My grandfather (also known as Ah Kong) was born in the Fuxian Province of China; his family migrated over to Malaya (now known as Malaysia) and resided in the state of Penang. Grandma (we call her Ah Ma) on the other hand was born and bred in Penang. She was a Nonya.
What is a Nonya you ask? Well, let’s take a step back. Peranakan Chinese and Baba and Nonya are terms used for the descendants of late 15th and 16th century Chinese immigrants to South East Asia during the Colonial era. Members of this community address themselves as “Nonya Baba”. Nonya is the term for ladies and Baba for the gentleman. They were the elites of Singapore and Malaya, more loyal to the British than to China Most have lived for generations along the straits of Malacca and are intermarried with the local native Malays. Most of the “Nonya Babas” are English educated; they are usually traders and act as the middleman of the British and the Chinese or Malays. Most of them are able to speak two of more languages e.g. English, Malay and Chinese.
So, enough of this technical gibberish about what Peranakan Chinese are, let’s go back to the story of my grandparents. Ah Ma was raised a Nonya and hence she was expected to master the skill of preparing Nonya dishes and making beaded slippers. Beaded slippers are called “Kasut Manek”. They are hand-made with much skill and patience, stringing beads and sewn onto canvas.
Now, the love story, Ah Kong was a trader and he was delivering glass beads to Ah Ma’s house. There, he caught a glimpse of my beautiful Ah Ma. He fell instantly in love and returned to ask for her hand in marriage. 8 children and 11 grandchildren later, I was added to the Lim clan.
Today, I have immigrated to New Zealand with my husband and his family. We have 3 beautiful kids (1 boy and 2 girls), our own little Baba and little Nonyas.
From here.......our own story begins in a new world.... the land of the long white cloud....
From here...
To here....
And finally here...
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