Bedroom Arrangements, and our other Mama

Sleeping arrangements at our Bedok kampong house in Nov 1954: The house had 4 bedrooms of varying sizes, 2 at the upper house and 2 at the lower section where the kitchen and toilets were. When our family first moved into the house in November of 1954, the main upper room was occupied by our paternal grandmother and grandfather along with our 4-year-old paternal cousin while the other bedroom at the upper house belonged to our paternal aunts. Our father occupied the smallest room (that was also a common store area) nearest the ‘jamban’ (bucket sanitation system) and the last room next to the kitchen was the bedroom of our other grandmother “Mama Blakang”, so named because she slept at the back of the house. Yes, in those days polygamy was an accepted practice – and our grandfather indeed had principal and secondary wives, with other wives living elsewhere. We know that both our Mamas living here got along very well actually and that will be another post to be shared soon!