Contribution Name: SiewShi / Tzu Chi Singapore
Pseudonym: Mdm Chan Pek Kin
Year of Author: 1953
Mdm Chan Pek Kin, born in 1953 in Malaysia, is the youngest of her siblings with a significant age gap between her and her three older brothers. Growing up with brothers who did not look after her, she learned independence early on. Though her family wasn’t particularly close, Mdm Chan pursued her education, studying until Secondary 3. It was during her geography class that she first encountered images of large ships in Singapore, sparking a deep curiosity and desire to see them in person. Her adventurous spirit led her to leave Malaysia for Singapore, driven by her fascination with the ships she had seen only in her textbooks. Laughing about this period of her life, she affectionately refers to herself as “shuagu,” a term meaning “country bumpkin,” for her excitement over something so common in Singapore.
Mdm Chan’s first job, at the age of 17, was part-time work in a newspaper publishing company. Her role involved intricate manual tasks—she would be handed a story to assemble on a wall of tiny Chinese characters crafted from burnt aluminum. With precision, she would select each character and carefully slot it into its designated box. It was a meticulous job that required patience and attention to detail, but it introduced her to the world of work and led to her meeting her future husband. They started as friends and kept in touch, and eventually, their friendship blossomed into a relationship. At the age of 19, they married, and within a year, she welcomed her first child, followed by two more.
Once her children grew up and moved out, Mdm Chan and her husband continued their lives together in a peaceful household. Her husband, now in his seventies, is still working, and while Mdm Chan enjoys spending time at home, she often found herself feeling isolated. In 2019, she began to take daily walks, seeking a sense of connection. Before joining Tzu Chi, she would go shopping with her friends twice a week. It was during one of these outings that she discovered Tzu Chi, noticing a group of seniors exercising outside the center. Curious once again, she inquired about joining and was welcomed with open arms. Her involvement with Tzu Chi grew as she found meaning in participating in their activities, eventually taking on volunteer roles.
Today, Mdm Chan remains a lively presence at Tzu Chi, where she continues to volunteer, enjoying the community she has built there. Her journey from a young girl filled with curiosity to a devoted member of Tzu Chi shows her openness to new experiences, deep-rooted independence, and commitment to building meaningful connections in her life.
陈碧琴女士于1953年出生于马来西亚，是家中最小的孩子，与三位年长的哥哥之间有着较大的年龄差距。由于哥哥们并没有照顾她，她从小便学会了独立。尽管家人之间的关系不算特别亲密，陈女士还是完成了中三的学业。在地理课上，她第一次看到新加坡的大船图片，这激发了她对这些船只的强烈好奇和渴望，想亲眼目睹它们的模样。带着这份冒险精神，她决定离开马来西亚，前往新加坡，一探那些曾在课本中见过的船只。回忆起这段时光，她常笑称自己是个“傻瓜”（“shuagu”），用这个词自嘲自己对新加坡这样普通事物的兴奋。
陈女士17岁时的第一份工作是在一家报社做兼职。她的工作需要极高的手工技巧——她接到一篇文章后，要从烧制的铝制小小汉字墙上挑选字符，并精确地将每个字插入指定的格子中。这是一项需要耐心和细致的工作，也是她步入职场的起点。在这份工作中，她认识了未来的丈夫。他们起初是朋友，保持联络，后来友情逐渐升华为爱情。19岁时，两人结婚，并在一年内迎来了第一个孩子，之后又育有两个孩子。
在孩子们长大并搬出去后，陈女士与丈夫过着安静的生活。她的丈夫如今已七十多岁，仍然在工作。而陈女士则喜欢待在家中，但偶尔也感到孤独。2019年，她开始每天散步，寻找一种归属感。在加入慈济之前，她每周会与朋友一起逛街两次。一次外出时，她注意到一群老人在慈济中心外锻炼。出于好奇，她上前询问并得到了热情的欢迎。从那以后，她积极参与慈济的活动，并逐渐成为一名志愿者。
如今，陈女士仍然是慈济的一位活跃成员，通过志愿服务享受她在慈济建立的社区生活。从那个充满好奇心的女孩，到如今慈济的一员，陈女士的故事展现了她对新事物的开放态度、深植于内心的独立精神，以及她在生活中努力建立有意义联系的承诺。
This work includes translation generated by ChatGPT, an AI language model developed by OpenAI.
此作品包含由OpenAI开发的AI语言模型ChatGPT生成的翻译内容