彭徐大妹的生平
The Story of Pang Dai Muoi
童年 Early years
彭除大妹(原名徐大妹）1930 年於香港出生。在第二次世界大戰之早期，大妹跟隨家人移居到越南西貢（現稱為胡志明市）。她在越南長大，並在當地的中文學校接受教育。戰爭結束後，由於經濟原因，大妹的教育被迫終止。她為幫補家計，開始在親戚朋友的餐館從事收銀員的工作。
Pang Dai Muoi (née Chui Dai Muoi) was born in Hong Kong in 1930. She later moved to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam, along with her family just before the Second World War. She grew up in Vietnam and was educated in local Chinese schools. Her schooling was interrupted during the war period and when the war ended, she worked in a relative‘s restaurant as a cashier to support herself and her family.
婚姻生活 Married life
1950年，大妹嫁給了丈夫彭煜明， 大妹也從單身少女轉變成為了持家的賢妻。因為父親的過世，煜明作為彭家的長子承擔了長兄如父般的角色。大妹的加入使得這個家庭在照顧煜明母親和多名弟妹的事情上，獲得了很大的幫助。
由於越南50年代持續的政治動盪，大妹在西貢的家庭生活變得頗為艱辛。在社會動盪當中，大妹為彭家誕下了三子兩女—— 嘉鴻，玉儀，嘉恒，敏儀，嘉杰。
大妹個性務實且勤奮。每逢農歷新年為了省錢，她會為五名子女親自裁制新衣。照顧一家五口的家庭生活並不輕鬆。 直到幾年以後孩子們漸漸長大，壓在大妹身上的重擔才慢慢減輕。
大妹開始花時間在自己真正享受的事情上，例如烹飪，烘焙和插花。她還會在閒暇時翻開書本，享受閱讀的快樂。 由1969至1972年，她最年長的子女嘉鴻，玉儀，及嘉恒一個個離開西貢去到了國外讀書，全家的經濟狀況此時也開始好了起來。大妹開始與丈夫一起到日本、香港、台北和新加坡等各個城市和國家遊覽觀光，大妹也逐漸開始學習英語。
At age twenty, Dai Muoi married her husband Pang Yuk Ming, whom she met through a close friend. Ming was a young merchant with a large family of siblings. Dai Muoi quickly adjusted from life as a single young woman to becoming a wife.
Life in Saigon during the 1950s was difficult due to ongoing political changes. During these social upheavals, Dai Muoi gave birth to three sons and two daughters; the eldest son was born in 1952 and the family was complete with the youngest son’s birth in1961.
Dai Muoi looked after her five children and her in-laws. Pragmatic and hardworking, she handmade custom clothing for all her five children. Life was not easy for her during this time period.
It was not until much later, when her in-laws had married and her children grew older, that her life became more relaxed. She spent her leisure time reading books and eventually learnt how to cook, bake and do flower arrangements.
When her three eldest children, Roger, Ken and Jenny, left Saigon for schooling abroad between 1969 and 1972, her family’s finances also began to prosper. Dai Muoi started learning English and began sightseeing around Japan, Hong Kong, Taipei and Singapore with her husband.
從越南到加拿大 From Vietnam to Canada
1975 年，當西貢淪陷迫在眉睫時，美好的時光也隨之消失了。1975 年 4 月 30 日凌晨，她與兩個年幼的子女敏儀和嘉杰乘坐著美國空軍的 C130 飛機逃離了西貢，而大妹的丈夫因為要照顧母親，留在了越南。
他們降落的第一站是馬尼拉，隨後因為要等待加拿大移民文件的辦理，他們去到了威克島。三週後，大妹和她的兩個孩子敏儀和嘉杰，終於抵達了加拿大的蒙特利爾 (Montreal) 開始了新移民的生活。
在1975 年 5 月的下旬，抵達蒙特利爾的大妹數天後搬到多倫多以西一百多公里的滑鉄路市，因她的三兜子在那裏就讀大學。大妹亦逐漸開始適應加國新的生活節奏。同年 8 月，她終於收到了丈夫逃難倖存下來並安全抵達香港的好消息。
數月之後，大妹想起當時在蒙城聖約瑟大教堂為丈夫的代禱——祈求他能夠早日安全離開越南早日抵達香港。她也因此開始來到滑鐵盧 (Waterloo) 當地的華人基督教會參與週曰敬拜。
1975 年秋季，大妹在參加了新移民英語課程之後，開始在滑鐵盧當地的一家制衣工廠工作。因著大妹的謙卑，她放下了之前在越南的身份和生活，開始學習新事物並適應新環境。在她三年的工作期間，即使長期做夜更，勤奮的大妹也從來沒有抱怨過一次。在華人同事和教會中間她深受歡迎，並收穫了許多珍貴的友誼。
大妹胸襟廣闊，從不計較曾經得罪她的人。一次，她同事的兒子把她汽車的側面撞出了一個大凹痕。為了避免增加他們的汽車保險費，她的同事懇求她不要打電話給交警，並示意私下與她和解。大妹答應了她的請求，但她的同事後來卻裝作什麼事都沒發生過，沒有給過她補償一分錢。 但大妹卻能夠忍受，也原諒了這位同事。
當年12月，大妹的丈夫煜明去到加拿大探訪。在大妹逃離西貢與丈夫兩地相隔了八個月之後，他們終於在1975年聖誕節於滑鐵盧重聚。
1976年初，大妹再到香港探望丈夫。 探港期間，她做了一個慎重的決定——返回加拿大先取得公民身份，再回到香港與丈夫生活。
These prosperous times vanished quickly when the ‘Fall of Saigon’ became imminent in 1975. While her husband stayed behind, Dai Muoi together with the two youngest children, Minyi and Jim, fled from Saigon via a USAF‘s C130 aircraft. They fled Saigon early in the morning of April 30th, 1975.
The first stop was Manila, followed by a three weeks’ stay on Wake Island to await the processing of their immigration papers to Canada. Dai Muoi, and her two children Minyi and Jim, eventually made it to Montreal, Canada to start a new life.
Arriving in Montreal in late May 1975, everything was new. Dai Muoi, now in her mid-forties, had to adjust to a totally new lifestyle as a refugee immigrant in Canada. Thankfully by August, she received the news that her husband had survived and had arrived in Hong Kong safely.
For many years after, she reflected on her prayers for her husband that had come true, at the Saint Joseph Cathedral of Montreal. She started attending the local Christian church service in Waterloo until she eventually left for Hong Kong in 1979.
After attending English classes for new immigrants in the fall of 1975, she started working as a seamstress in a local factory of Arrow Shirt. By Christmas, her husband Yuk Ming was able to reunite with the family in Waterloo for a couple of weeks.
After his visit, Dai Muoi in early 1976 decided to visit her husband in Hong Kong for a few months. During the visit, she decided to return to Canada until she had obtained her Canadian citizenship.
Upon her return to Waterloo, she went to work at the Forsyth Shirt Company Factory. Her colleagues liked her a lot and helped her along the way. While she worked at Forsyth for almost three years, she never complained once despite the fact she mainly did night shifts.
Dai Muoi had the humility to forget her past, learn new things and adjust herself to a new environment. She made numerous friends at work and church. Her life motto was to “befriend all peoples regardless of age, or cultural differences”. Dai Muoi was always able to forgive others, and never held grudges.
回流香港澳門 Move to Macau
1977 年春天，大妹的兒子嘉恒因為畢業後而要搬到多倫多工作，她決定留在滑鐵盧跟最年幼的兒子嘉杰一起生活。1979 年 5 月，她獲得了加拿大公民身份，隨即她離開了滑鐵盧前往香港與丈夫永久團聚。
1979年9月，大妹因丈夫的工作關係，跟隨他移居到了澳門。他們在澳門總督府附近的恒昌大廈買下了一間公寓。這將是到她去世為止的42年裡，她所居住的安樂窩。
在澳門，大妹過著安逸的晚年生活。與香港急促的步伐和加拿大繁重的家務相比，澳門的生活更安靜一些。大妹在澳門再次結識了不少朋友並安享晚年。
After her son, Ken, had graduated university and left to work in Toronto in 1977, Dai Muoi decided to live with her younger son, Jim, in Waterloo. She lived happily in Waterloo until she received her Canadian citizenship in May 1979. She then decided to leave for Hong Kong to join her husband permanently.
In September 1979, Dai Muoi and her husband moved to Macau for her husband’s work. They bought their flat at Hang Cheong, near the Macau Governor Office. This would be home that she resided for the next 42 years until she passed away.
In Macau, Dai Muoi lived a peaceful life. Macau was relatively quiet, compared to the hectic pace of Hong Kong and the demanding household chores in Canada. Once again, she made friends with all kinds of people.
晚年 Later years
晚年，大妹走遍了世界各地的城市探望親戚朋友。主要是她去探望在休斯頓的大女兒玉儀，看望在蒙特利爾的小女兒敏儀，以及在多倫多的小兒子嘉杰。
大妹和丈夫住在澳門的期間，親人們也常會從世界各地來探望他們。他們在恆昌的小公寓，每逢農曆新年都會熱鬧起來。
大妹一生好學。八十多歲的她決定入讀澳門理工學院的長者學院。在長者學院，大妹學習了包括英語、計算機和中文書法等課程。 八十八歲的大妹，也練出了不錯的書法。在大妹的畢業班裏，她是所有長者學生中年紀最大的一位。 大妹在學校深受同學和老師的喜愛， 活出了 “活到老學到老“ 的精神。
從2019年秋天開始，大妹逐漸成為了澳門山頂醫院的常客。在 2022 年 2 月 1 日，也就是農曆新年的那一天，她與全家人進行了最後一次視頻通話。
2022年2月5日凌晨，大妹在離開洗手間的途中摔倒。在緊急被送往山頂醫院搶救之後，醫生通知了家人她去世的消息。
在接下來的幾個小時，她所有的孩子、孫子和曾孫都陸續收到來了大妹去世的消息。我們一同哀悼這名傑出女人的逝世。雖然她在人世間的日子已經結束，但我們會永遠懷念彭除大妹這位偉大的賢妻，慈母、祖母、曾祖母，和朋友。
In her twilight years, Dai Muoi visited many cities in China and around the world. She went to LA and Houston to visit her eldest daughter, revisited Montreal to see her younger daughter and enjoyed Toronto when staying with her youngest son.
As Dai Muoi and her husband lived in Macau, grandchildren from all around the world also came to visit them, some staying with them for weeks.
Starting her eighties, Dai Muoi stopped traveling long distances though she still traveled to Singapore on occasion to see her great grandchildren. In addition she started attending Seniors College at the Macau Polytechnic Institute.
A life long learner, Dai Muoi learnt English, computer IT and Chinese calligraphy. Her Chinese calligraphy skills became quite good, even at the age of 88. In her classes, Dai Muoi was the eldest student amongst all the senior students, and was well-liked by her peers and teachers.
After Dai Muoi fell ill in the fall of 2019, she became a frequent visitor to the Macau Hill Top Hospital. On Chinese New Year Day on 1 February 2022, she was able to summon the energy to talk a few minutes with her family on a video call.
In the early morning of February 5th, 2022, after going to the washroom, Dai Muoi fell unconscious in the arms of her domestic helper. She was rushed to the hospital, but sadly she had been called to heaven. Dai Muoi had passed away.
Over the next few hours, all her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren came to know of the passing of this wonderful woman and an incredible era that had passed. Her time on earth has ended, but her loving memory as a loving mother, grandmother, great grandmother, aunt, and friend will continue to live on.
