Blast from the Past, looong loooong ago.

http://sarawakianaii.blogspot.com/
I started this year encountering old friends I had not seen for twenty years, and then friends of my siblings. This is a rare occurance as I had left my home town Sibu 35 years ago, and only made fleeting visits occasionally. But deep under, I am still a Sibu girl.

The most exciting event was finding Sarawakiani who was a senior when I started my first year in secondary. I was googling a mutual friend who is an important person in Sarawak politics when I saw her site. She would not confirm who she is and it was quite frustrating. Our fathers were friends, and I enjoyed chatting with someone I actually knew in person.

This photo is for you CY. This was taken in 1997. My Dad, John Chan Hiu Fei who taught in the school I went to, Methodist Secondary School, Sibu. He taught this batch of students before he went to study in London. The group had been having annual reunions and inviting their teachers to attend.

The distinguished looking woman standing at the extreme right is my hero. Wong Siong Ding was the first woman inspector in Sarawak. CY can confirm if she was a Police Commissioner. It was very rare for a woman to be promoted to such a high rank. Dad was always talking about her, and just before I left Borneo, I saw her once and introduced myself to her. I told her I was so excited to see her at last in person.

My Dad is the third gentleman seated from the right. To his left, the three ladies were my teachers. I didn't quite respect them then, especially the last two who were Chinese speaking only. But when I grew up, I held them in awe, they had university degrees when most girls of their generation were renegaded to the kitchen and didn't have a chance to know their ABCs.