I am an Ah Lian. I have tattoos, I dropped out of school, and yes, I work at a pub. But let me tell you something, the world isn’t as black and white as you think. Not all Ah Lians end up as single mothers, and not all of us are rowdy. We are more than just a stereotype.
I remember the first time I was called an Ah Lian. I was 15, rebellious, and full of fire. I had just gotten my first tattoo, a small butterfly on my ankle. It was a symbol of freedom, a declaration that I was not afraid to be different. But to others, it was a label, a way to categorize and dismiss me.
I left school at 16. Not because I didn’t value education, but because the traditional system didn’t work for me. I was restless, I couldn’t sit still in a classroom, listening to lectures that didn’t interest me. I wanted to learn about life, about people, about the world. And so, I chose a different path.
I started working at a pub when I was 18. It was a job, a way to pay the bills. But it was also a place where I could be myself, where I could meet people from all walks of life. I learned more about human nature in that pub than I ever did in a classroom.
Yes, I became a mother at a young age. But I am not a single mother. I have a partner, a man who loves me and our child. We are not married, but we are committed to each other and to our family. We are not perfect, but we are happy.
Being an Ah Lian is not a life sentence. It is not a guarantee of failure. It is a part of who I am, but it does not define me. I am more than my tattoos, more than my job, more than the label society has given me.
I am a woman, a mother, a partner. I am strong, I am resilient, I am capable. I am not a stereotype, I am not a statistic. I am an individual, with my own dreams, my own struggles, my own successes.
So the next time you see an Ah Lian, don’t just see the tattoos, the rowdy behavior, the pub job. See the person underneath, the woman who is trying to make her way in the world, just like you.
Remember, we are all more than the labels society gives us. We are all individuals, with our own stories to tell. And this is mine. This is the story of an Ah Lian, a story of resilience, of determination, of breaking stereotypes. And I hope it makes you think twice before you judge someone based on their appearance or their job.
Because at the end of the day, we are all just trying to find our place in the world. And for me, that place is here, as an Ah Lian, as a mother, as a woman. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.