The Scout - the Multi-dimensional Housewife

It has been a month since we began scouting for “Stars” -- ordinary people with stories to share just like you and me. These starlight moments -- discovering the “Stars” and their stories -- have taught us much and we aspire to unearth the possibilities for them to flourish. The first place we are starting from is our backyard -- Jurong. In the next few weeks, watch as we share some of these special starlight moments we had. 

One of our starlight moments involved our first “Star” -- the (supposed) Housewife, who we later learnt about her many other identities. 

We headed to Yuhua Community Centre to look for our multidimensional “Star” -- Mdm Saharidah. She had told us to look for her at “#01-10”, which we realised was one of Yuhua’s mask distribution centres, as she was assisting with the mask distribution in response to the Coronavirus situation.

A regular face within the community, she recounted that she was initially just covering her husband’s volunteering duties whenever he could not make it. When others invited her to be a regular volunteer, she was extremely surprised as she did not expect herself to be able to contribute to the community as well. Fast forward many years, she now takes on leadership responsibilities as the chairwoman of Yuhua’s Malay Activity Executive Committee (MAEC).

As I have a rather difficult Mandarin name to pronounce, I assured her she could call me ah girl while she suggested me to call her nenek (Grandmother). A grandmother to 10 grandchildren, she particularly loves cooking for them. She started listing what each of them liked and we were completely bought over by the extensive menu she had. Yet, she humbly insisted she isn’t a good chef, and that she simply enjoys cooking and would still refer to recipes from Google. 

“I am also a student!” she exclaimed as we went through the list of “Stars” we were scouting for. It turns out she had attended several SkillsFuture courses and shyly told us that her public speaking skills have improved immensely through the courses.

Indeed, Mdm Saharidah is a passionate nenek. She is not just in living her life to the fullest, but is also unafraid to point out injustices and push for causes she believes in. She candidly shared how even though she was not confident in speaking, she confronted her previous superiors when they were unreasonable to her fellow colleagues. “I very gangster one!” she proudly announced – she was one of the rare females at her workplace then and had to appear stronger to protect herself.

Today, she continues to push for causes important to her, such as racial harmony. She leads MAEC in organizing cultural exchange initiatives such as inviting non-Muslims to fast for a day to facilitate understanding for Muslims. She also takes the initiative to learn from others who come from a different cultural background and is hoping to learn how to make you tiao (Chinese Fried Dough).

While her concern was unwarranted, Mdm Saharidah was initially concerned if she was too old to be a “Star”. It’s funny to us because through our conversation, she had so much positive energy and is full of surprises. 

“I like to Netflix!” she excitedly shared. “I like to watch cartoons. Like Simpsons.” She reflected that Simpsons has taught her about sincerity – in one particular episode, Homer Simpson had helped others without going around telling others and expecting anything in return. As such, she adopts the same mentality when she helps others in the community. (She has many stories as a helper, so ask her about it!)

Look forward to The Picnic where we will hear more nuggets of wisdom from Mdm Saharidah and be prepared to be inspired by her energy (and maybe... taste some of her well-loved cooking? Hehehe)!