MyStory :: Close Encounters of the Nice Kind :: Close @ Chai Chee

Anuja Satish Patel, 19
Undergraduate
National University of Singapore

Yang Shimin, 19
Undergraduate
Singapore Institute of Management

Although one is Chinese and the other a Gujarati, Yang Shimin and Anuja Patel are two 19-year-olds with a bond that is hard to break.

Separated only by one floor in a Housing and Development Board (HDB) block in Chai Chee Street, the two girls literally grew up together.

On top of looking after her own daughter, Shimin’s mom, Mdm Lim Kim Lian, was also more than happy to babysit Anuja when her parents were busy.

Shimin’s grandmother, who lived on the 13th floor with one of her uncles, was after all, a regular babysitter for Anuj, the older brother of Anuja.

Shimin said of her relationship with Anuja, “We are sisters, Godsisters and best friends.”

For that, they credited their parents, especially their fathers, for getting the ball rolling, paving the way for other members of their families to get close.

“Our dads are very close and I’m sure that inspired us,” she added.

Soon to be an undergraduate at the National University of Singapore (NUS), Anuja said, “My dad doesn’t like staying at home.”

“He loves going around the neighborhood making friends and that is partly why he got to know so many people.”

A Logistics Manager in his 50s, Satish Patel, became buddies with Shimin’s dad, businessman Yeo Heng Seng.

“My dad treats her dad like a brother,” Shimin said.

And one recent incident confirmed for them that there were really no barriers between the two grown men.

“Shimin’s dad had just bought a brand new Mercedes Benz and my dad was raving about it,” Anuja recalled.

“He just gave the car key to my dad and told him to take it for a spin if he wanted,” she said.

Ultimately, other family members were “dragged” into the big picture.

Talking to Anuj Patel, a NUS scholar, for the first time, one could easily make the mistake of thinking that he comes from a very big family.

One minute, he would talk about his grandma on the 13th floor, and the next moment, he would be chatting about his uncle who lives in Pasir Ris.

But if one actually sees the people he calls ‘grandma’ and ‘uncle’, he is sure to ask, “Anuj, you are 100% Indian. Why do you have Chinese relatives?”

Not just that, Anuj uses the possessive noun “my” freely when describing them.

“We are just very close,” he said, “like family.”

“Shimin and I grew up sleeping in the same cot,” Anuja said, “and we grew up eating the same food.”

Anuja’s mother, Rekha Gordmanbhai, said jokingly, “Yes, that is why they are both so alike, so slow in everything they do.”

She added, “We went on a holiday to Bali two years ago and they always took their time to be ready.”

In kindergarten, Satish would drive both girls to school, and the mention of it brought back a lot of fond memories for the two girls.

“We would always fight over who should sit by the window,” Shimin remembered.

“And our mothers would take turns picking us up,” Anuja said.

“I remember that we used to play badminton on the 13th floor every weekend,” Shimin recalled. “Then we moved on to rollerblading.”

Primary school for Shimin was Red Swastika, which was her father’s alma mater, while Anuja followed Anuj to Temasek Primary School.

Shimin then attended Geylang Methodist Secondary School while Anuja went to Tanjong Katong Secondary School.

They would finally be “reunited” again at Meridian Junior College.

Occasionally the two girls would discuss homework. Otherwise, it is just girls’ talk.

Later this year, Shimin will start her undergraduate study in Accountancy at the Singapore Institute of Management while Anuja chose to study Business Administration at the National University of Singapore.

“Our schools are close enough,” Shimin said, “so we plan to hang out often.”

In April 2009, the two buddies went to Australia alone, hopping from Sydney to Melbourne.

“We just went shopping,” said Anuja, “and Shimin was also checking out some universities.”

“To save money, we stayed with my uncle in Melbourne,” she added.

Anuja had also travelled to Malaysia a few times with Shimin’s family. In secondary three, she also followed them to Hainan, where the Yangs traced their roots.

Some of their friends have wondered how an Indian and a Chinese girl can be so close.

“Some of Shimin’s friends were quite amazed when they see me at her house walking around as if I lived there,” Anuja said.

“The fact is I know where all the things are in her house.” Anuja added.

“Likewise,” Shimin said, “I am very comfortable at Anuja’s home.”

Anuja said, “Friendship is beyond racial barriers.”

“At the end of the day, it is the person’s character that matters.”

Shimin said, “If friends ask, I always say that we grew up together and we shared the same cot.”

“After our driving lessons,” Anuja said, “we call each other and check what we did or learnt.”

“I think our driving instructors are quite tired of hearing us talk about each other,” she added.

One day, they even made the same mistake – mounting a kerb.

Anuja now speaks fluent Mandarin while Shimin has also picked up a few words of Gujarati.

“Language was never a barrier for us,” Anuja said. “My dad decided that I should learn Chinese but I’ve never regretted it.”

Although she was brought up by Shimin’s mother, Anuja had a lot of love and respect for Shimin’s late grandmother as well.

“Po Po was really good to me,” she recalled.

“Whenever I walked past her flat, she would always ask if I had eaten and always offered to cook for me if I had not.”

When she passed away a few months ago at the age of 83, Anuja was distraught and mourned her death like the rest of the Yang family.

“She was at the wake every night,” Shimin remembered.

Anuja’s dad volunteered his photographic and video skills and captured very important moments for the Yangs.

In many of the footages, the Patels appear equally stricken by the passing of someone dear to everyone.

Two years ago, Anuja also decided that Shimin’s mom was more than ‘auntie’.

“It was very awkward for me to call her ‘auntie’ because she knows so many things about me, like my allergies, what I love to eat, and what I dislike.”

“These are things my own father doesn’t even know.”

So on Mdm Lim’s birthday, Anjua broached the subject, asking the woman who helped to look after her all these years, “Can I call you Godma?”

“I told her that it would be her good fortune if I could call her that.”

Although Shimin moved to Tanah Merah and then to Pasir Ris more than five years ago, they continued to see each other regularly because Shimin’s grandma still lived (until her death) in the same block as Anuja.

“We also call each other and talk for a few hours a day,” Shimin said.

Anuja said, “We share many secrets, some 19 years’ worth of secrets that only we know.”

Anuja said, “I don’t think we will ever grow apart.”

“Just look at our parents, they are so close after all these years.”

“If I have a boyfriend, she’ll be the first to know.”

Anuja said, “We never doubt each other’s opinions.”

“We are very straightforward with each other and if we quarrel, it’s usually for five minutes or less.”

Shimin said, “If we make an effort, it should be okay.”