It was a bright Sunday afternoon and it was warm and sleepy as usual. Mr. Alfred Chin was kind enough to lead the eight of us (Serena Liew, Gary Moo, Oliver Yap, Sin Choi Cheng, Lewis Fong, Leonard Yap, Wilson Chang and Siew Sun Soh) to visit Mr. Chong Mui Lim (張梅林老师), our English teacher.
Arriving at the house where he rents a room we were indeed surprised to find two houses nestled away from the hustle and bustle of Luyang. There we were greeted by friendly faces of tenants who share the house. Upon entering his room we found Mr. Chong sitting on the edge of his bed. The usual pleasantries ensues. Despite the initial awkwardness our old English teacher eventually has his memory jogged as the conversation continued.
Mr. Chong tells us that he seldom goes out, except for his quarterly visits to the government clinic. He fills his time mostly with books. At this point Hemingway’s Old Man and the Sea came up. At this point some of us might have wondered if Mr. Chong is hinting us to read up…
On the second day of his retirement from government service at KK High School Mr. Chong join STTSS and subsequently served eleven years there before retiring in 1998. Those years left him with fond memories of the School and his ex-colleagues. Throughout the visit he couldn’t stop mentioning how Tshung Tsin has changed. While he may claim that his memory is failing him, he was well aware that the next day, 21st March, is the start of school term.
In typical Chinese fashion, the food brought there was too much, nevertheless time came too soon. What better way than to conclude our visit with a group photo. And so, until next time we bid farewell to our kind and gentlemanly English teacher, Mr. Chong Mui Lim.
For those interested to visit Mr. Chong, please contact the Alumni Association office.
Tel:088-232643 or email: [email protected]