink my mum is doing something i dont agree, i can also tell her.
Anyway, this week we kept it local, only in Sale town centre, we went in Cafe Nero for a Hot chocolate in soya milk with some shortbread biscuits. Its a good cosy cafe, can have a good chat, but no one interfering, staff are really nice.
Hot chocolate rating:
6/10
the appearance looked really good, got enough froth on the top, tasted really chocolatey..and fairly smooth.. but fell behind that it was a bit on the lukewarm. If it was a bit hotter... then it would have been perfect.
Whilst sipping away, since my mum started telling me stories of her past.... so i asked her to tell me more of when she first came over to England.
Well she said the day she left the village to get board her first ever plane..... she said it was a very emotional time... because her grandfather whom she was very closed with.... took her to the now car park... and as he waved her goodbye... he was crying. Mum said that her tears was uncontrollable.... but coz going to the airport she didnt look worst for wear... she kept trying mop her eyes.
At the airport... mum had a good sendoff, with lots of her friends.... mum said her heart was full of excitement to go on the plane, as well as land on the island called England.
Mum said in her head she got stories of village friends who return home, would tell them stories how england is really good, that u can earn a lot of money, the pound is worth 20 times more than HK dollars, that standard of living was really good, even the food is great, pigs was bigger.... so being at the age of 19.... hearing the potential of earning alot of money, and going to a place that seems better than HK was very appealing.
Anyway, land to London Gatwick.... first thoughts was UK is very very cold, and very grey. Mum got to a bad start, her suitcase was searched.... it was smelly and thats because she had smelly saltyfish and pork jerky in it hahah.... but back in the 70s, it was ok to bring food over. I asked my mum how did she felt.... she said she tried to remain calm, but was a tad nervous, as dont know any english was hard to understand whats going on.
Anyway, my aunt who came over to UK lot earlier picked my mum from the airport, then get the train to Gloucester. My mum first impression of England was a shock...... she thought the houses and buildings looked abit drab... somewhat abit on a deprived side and streets look soo deserted... compare to HK everywhere you go you see people. Anyway, aunt to my mum to her workplace dormitory. Got introduce to the boss etc, my aunt was a waitress in this restaurant, and her attitude is need to hardwork, and make urself availiable and not mind doing abit extra. So she asked my mum to help out, as the porter was her day off. Mum said just as she about to move to the sink, her husband rushed so quickly to washed the dishes.... my mum said she understand why he did that, because he was scared she would take his wife's job. But mum said she didnt really wanna do it in the first place!
Because the restaurant owner mum was from the same village as my mum & aunt, she was very generous and gave my mum a wad of notes for just in case, which this day she dont know how much, my aunt also gave some money to my mum too... so the next day whilst my aunt had to work, she got one girl who was her day off to take my mum to have a walk ard. Mum said she dropped money, and not realising it and even today was felt really lucky when she looked down on the floor it was still on the floor next to her foot, which she still had to think 'ooh is it mine or wot?'
After a week, my aunt took my mum to Exeter to her first job in a takeaway working in the kitchen. I asked my mum if the boss was old, and she said the boss was fairly young in his late 20s, and he & his wife had 2 children. Mum said it was very heartfelt, that the boss n the wife would work whilst having their kids strapped on their backs. The boss was nice and courteous, and treated my mum well....they let my mum eat anything she wanted, but when it comes to other things he was a scrooge. Mum said that her room was very cold, she had like 2 duvet to sleep! So she went and got a floor heater.... worked first time, but the next time it didnt work.... so my mum took to her uncle (who also worked and lived in Exeter) to fix it, put a new fuse in. But by next day.. the heater didnt work.... and only realising later, that it was the boss took out the fuse, so they can save on the electric bill.
A funny story made us both giggle was with the english language.... she said when she go to shops and you see butcher counter.... they display pork, beef, chicken, lamb.... when my mum was really confused..... she thought how come all the english all different from when she learn at school..... pig is pig why is it pork, beef is it now cow? chicken is not hen? and why is lamb not sheep.....but why is duck still duck. Mum said back of her head she thought her teacher must be a fake, just taught her & classmate anything. Obviously she didnt ask anyone, as dont want to embarrass herself for being abit backwards.. so she got her notebook out and wrote it down.
Anyway, by then it was like 5pm, so it was time to go home.
stories to be continued.
