紐西蘭歐巴桑Ivy's Blog

I liked to play house while I was a kid and I kept bugging my parents for giving me 

a younger brother or sister. then, I got a little sister who’s five years younger than me

小時候，妹妹在我眼裡根本就和小惡魔劃上等號。

搶東西她一定贏，身為姐姐總是要讓妹妹。
她一哭我就遭殃，因為妹妹不會無緣無故哭，一定是姐姐沒有讓她。
和妹妹吵架是家常便飯，因為我們經常意見不合，所以我要假裝輸給她，不然後續一定沒完沒了。
還有最重要的是，我這可愛的妹妹，是標準的『告密者』。
集結總總，說真的，這個和我相差五歲的妹妹，只要是能避開多遠就避多遠。
In my eyes, she was like a little devil. Ababy would never cry for no reasons. It would be me for not
letting her win. Therefore, we always don’t see things eyes to eyes. My dear sister was also a tattle teller,so I would stay as far away as I could.
也因為相差五歲的關係，在父母親工作忙碌的日子裡，我和妹妹成為彼此的陪伴。高一結束後，我選擇了出國唸書，當時妹妹都還只是個國小生。就這樣我擺脫了這個跟我很熟又不太熟，令我又愛又恨的小惡魔。
Our parents were very busy, so my sister and I kept each other company. After grade 10, I decided to go
study abroad. My sister was just an elementary kid. Then I was able to get away from her, who I love andhate at the same time.

可是，不知不覺中，在時間的洪流裡，妹妹國一結束後，也選擇了出國唸書。開始漸漸地跟我越來越親近起來。

My sister also decided to go study abroad after grade 8. Somehow, we became closer and closer.
在這裡我要和妹妹一起謝謝惠敏阿姨；阿姨，謝謝您那幾年來無私的付出、照顧和包容。讓我和妹妹在那段求學的過程裡，在人生地不熟的國外，有個很棒又很溫暖的家。謝謝您。
Here, we would like to give thanks to Auntie Min. Thank you for taking care of my sister and me during
those years. You had given us a warm and welcoming home. Thank you.
大一下學期，父母親為我和妹妹買了屬於我們自己的家，我答應母親在她每年往返紐西蘭和台灣的時候，其餘的時間，我會好好照顧我這個唯一的妹妹。
對於照顧妹妹的這份工作內容大約是：
My parents bought a house for us in my freshman year. I promised my mother to take care of my only sister
while she’s in Taiwan.
每天早上我要負責開車帶妹妹上學。因為我很會賴床，所以妹妹每天早上都會來敲我的房門，叫我起床。但是我想，這麼溫柔把我叫醒的方式不適合我，因為我總是等到她，用那纖纖玉腳把我踹醒，順便連名帶姓的說『蔣以琪~妳快點給我起來，我要遲到了』，我才會睡眼惺忪的拿著車鑰匙，開車帶她上學。
My duty was like: driving her to school every morning. But I liked to sleep in, so she would come in to my
room, kicked me out off my bed and yelled at me with my full name: Sherry Chiang~ Get up and hurry up,
I’m gonna be late. Then, I would woke up, picked up the car key and drove her to school.
有時候，搭配著我大學的課表，會問妹妹要不要我去學校接她放學，我們再一起去超市採購，一起吃晚餐，一起整理家，我們一起輪流煮飯洗衣曬衣，漸漸地也變成啥事都『一起』完成了。
During my university years, we spent a lot of time together. We went grocery shopping together, ate dinner
together, clean up the house together, do laundry together, etc.
妹妹 節目很多，有時候是英文補習接送，有時候是羽毛球訓練接送，有時候是她的姐妹們聚會接送，有時候是她的打工接送。在那些細碎的小日子裡，我們彼此照顧著。
During these years, I was her personal driver. Those were moments of how we got to cherish each other and
take care of each other.
我印象最深的是有一次妹妹的家長日，妹妹進我房門問我要不要去參加。之前好幾次學校家長日，我總是拒絕，因為我會問她，妳成績有不及格嗎?妳欺負同學嗎?
好，沒有。那我去做什麼。只是那一年我大概吃錯藥，想著或許跟妹妹的老師們聊一下天，可以知道妹妹高中生活裡都在做什麼( 必瞎咪ㄇㄤˋ)。沒想到，每個老師對妹妹的評語都是『Joyce is awesome,
wonderful, excellent, outstanding, smart, clever, brilliant。』成 AAA不說，老師都還很喜歡她。那時候
我真的一度懷疑老師說的根本就不是我認識的Joyce，因為我總是懷疑我這個妹妹真的有在唸書嗎?
One time, I went to the parents’ day at my sister ’s school. I wanted to know what my sister was doing in her
high school. I was very surprised to hear the comments from those teachers: Joyce is awesome, wonderful,
excellent, outstanding, smart, clever, and brilliant. She was not only a strait A student, all the teachers loved
her. I was really in shock and felt the teachers were not talking about the same Joyce I knew.
2004年，妹妹在羽球場認識了 Joe，小倆口開始去哪都一起，我漸漸地不再被這個小惡魔使喚了，鬆了口氣卻也不免有點小失落，覺得好像不再被她需要了。
In 2004, my little sister met Joe in a badminton court. They started to hang out more and more, and slowly I
didn’t need to drive her around anymore. I was a little relieved, but felt I wasn’t needed anymore.
意識到我這個妹妹長大了，姐姐的守護工作或許可以開始放手，這麼多年來，我看著妹妹不斷蛻變，越來越成熟，越來越有智慧，越來越讓我驕傲，而她身邊的這位良善、溫柔、體貼又有肩膀的好男人，十年來對妹妹的堅持與愛護，是在場所有人都有目共賭的。
I realized that my little sister has grown up now. I needed to let go of my job as a sister keeper. In the past
ten years, I have watched how my little sister has changed. She has become more mature, more wise and she
made me proud. Joe is good man who is kind, gentle and dependable. He has loved and cared for my sister
for the past ten years.
所以， 凡ㄟ~我要把我這個沒什麼耐性，可是非常會撒嬌的妹妹交給你了 ~ 往後的十年~二十年~三十年~無數個十年，要好好的愛她、珍惜她。
Now, it’s time for me to give you my little sister to be your wife. Please love her and cherish her till forever.