My mum lived in Melaka in the 1960s, and stayed with a Chinese family during the racial riots. They had a curfew at night, and used to pass food to their neighbours via a pulley attached to the windows. She was there for 2 years teaching maths and physics (in english) through Australian Volunteers Abroad, and received a local wage. She had a life-changing experience, despite a pragmatic lack of romantic notions of saving the world.
In 1989, when I was 9 years old we went back to Malaysia and of course stopped in Melaka. We walked down the street she used to live on for nostalgia’s sake, and ran into one of her old neighbours who instantly recognised her, calling her by her maiden name, because she wasn’t married at the time. We had lunch with some of the families there, who now had children and grandchildren.
I wish I could remember more about the Nonya houses and food, I planned a trip back there (on the way to India) a few years ago but my travelling companion got sick and we cancelled the trip. I would love to go back though. I have heard it has changed alot, but probably not as much as to when my mum lived there in dangerous times.