Contribution Name: Chen Shi Pei / Tzu Chi Singapore (SEEN@Bukit Batok)
Pseudonym: Kang Swee Lan
Year of Author: 1951
Kang Swee Lan, a popular balloon artist at the Tzu Chi, was born into a large family with 11 siblings. Because of this, she couldn’t enjoy a materially rich life like other children. However, with the company of her siblings and the careful care of her parents, she experienced a more colourful and fulfilling life.
Ms. Kang shared with us that although her family’s conditions were not ideal, her parents deeply understood the importance of education. They emphasised both teaching by example and formal education, encouraging all their children, regardless of gender, to pursue their studies with unconditional support. She feels very fortunate to have had such an enlightened family during that era.
Ms. Kang discovered that studying was not her strong suit, so she started working after finishing secondary school. However, she never gave up on learning. She eventually found a job with a book distributor, selling books to various schools in Singapore. Surrounded by knowledge every day, she firmly believes that “knowledge is a portable skill.” During the interview, she also encouraged us to keep learning, listening, and observing to accumulate our own knowledge and avoid being replaced by AI.
Ms. Kang has a deep connection with balloons. From a young age, she was fascinated by them, often envying other children who had balloon creations. However, due to her family’s financial situation, she couldn’t learn balloon art until she was 50 years old. On her journey to learn balloon art, she continuously improved, creating many impressive balloon figures such as whales and parrots, with careful attention to colour coordination. Each of her works is astonishing.
Initially, Ms. Kang taught herself balloon art by following books, and as she grew more interested, she paid for lessons. She became deeply immersed in the world of balloons and has been creating balloon art for ten years now.
Ms. Kang shares her passion for balloon art purely out of interest, never wasting a moment. Besides learning new balloon techniques, she also generously teaches other seniors at Tzu Chi. When the club organises intergenerational learning programs, she prepares balloon figures like penguins and swords for the children in advance. Seeing the children’s happy smiles when they receive the balloons gives Ms. Kang a great sense of achievement.
今天的訪問對象是長青館受歡迎的氣球達人Kang Swee Lan。Ms. Kang 出生於一個大家庭，共有11位兄弟姐妹，因此無法享有物質上的富裕生活。然而，與兄弟姐妹的陪伴和父母的悉心照顧，使她擁有了更為豐富多彩的生活。
Ms. Kang 分享說，雖然家境艱困，但父母深知「教育」的重要，因此無論是在日常生活中的身教、言教，還是正式教育方面，父母都十分重視。他們鼓勵所有孩子無論男女，只要願意讀書，家裡都會無條件支持。在那個年代，能有如此開明的家庭，實在是非常幸運的。
Ms. Kang 發現讀書不是她的強項，因此在中學畢業後便開始工作。然而，她從未放棄學習，最終找到了一份書商的工作，走遍新加坡各個學校，賣書給學生。她始終相信「知識是帶得走的能力」，在訪談中也鼓勵我們多學習、多聽、多看，積累知識，以免被AI取代。
談到Ms. Kang 和氣球的緣分，她從小便對氣球情有獨鍾，看到其他孩子手握造型氣球時總是羨慕不已。然而，由於家境的限制，她無法學習氣球藝術，直到50歲才開始這段旅程。在學習氣球的過程中，她不斷精進，創作了許多如鯨魚、鸚鵡等造型氣球，每次作品都色彩斑斕、令人驚嘆。
最初，Ms. Kang 是按照書本自學氣球折法，隨著興趣的增加，她逐漸參加了付費課程，這樣一頭扎進了氣球的世界，已經堅持了10年。
Ms. Kang 分享說，她對氣球的熱愛完全源於興趣。她不僅自己持續學習氣球技藝，還把所學的全部傳授給長青館的其他長者。當長青館舉辦老幼共學課程時，她會提前準備氣球造型，如企鵝和寶劍，送給小朋友。看到孩子們因收到氣球而洋溢著幸福笑容，讓Ms. Kang 感到滿滿的成就感。
This work includes translation generated by ChatGPT, an AI language model developed by OpenAI.
此作品包含由OpenAI開發的AI語言模型ChatGPT生成的翻譯內容。