Paying Homage to Po Po

Po Po in Cantonese means Grandmother. But it's more than that. Using it is a sign of respect, respect for family, respect for authority.
The calves have learned to greet the multitude of elderly ladies in our village with a "Jo san, Po Po" or "Lei Ho, Po Po", depending on the time of day, to say good morning in a respectful way. 
The Po Pos invariably descend into praise of the 'beautiful girl' or 'clever girl' type and the calves beam back their proud smiles.
I have come to love these daily interactions. They are simple, heartwarming and honest. One of the things I will miss most about Hong Kong are the Po Pos. 


Working with and living among a society so different from your own can prove frustrating at times.  In a professional environment you are required to be patient, understanding and accepting of others viewpoints, even when they are in total conflict with your own. I'm not saying this isn't a good thing, it is, but it's tiring, day after day.
The Po Pos, the calves and I have a relationship that requires none of that. They come from a totally Chinese perspective and we come from a totally Gweilo (foreign devil) perspective. 
And yet we know each other well. 
They see me, pushing the groceries up the hill with the two calves, covered in sweat, during the unbelievable Hong Kong summer heat and give me a knowing smile. They see us playing outside. They see us happy, exhausted, frustrated, angry, excited. They may have even seen tears once or twice. 
And I have seen them too, early in the morning tending their farms, playing with their grandchildren, shouting at their husbands. We have a silent friendship, save a few words here or there, that has come to mean a lot to me. 
There is something special about this simple, daily, human connection that transcends age, culture, location, religion, you name it. There is an understanding there and an acceptance because we both know it will never be more than what it is right now. 


So, thank you Po Po for the smiles of encouragement, for being so warm and loving to children, for not laughing at my poor attempts at tone-deaf Cantonese and for living peacefully beside me for the past five years. 
I have always found something particularly wonderful about Grandmothers and the Chinese Po Pos are no exception.