I lived with Christine's family from March 2011 through August 2012, and now I am living with them again during March (and part of April) 2017. What's changed? Weihao is getting married and has already moved to his own flat with his wife-to-be, Eileen (pronounced Ee-lean). Poor Leslie is gone, and in his place we have the irritable Chewy. And of course Christine and I have an extra family member.
Mr. and Mrs. Chen hadn't met Bobby until now, but they both have quickly taken to their roles as grandparents. Both want to spend all day with him, carry him around, talk to him, play with him, and try to make him laugh and smile. Maternal grandmother in Chinese is waipo (pronounced like why-pwoh); maternal grandfather is waigong (why-gohng). Remember that Bobby's Chinese name is Zekai (zuh-ky, with the "y" pronounced like "eye"), and for a nickname we call him Kaikai. Waipo especially seems to have the secret Chinese words to always make Zekai smile.
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| Grandma (Waipo in Chinese) with Bobby (Zekai) |
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| Grandpa (Waigong) takes his first photo with his grandson |
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| Waigong out on the front patio in the morning with grandson |
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| Feeding Kaikai some rice porridge with steamed vegetables |
We have taken Bobby to the local coffee shop almost every day for breakfast and sometimes for lunch.
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| Bobby's first Singaporean coffee shop experience. |
Let me digress to explain what -- in Singapore parlance -- is a coffee shop. Singaporeans frequently dine out -- Mr. and Mrs. Chen eat breakfast and lunch out of the house every day. Scattered densely on the island are "coffee shops," where you can find several hawker stalls, each specializing in a local dish. Hawker centers are much larger "coffee shops," where instead of several hawker stalls you have at least 30 hawker stalls, again each specializing in a local dish but maybe more exotic fare too, like spaghetti. A hawker meal is eaten al fresco, at a plastic table while sitting on a plastic chair, and is usually cheap -- less than $3 unless you get something fancy (like spaghetti). The Chens have a favorite coffee shop where they go every day. It is a short walk away from their house.
The Chens know several of the hawkers, and we frequently run into neighbors when dining. Friends and strangers alike are fascinated by Bobby. Most people seem to think he is an ang moh (slang for white person) baby, and several have asked why Chinese grandparents have an ang moh grandson. Bobby is good at being charming because he is not afraid of strangers and likes to smile at people.
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| Ran into some neighbors at the coffee shop |
Every Saturday we go to have breakfast at Serangoon Food Centre, which is the closest hawker center. Mr. Chen always talks to the family who runs a prawn noodle stall. They were quite excited to meet Bobby -- indeed, had been anticipating the day for months. They gave Bobby a red packet, red packet being a euphemism for a gift of cash packaged in a red envelope. Red packets are commonly given at weddings and at Chinese New Year; I didn't know they were given to babies too.
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| Charming little guy happy to have received his first red packet -- save that money, Bobby! |
Bobby seems happy here, and his grandparents seem happy to have him.
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