Jertih Great-Grandmother Works Three Jobs To Keep Herself Active

JERTIH, April 26 (Bernama) -- The spirit of a 71-year-old elderly woman of Kampung Tok Has here who is still strong in doing various jobs should be an inspiration to the community, especially the young.

Jawiah Abd Rahman or better known as Mok Teh Semek said there is no word for rest in her life dictionary since she was young and she has been used to working, namely cultivating padi, tapping rubber, growing vegetables and being a masseuse, until today.

In fact, the grandmother of 45 grandchildren and a great-grandmother of six great-grandchildren said she works hard every day because she wants to remain healthy and energetic even in her old age.

"I started doing all these jobs after my first husband passed away when I was 45 years old. At that time, I really had to work hard because I wanted to support 12 children.

"Over time, I became interested in working and got used to it. I am the type who can't sit still, if I don't work I feel like I have a fever and body aches," she said when met by Bernama in Kampung Tok Has here.

Jawiah admitted that her children were worried about her and advised her to stop working, but she refused to do so and wanted to continue working as long as her body was still healthy and strong.

"If I don't work, my current husband (Noh Ismail, 89) and I can continue living because the children help every month, but I don't want to be too dependent on them completely because I understand that they also have their own family commitments while I can still work," she said.

She said she does almost all the work herself, including cultivating a two-hectare padi field and tapping a 1.4-hectare rubber farm.

"However, for the past two years, I have hired people to do the work of maintaining the farms because they use drones. So it's faster and more economical than me weeding the farm myself using the old method,” she said.

The woman is also good at dividing her time to ensure that all her daily affairs run smoothly, including managing the house and her husband who has various health problems.

"In the morning I usually tap rubber until almost noon, after Asar I will go down to the rice fields and vegetable garden. Meanwhile after Zohor or at night I will give massages if there are customers," she said.

Jawiah, who does not have any diseases, said she does not practise any tips or secrets to maintain her health, but the elderly woman enjoyed eating the menu of fish singgang (soup) and ulam since she was a child.

"We know singgang cooking is nutritious because it uses ingredients that are good for health such as fish, turmeric, ginger and asam keping (tamarind slice). The cooking method is only boiling so maybe that is one of the factors that helps me stay healthy. But most importantly, my health is a gift from God that I am grateful for every moment," she said.

-- BERNAMA