福州人

I always feel proud for being a Hok Chew.

When I tell my friends that I'm a Hok Chew, they were so surprised and ask me to say more Hok Chew language.

I still remember when I enter Uni with my cousin , Wei Chu, we both speak hok chew language. His housemate say " you two speak alien's language again!!!"

It's so convenient as no one knows what we are talking about. So, it makes me feel more happy for being a Hok Chew girl. Afterall, my roomate are from Sitiawan too...so everyday we speak Hok Chew and no one in our house understand what we are talking about.

During my uni life, I get to know many Sarawakian in Church . 99.9% of them are Hok Chew people. That makes me feel like i'm not alone. The feeling is the same like when you study in Africa, and you meet a small group of chinese, ya.. that feeling. ( a bit over exaggerate... -_-)

so, I always treasure my time with them together. However, I found that my accent and the sarawakian's hok chew accent are a bit different. But now, i can fully understand after few years together with them.

When I went to industrial training visiting my students, student's company boss will ask me

" Where are you from? "

"oh, I'm from Sitiawan."

" is it?? then u must be a hok chew "

"yahh.. i am Hok Chew" "

"Hok Chew people are very hardworking, I wish to employ Hok Chew people. I have many Hok chew friends too"

wahh sehhh..... this makes me feel more proud to be a Hok Chew.

I even heard my aunt say, if you go US , you can call a hotline specially for Hok Chew. So, if you need any help, you can get assistance from them.

Quite a number of the new generation in Sitiawan nowadays do not speak Hok Chew. For my generation, those who borned in 1980s, most of them study in Methodist school, so they can speak English very well, and they rarely speak mandarin, they only speak English in school and Hok chew at home.

I really wanna thank my grandma, because of her, i can speak hok chew well. Even when we are in school, we speak Hok Chew and not mandarin.

However, for those who born in the late 1980s and 1990s, they no longer speak Hok Chew. Most of my sisters' friends speak mandarin. Even my mom and dad speak mandarin to my younger sisters and my younger brothers. But still thanks to my grandma, they can speak and understand Hok Chew.

Hok Chew food are delicious, especially Kam Puang and Gong Piang and Red wine noodles... if I have a chance, I'll cook and post in my blog. hehehe..

My dad called me tonight. Telling me his friend's daugthers or son who married other dialects are grumbling. Why? I do not know this until my dad told me. His friend's daughter married a "other dialects" man, and everymonth, her husband need to give money for his parents. It's truly correct and rightful to give pocket money for parents, but, not for living expenses, yet the money is for the parents to play Majung...

sadly to hear that, most of my friends tell me the same problem. Their husbands need to give RM500 -RM1000 at least for both parents. Living in a city is not easy , but these parents not thinking for their children but to save their "face". when they go out play majung, they'll tell their friends that my children gave me money to play majung.

Hok Chew's parents are totally different. They'll help their children when the start working by helping them buy car 1st. so, when they can earn their own living, will teach the children to save money to buy house. They'll have a very good planning of retirement and wont burden the children when they are afford. When they get really old and uncapable, only they'll ask their children to take care of them. Bear in mind by that time, their children have settle down and able to bear the expenses for their parents. Sadly to say, many of other dialects parents tend to think " my child should take care of my living expenses once they start working, I should retired and enjoy life".

My dad bought a car for me when i graduate.. ( I think most of my hok chew's fren parents will do this too) Then, He ask me save money to buy house 1st and never buy luxurious car. Tonight he even ask me to marry a Hok Chew man and ask me to tell the samething to my sisters and brothers.

ps: this is only from my point of view, I dont' mean every "other dialects" parents are like that. But 90% of my friends who married other dialects people are having this problems. What about you?