That Little Old Lady

Mama and Fatman arrive in NZ

Unbeknownst to her, I call my mom "China" when I speak of her.

No, its not because of that lady wrestler from long ago -- its actually an odd reference to a porcelein doll. Why? I can't even remember now, but I drum up this memory as my mom and "Fatman"(cue the 70s Batman theme) head to NZ for a six week visit and their first Western adventure.

Neither mama nor fatman have ever been to a Western country so I imagine them headed for a bit of a culture shock. But nothing prepared us for the little old lady antics that my mom brought upon us. As a sample, here are some priceless randoms mama's been spouting the last few weeks:

1. (while having our first lunch) "So, when we go to the city and sight see, will I see monkeys?" - credit to mama on this one. It wasnt as if she just pulled this thought out of a hat. Apparently on her last visit to Kuala Lumpur there were indeed random monkeys to be seen in the city. We didn't learn this till much later though. PIC and had to almost die from laughing before we were properly educated on the subject of city monkeys.
2. (after spying her nth Caucasian on her first day) "They look like Americans. Are there lots of Americans here?" - Hmm, this was the first indication that mama might need some notes on political correctness. Luckily, she's a cute little Asian lady and says everything with a smile. I am hoping she doesn't leave NZ with too many bruised egos.
3. (after almost 30 minutes of testing with various lenses, the Optometrist triumphantly asks - now, is it better with the glasses or without?) "I think.... its better without...." (poor Optometrist...)
4. (as we pointed to paddocked sheep in a park) "Those aren't sheep. They're too fat and too round to be sheep." - Oy... those glasses can't come soon enough.
5. (while observing a sting ray swimming in a tank at the local aquarium) "Is that real?"
6. (while watching Maori perform the Haka on TV) "They're like Indians (Native Americans) aren't they?" Umm... more notes on political correctness needed...
7. (after saying "hello, hello" to all the birds in the zoo, she looks to one in particular and goes...) "Tsk, with all the people greeting you hello everyday, you'd think you'd know how to say hello back by now..." poor mama's gotten grumpy from the lack of response I think ;)

Sometimes I get the feeling they get a bigger kick out of seeing all the animals vs the sights

Among other things, she loves asking everyone where they are from. Thankfully, no one seems to take offence as she's such a tiny little thing and always asks oh so innocently in her slow English. I recall this lady at the eye wear shop whom mama asked if she were Indian. Mama was lucky with that one. The lady very patiently explained that her family's originally from Iraq, she's not Indian, but understands why my mom might think so. But being born in NZ, she already thinks of herself as Kiwi. It took us a few runs, but I think we're eventually getting to her that what a person looks like shouldn't matter. Unless they say differently, everyone she meets on the street is Kiwi. Regardless of how obviously Asian their heritage may be.

One things for sure, mama's not shy

She also has a talent for stating the obvious.Which can be ridiculously funny at times and annoying at others. Particularly when she blurts "you're tired aren't you?" when you've just plopped yourself on a chair looking like the world has trod on your face after driving for a total of almost seven hours that day. Yes, mama has her moments.

As much as I love taking pictures, I found that mama likes being in them and making sure that the full "view" is captured. Apparently my cousins assure me that this runs in the family and that my mom's sisters are similarly enraptured by this need for capturing the landscape in print.

As expected, the trip so far has shown mama so many things. Being raised Asian, we tend to be very set in our ways and have sweeping generalizations of what we perceive things to be. More so mama because she's from an earlier generation, rather traditional, and has never really been exposed to much of the Western culture. This trip isn't really going to change her, but I am happy to see her still getting her "oohs" and "aahs" and learning new things in her 60s. 

If my Irish friends thought I was funny for being excited over cows, sheep and snow when I first reached Irish shores, they should meet mama...

Mama in Winter Gear

So how is PIC taking all this? He's loving it. Apart from the constant fodder for humor provided by mama's priceless one liners, she pretty much lets him do whatever he wants. I tell him to stay away from junk food and mama goes, "let him be, what harm could it do?" and he grins at me and runs away with a slab of pork rind or orange food coloring masquerading as soda.

We're both happy mama and fatman are here, not just because we're spoiled rotten with the home cooking, and chores magically being done by the time we get home but it reminds me of how the chaos of family has its charms.

I smile when I see mama puttering about in the garden, when she spends the afternoon in her room sunning herself as she plays "bejeweled" on the iPad. How she's now caught up on movies thanks to cable and how excited she was on her first solo bus ride to the shops with fatman. How she still found a way to operate the washing machine as hard as I tried to conceal the instructions. We've done the touristy stuff, but I think the joy of this trip comes from the fact that I get to give mama a vacation. A vacation where I am reminded of her quirkiness, the things she does that drive me nuts, and the caring that I will always find endearing.

Mama's famous "Hello, hello..."

Mama on her first stay at home evening in Auckland in 15 degree weather