1st interview: An elderly man in charge of an accessories shop. He's been working here for many years.
(Note, this
interview was conducted in Chinese, and translated by my friend)
Us: Good
morning uncle, may we ask you a few questions about the heritage of bugis
street?
Him: Okay,
go ahead
Us: Do you
know the heritage of this place?
Him: Ohhh!
Yes, this place, years ago, used to be a very “party” area. Very popular with
tourists and youngsters. Very sexy women.
Us: If
given a choice, would you like to relocate to another place?
Him: No, I
wouldn’t
Us: Why? Is
it because you feel like, since you’ve been here quite long, that you feel a
sense of “belonging” and you like the culture of this place?
Him: Not
really. This place just has a lot of business. Many people from the temple
nearby come here afterwards to shop. Good for my shop (laughs)
Us: Ok.
Thank you for your time!
2nd Interview: A young woman who was a part-time assistant in a clothing shop. Only worked here for a few months.
Us: Hi, may
we ask you a few questions about this place?
Her: Sure
Us: Have
you been working here long?
Her: Not
really, just a few months
Us: Do you
know about the heritage of this place?
Her: Uhh…
nope.
Us: Do you
feel like you belong here, though you’ve not worked here that long?
Her: Not
really. I feel a bit weird here
Us: If
given a chance, would you like to work somewhere else?
Her: Yeah.
Maybe a place that was not always so crowded and that has aircon (laughs)
Us: Ok,
thank you!
3rd Interview: A middle-aged woman working as a security guard at bugis street. Has worked here for many years.
Us: Good
morning, may we ask you a few questions about Bugis street?
Her: Didn’t
you already interview me?
Us: Uhhh
no… we just saw you..
Her: Oh,
sorry, must have been another pair of girls who interview me
Us: LOL
Us: Anyway,
so can we?
Her: Sure
Us: Do you
know about the past of this place?
Her: Yes, this
used to be a big area for prostitutes to come. Lots of nightclubs and
transgenders could be found here in the past…
Us: What’s
it like working as a security guard for this place? Do you like your work?
Her: It’s
exciting to be a security guard here. Sometimes you have to run after
shoplifters that could get violent when you catch them.
Us: Are
there a lot of incidences like that?
Her: Not a
lot, but got.
Us: So if
given the chance, would you like to be posted somewhere else?
Her: Not
really, I’ve worked here for so many years, and I really like this place. Also
after work can shop!
Us: Thank
you so much! ^.^
Through
these 3 interviews, I realized that none of them gave me a good picture of it’s
heritage and past. The elderly man and the security guard (who have both worked
here for many years), say that they enjoy being here, and would want to
continue working here. However, the reason that the man wanted to stay here was
because of the good business, while the security guard wanted to stay here
because of the shopping, and because it’s exciting, she likes her job, and the
place she works in. The young woman would like to move. Perhaps it’s because
she has not been here very long, and does not feel like she belongs.
The
interviewees who could tell me about the past of Bugis street seemed to be
indifferent to the change. They neither expressed relief that night activities
were no longer so explicit, or regret because they missed these activities. It’s
possible that all of them do not really feel a sense of community here, and
just like being here because of the attractive shops.
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