The Singapore Story - Chapter 5

 Title: The Singapore Story - Memories of Lee Kuan Yew (Chapter 5)

Author: Lee Kuan Yew

Chapter Review: My Cambridge days

  Lee Kuan Yew was on a ship called The Britannic. He was on his way to the London university. At 3 October 1946, he arrived in London. While attending the university, he decided that he had to look for somewhere to live, and found himself a room at 8 fitzjohn's avenue. The only problem was that Lee Kuan Yew was suffering from culture shock, as the clothes, food, people and many other things were different.

  The price of the apartment for a week was quite costly for someone who had stopped earning. Although that included gas fire and retractable gas ring, it was expensive when Lee Kuan Yew ate at restaurants without coupons. After asking around, Lee Kuan Yew finally knew where to buy meat, and without a refrigerator, how to keep milk cold.

  One day, after his law tutorials at the London university, Lee Kuan Yew approached the lecturer, Glanville L. Williams, who was from Cambridge, how it was there. After knowing more about cambridge, Lee Kuan Yew decided to pay a visit there. After visiting, he was interested in joining cambridge.

  After asking the censor of fitzwilliam, Billy Thatcher, Billy Thatcher took a liking to Lee Kuan Yew and decided to let him join cambridge. After quitting the London university,  he enrolled in cambridge university and was more used to cambridge and could adapt better. He would not have to worry about food and daily neccssities. 

At about June 1947, Kwa Geok Choo finally got the queen's scholarship, but could not find a suitable university to join. After pleading Billy Thatcher, he finally agreed to let Choo join the cambridge university.

Shortly after Choo arrived, she was also in for culture shock. She was not accustomed to food, clothes and many other things. But after a few weeks of hectic adjustments, she finally got a little used to the environment.

  After a few more days, Lee Kuan Yew and Kwa Geok Choo decided to get married quietly and in secret. After they got married, Lee Kuan Yew bought Choo a platinum wedding ring, which she wore on a chain around her neck.

The next few years passed by like the blink of an eye and soon it was graduation. Lee Kuan Yew and his friends (his brother dennis, maurice baker, toh chin chye, choo and many more) all had a party together before going their separate ways.

  Soon, Kwa Geok Choo and Lee Kuan Yew sailed home to Singapore. Choo went to her house in Pasir Panjang and Lee Kuan Yew went back to his home in Oxley road while keeping his marriage a secret.

Questions:

1.     Why did Lee and Kwa get married in secret?

Answer: They did not want Kwa's parents to know that she got married or they would have been upset, and the university and the censor would not have approved if he knew they got married.

Vocabulary List

1. accomodation - a room, group of rooms, or building in which someone may live or stay.

2. Masqueraded - pretending to be someone

3. canvassing - 1. cover with canvas. 2. question (someone) in order to ascertain their opinion.3. propose (an idea or plan) for discussion.

4. shillings - 1. the basic monetary unit in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, equal to 100 cents.

2. a former British coin and monetary unit equal to one twentieth of a pound or twelve pence.

5. forestry - the science or practice of planting, managing, and caring for forests.

2.