Getai: Not My Thing

I was very excited about the getai performance but it was not what I expected. I have been diligently listening to Chinese songs but there weren't any songs that I recognised. In fact, the songs were mostly in Hokkien and the tunes were not what I was used to. The crowd was mostly grey haired. At first, I was determined to give it a chance. I really wanted to stay and see if there would be any songs that I liked.

What was unbearable was the loudness. The speakers were so very loud that even though I covered my ears it was still an onslaught of sensory stimulus. I stayed for about 15 minutes, and my heart rate went through the roof and it stayed high for about an hour after I got home.

A friend well-educated in Chinese culture and language explained that getai is not meant to be very refined Chinese culture. Still, what I saw was still better than some of the stand up comedy on Netflix. It is a pity I don't understand Hokkien. The old truism is true. The more you learn, the more you realise you don't know stuff. I am trying my darndest to learn Chinese and now I realise that there is also Hokkien that I don't know.

It is daunting to even come to grips with sub-cultures WITHIN Singapore, let alone the rest of the world.

I won't do a getai again. Still, it was worth it to go see it once.