Our Volunteers 我哋嘅義工: Vicky Twomey-Lee
This issue, we feature Vicky, a second-generation Hong Kong Irish from Cork, now living in Dublin. She shares her experiences growing up in Ireland, her work with the Cantonese in Ireland committee, and her hopes for the Cantonese community here.
今期我哋為大家介紹Vicky——一位喺高基出世、現居都柏林嘅香港第二代移民。佢喺度同大家分享佢嘅成長經歷，參與義工嘅體驗，以及對粵移民社群嘅期望。
I was born in Cork, raised in Limerick and now living in Dublin with a background in tech with my husband and two cats. Nowadays you find me volunteering full time mainly advocating diversity in tech through public outreach and informal education as well as being on the Cantonese in Ireland committee.
我喺Cork出世、喺Limerick長大，而家同丈夫同兩隻貓住喺Dublin。我利用我嘅科技知識，全時間喺愛爾蘭進行義務工作，希望籍住公開推廣同教育，推動科技界嘅多元化發展。我亦同時參與「粵語愛爾蘭」委員會嘅工作。
It was lonely growing up in Ireland as a second generation of Hong Kong immigrants. When I was a few years old, I felt like I was the only one, there weren't many like myself in Limerick in the 70s/80s.
作為一個香港移民二代，我成長嘅時候經常感覺孤單。細個嗰陣，我覺得自己好似係唯一嘅華人。七、八十年代喺Limerick 冇幾多同我一樣背景嘅人。
When my parents' restaurant had Lunar New Year parties, I would be the one running around greeting everyone “Happy New Year!” followed by the cheeky “give me the lai see”. As there weren't many kids, I received many lai see packets. My other trick was standing beside someone as they are playing mahjong, get their chinese teas, food, etc. If they win a round, they will give you a few bob.
當父母喺佢哋嘅餐廳舉辦農曆新年派對時，我就會跑嚟跑去同大家講「新年快樂！」之後厚住面皮咁講「利是逗來」。因為我哋冇幾多小朋友，我會拎到好多利是。我另外一個小伎倆就係企喺麻雀枱旁邊，幫佢哋斟茶遞水。咁當啲大人贏錢呢，通常就會俾幾蚊我。
My brothers, cousins and I grew up with amazing Irish friends but undoubtedly there was a lot of racism outside our circle of friends. I learnt to not take it to heart, but my earliest memory was when I was in junior infants. I was waiting for my mom to pick me up, this was around lunch time. The restaurant used to open at lunch times and was one of the busiest periods. Mom was always late and I ended up more or less alone on the playground by myself, but this one time, a young boy started to call me names and pull his eyes, etc. I got so angry, I chased him around the yard trying to hit him with my favourite Mickey Mouse tin lunch box. I don’t remember if I did catch him because my mom picked me up.
我同我兄弟、堂兄妹喺成長期間識咗好多好友好嘅愛爾蘭朋友，但毫無懸念嘅係，喺朋友圈之外，仍然有好多種族歧視。我學識唔好將呢啲事情放喺心。但我最早嘅記憶係喺幼稚園初班。嗰日大約午餐時間，我喺度等媽咪嚟接我。父母餐廳午餐時段最忙，媽咪通常遲到，我幾乎孤單一個企喺遊樂場。但有一次，一個細路仔開始叫我難聽嘅名字，同將佢嘅眼皮向下拉。我好嬲，就拎住最鍾意嘅米奇老鼠鐵飯盒追住佢喺學校花院度跑。我唔記得有冇打到佢，因為媽咪咁啱就嚟接我放學喇。
We spoke Cantonese at home, we were not allowed to speak English so we could communicate with our grandparents in Hong Kong. Before there was streaming or satellite television, our Cantonese entertainment was on VHS tapes filled with cartoons my relatives in Hong Kong would tape for us. As a teen, the closest place to quench my CantoPop and Asian stationery obsession was a couple of shops in London Chinatown. I longingly dreamt that one day there will be roast duck and char siu in Ireland. So I was delighted when we finally got proper Hong Kong roast siu mei in Dublin now, as well as Asian baked goods, and even the short-lived direct flights from Dublin to Hong Kong. It’s all possible. My younger self would not believe it.
我哋屋企講廣東話，父母唔畀講英文，等我哋可以同仍然喺香港嘅爺爺奶奶溝通。喺冇串流或者衛星電視之前，我哋嘅廣東話娛樂主要係靠親戚喺香港錄嘅卡通 VHS 錄影帶。做青少年嗰陣，最近而可以滿足我對廣東流行歌同亞洲文具迷戀嘅地方，就係倫敦唐人街嗰幾間舖頭。我一直幻想，有一日愛爾蘭都會有燒鴨同叉燒。宜家都柏林終於有正宗香港燒味、亞洲烘焙食品，甚至曾經有直飛香港嘅航班。呢啲係我年輕時唔相信會真係發生嘅。
In 2022, I was invited by Alice that's how I started with Cantonese in Ireland. I figured that as a second generation with decades of experience of what it’s like growing up in Ireland, my own Irish born Chinese website which was founded in 2002 as well as public outreach and advocacy via my other initiatives in the tech world, it would be a good representation being part of the committee.
2022年，我接受 Alice 邀請而參與粵語愛爾蘭嘅義務工作。我諗住自己作為港人二代，有幾十年喺愛爾蘭成長嘅經驗，加上我喺 2002 年創立嘅「愛爾蘭華人網站」、同埋喺科技界做嘅公開推廣及倡議工作，應該都算係委員會一個好嘅代表。
I have created the landing page for the organisation and organised various events, such as Bloomsday festival activities, Dragon Boat Races, and Dublin Maker. I help wherever I can, for example by bringing food to events, and I contribute suggestions and advice during regular committee meetings. At the moment, I am upgrading our website, and the new Cantonese in Ireland website will be launched soon!
我一直幫手設計及更新組織嘅網頁，並籌辦過唔同活動，例如布魯姆斯日節、龍舟比賽同 Dublin Maker。可以嘅話，我都會盡力幫忙，例如為活動預備食物，亦會喺定期委員會會議中提供建議同意見。依家我正喺更新我哋新網站，粵語愛爾蘭嘅新網站好快就會推出！
I would love to see more ethnic Cantonese food places in Ireland, I’m sure folks are homesick but we have Asian supermarkets that have a lot of the products now. We have had Cantonese food since the first restaurants opened up in Ireland in the 60s but to me they have evolved to be more Irish-Cantonese food, very different to what my parents used to make at home when I was young. I try to recreate these dishes, and videos online really help expand my culinary knowledge. I’d love to see more diners like they have in Hong Kong, maybe not Dublin prices though! It is getting there, but it’s few and far between and mostly concentrated in Dublin.
我好希望喺愛爾蘭見到多啲正宗廣東菜嘅餐廳，我相信大家都好想家，雖然而家亞洲超市已經有好多產品，我哋亦喺六十年代首批餐廳開業就有廣東菜，但喺我認為依家市面上多數都係愛爾蘭式廣東菜，同我細個時父母喺屋企整嘅好唔同。我會嘗試喺屋企整吓呢啲菜式，網上教學片真係幫咗我好多。我好想見到多啲似香港嗰種茶餐廳，最好唔係都柏林價錢啦。雖然廣東菜選擇多咗，但仍然唔夠多，亦都只係集中喺都柏林。
I’d love to hear from the younger generation (both born here and immigrants) what would attract them to get involved with Cantonese in Ireland. Maybe also one thing that is dear to me is to include more activities for the older generation of people in the Cantonese community here in Ireland, especially those who don’t live in Dublin and are quite isolated.
我都好想聽下年輕一代（無論係喺呢度出世定係移民過嚟）覺得咩嘢會吸引佢哋參與「粵語愛爾蘭」。另外我都好關心我哋嘅粵移民長者，希望可以有多啲活動畀喺愛爾蘭嘅粵社區長者，尤其係唔住喺都柏林、生活較孤立嘅老人家。
It’s fantastic how far Cantonese in Ireland has come since it was formed, seeing so many Cantonese-related activities. I want to say thank you to everyone who accepted me and my okay-la Cantonese from the very beginning, encouraged me when I’m able to read a whole whatsapp message in the group chats, and being so patient when I try to (coherently) speak Cantonese during our meetings (and that it’s ok for me to speak in English if I fail to find the words). My Cantonese has improved and it’s great to speak to a diverse community of people, learning new words and terms, as well as gaining more insight into various Cantonese cultures.
「粵語愛爾蘭」由成立至今發展得叫唔錯。見到咁多粵文化相關活動真係好開心。我想多謝每一位一開始就接受我同我啲「okay-la」式廣東話嘅朋友，多謝你鼓勵我喺群組 WhatsApp 閱讀完整訊息，當我嘗試喺會議中講連貫啲嘅粵語時都好有耐性聽，而當我搵唔到粵語字詞時，亦接受我講英文。我嘅廣東話進步咗好多，亦好開心可以同多元化社群交流，學到新字同詞彙，仲更了解唔同嘅廣東文化。