Geylang

Geylang, with a fair entry in Wikipedia, is the only place in Singapore where licensed brothel can be found.

Years ago, when I was studying ACCA at ICPAS, which is located at Aljunied Road near Geylang, I had to take bus 23 along Geylang Road to Toa Payoh. Other than a little messy, too many people, and the occasional stare from some old men at the coffee shop (which was very uncomfortable), I didn't find the place that much different from any other places on the island, maybe because it was in daytime.

Jia Cheng, a relative's kid, who came to study CTA and ACCA at ICPAS, moved out from our home to a rented place along Geylang Road, naively not aware of the status of the place. We sent him off last night and parked our car in Lorong 20. As he couldn't find the place easily, we ended up walking from Lorong 20 to Geylang Road. I realised that we were right at the heart of the red light district during its business hour, from seemingly higher class brightly lit brothel boasting Men's Heaven, to many small hotels along the road, to many foreign workers standing along a dimly lit side road. We managed to find the dormitory on 3rd floor of a shophouse which was stuffed with 22 people in 6 rooms over a floor area not more than 100 square meters.

This is the other side of Singapore. Jia Cheng should move out of the place soon.

Ten years ago, when I first arrived in Singapore with a monthly salary of $1.1k as a nurse, over a lunch with some doctors and nurses, I was prompted a question by an old male doctor (OMD) with a lecherous gleam in his eye.

OMD:  What do you think of the Chinese girls in Geylang?
Me: What is Geylang?
OMD: Those girls in Karaoke lounge...
Me: urr... I think we should not look down upon them (the best I can come out from my limited English vocabulary then).
OMD: Oh, I don't look down upon them. I like them.... Btw, you are on work permit, that means you earn less than $2k. How do you live off your pathetic salary?

I felt very much offended and wanted to leave the table, but thought it was rude to do so. So I stayed till everyone finished lunch with daggers in my eyes and stayed away from the OMD ever after. Till today, I still feel offended and over and over again in my mind I try to come up with a better answer to that damn silly question. This is the one that I think I can throw back effortlessly if ever such question was popped again.

SUPPLY IS DRIVE BY DEMAND.

I wouldn't translate this entry and post it on QQ for my folks to read.

As a Chinese girl in Singapore, there bound to be unpleasant moments as such. There is nothing much you can do to change the perception, and that perception might not be totally unfounded.  Just be yourself, and you may change the perception of people around you.

As I progress, I do find more cultivated people (not equal to more educated, obviously, the doctor in question is highly educated) are less biased, at least, they don't generalise or they shun away from vocally expressing such comments/perception.


*while, just to add, I subsequently abondoned the bus route and took MRT after knowing the profile of Geylang, though bus stop is at doorstep.

* and, looking back the time that I lived on $1.1K salary, I lived happily and could save up to 80% of my salary. That's the only time in life that I cooked, shopped grocery, picked up discounted veggies at NTUC, rationed every cent of my spending, walks long distance to save bus fare...etc. But that's also the time that I enjoyed walking and appreciating sceneries, that I spent most of the spare time at Toa Payoh library enjoying free air con and books, that I managed completing ACCA within the shortest timeframe with the highest marks and earned scholarship/prizes enough to cover my school fees, and that's time that I met my wonderful husband who then cooked for me while I studied really hard. A man who cooks is a man to marry....