An encounter with a small street where prostitutes dwell in Singapore
A friend of mine has a son studying in a private school in Singapore. Several weeks ago, I went to send some money that I brought for him from China when I visited China some days back.
 I knew that he has just moved. I called him and asked him where he stays and how we can meet. He told me that he lives somewhere near Geylang. I was shocked. Why Geylang?
 Geylang is the famous red-light district in Singapore.
I always hear many stories about that place from people, the TV or newspaper.
What shown in the public from the media is about how illegal prostitutes caught
and arrested by police raids.
To me, a young boy living in this area must be very dangerous and inappropriate. But my little friend told me that it is not that frightening. There is no prostitute in the place that he lives and no body has ever solicited him. He quickly explained that the apartment he and his friends share is very cheap and there is a swimming pool inside. It sounds a good deal because it is not easy for a poor student to afford a place with swimming pool which is very good to have in hot and humid Singapore. But still I I feel something is not quite right to me.
I went there together with my husband on the day to send
the money in a late afternoon. We found the condominium where my friend stays.
It is near the entry of a small street but far from the main red-light district.
In the other side of the street there is another condominium looking exactly
the same. There were many girls standing in front of that one, but strangely
no one was in front of the condominium where my friend stays.
After we meet up my husband suggested go inside the car that was parked on roadside of the street to hand over the money. I told them that I’ll stand outside just to take a look.
 Although it is one of the small old streets far from the main Geyland district, there were many people walking and passing by. Indian foreign workers came with groups walking and looking around curiously. The local Chinese people concentrated very much on their walk without turning around their head so much. Not many women were passing by there except those girls standing on the other side of the building.
I saw a slender young girl from far wearing light blue dress with long straight hair tiring neatly at back in-front of the condomunium. She was very pretty and I was wondering if she is just waiting for someone or also a prostitute. But when she turned around and revealed a big hole in her dress in one side of her body I realized she is.
My husband and my friend came out of the car shortly. I asked my friend why there is no one in front of his place. He said he has no idea as well. I asked if he really not even once is bothered by someone in the other side of the building. He said so far no one has ever approached them at all.
After saying goodbye to him, I suggested to my husband to take a walk along the street just to get some feeling of somewhere in Singapore that I have never stepped on after living here for more than 10 years.
As we walked for a bit, we saw the pretty girl putting her hands on the shoulders of a young man. The way she acted as if the man was her lover or a long lost close friend. But surprisingly after a while, the man brushed her hands off and walked away.
More closely to the other end of the street, there standing some plumber girls. From their red cheeks you know they must just came out from China. I saw one girl went to sit on the lap of a man having some meal in a café on the roadside. The other men and girls laughed and joked but at the end, the girl moved away to some other places.
When we walked back to our car, I saw the pretty girl in the blue dress still standing alone at the same place. Her slender figure and long hair made her look very lonely from afar. At this moment, an old, very tired looking man in stained clothes, perhaps in his mid 60s, walked pass her. The girl walked forward and tried to talk to him, but for some reason the man didn’t even turn his head to look at her. I wondered why she even considered such an old and unpleasant looking man in the first place, and why the man didn’t pay attention to such a beautiful girl.
I have no comprehension of the world that prostitutes live in. I can only guess from what I read or heard the reasons why they chose to work in this line.
Everyone has his own reasons to do something. There are many things taking place out there in this world, and unless it happens to you, you would never be able to understand how it would feel.
 Some beautiful girls become movie stars, but someones who may be even more beautiful are working on the streets. I can imagine as children, they were loved by their parents and had many dreams and aspirations. They were princesses of their own little world and in their parents’ eyes. What went wrong? Is there something that can be done to make sure that every little princess will grow to become a beautiful swan?
Prostitution is one of the earliest occupations in the world, I heard. I believe that I am not the only one, or first one, thinking this is a problem. Why is it so difficult for human beings, with thousands of years of history and even the ability to ascend to the moon, to change the very way our people live?
But before we think about this, I must clarify - can prostitution be classified as a so called “problem” in the first place? To me if a person suffers just to earn some money, it becomes a problem. Yet in this world, there are so many people have to go through hardships on a daily basis to make ends meet. I am not a sociologist and I have no answer. I am not sure if anyone has the correct answer at the moment.
Many days passed since I came back from that small Geylang street, but the young girl wearing the pretty blue dress continues to linger in my mind. However, I don't worry so much now about my young friend living there. He should be fine.
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