從巴圖卡加到斯喀

早年來英二三事

                                                                                                                  謝尤美嬌

 

一九六二年，我以整一年工資向一意大利人購買船票，經一個月的海程從馬來西亞抵倫敦。抵英後我注意到的第一件事就是英國人也做體力工作的。在馬來西亞，英國人都是拿高薪做高官的。所以初次見到他們掃街或叫賣水果蔬菜時我真覺得有點奇怪。

 

正如其他六十年代的移民一樣，我來英國也是為這個所謂充滿機會之國度而來的（當然不是為其天氣而來了）。作為護士，開始我並不覺得工作難找。反之，在馬來西亞，找類似的工作要難多了。盡管那時我每星期的工資隻有11英鎊，但也能勉強維持生計。現在呢，不管你賺多少錢，總是覺得入不足出。

 

那時，移民與本土人的了解還不深，常有瞧不起我們的人。這些人往往給於少數民族不公之待遇。記得有一次我們要找房子，盡管雙方已在電話上講妥（我丈夫講得一口地道英國口音），但當我們上門時，他們又改變了主意，拒絕出租。也許自放下電話趕上家門的那段時間裏，那間房子真的被別人租去，但我們竟連聽解釋的機會也沒給。

 

那個時候英國並沒有這末多中國飯館和外賣攤檔，有些地方連一間也沒有。那時中國人並不多，所以找中菜館極不容易。連叉燒、芽菜、豆腐等中國食品也不易找。SAFEWAY或ASDA是唯一還可找到一點點中式雜物之處。但最終還是要去那條熟悉的GERRARD街 （現稱唐人街）。不過鄰近肉鋪有時可以拾到店主扔掉的豬蹄、雜碎之類，拿回來做燙，或做燉燜等菜。

 

回想起來，我來此地一轉眼已四十二年了，那時來英的目的是謀求新生活、高生活水平和好收入；但主要的還是尋求一個建立家庭的好環境。在一點上我算是做到了。

From Batu Gajah to Sidcup

 

My First Thoughts On England

                                                                                                            Maggy Chia

I arrived in London in1962, having handed over nearly a year’s wages to an Italian for the month long boat trip from Malaysia. The first thing I noticed when I got here was that English people too, had menial jobs. Back home, the expatriates would always have high pay jobs in high positions. So you can imagine, I wasn’t used to seeing them sweeping roads or selling fruit and vegetables in the market.

 

Like the other migrants arriving in the UK during the 1960s, I came to England, ’the land of opportunities’, for exactly that (and certainly not for the weather). Initially, starting out as a nurse, I found that work wasn’t hard to get. Back in Malaysia, you would have to fight hard to get a similar kind of job. And then even at £11 per week, this was quite enough to feed the mouth. Unlike today where no matter how much you earn, it always seems that you have nothing.

 

However, mutual understanding between immigrants and the host population was not on the menu. The pretty mask worn by this country snubbed us regularly, often displaying prejudices against the minority. I remember a time where my husband and I were looking for a place to stay. We were accepted over the phone (as my other half has quite an English accent) but as soon as we turned up at the door, we were turned away. Perhaps the place had gone to another couple in the hour or so it took to get there, but we weren’t in the position to kick up a fuss.

 

And as for Chinese restaurants or take-away shops, well, there weren’t many, or in some cases, any at all. I mean there were only a handful of Chinese people to start with, so asking for a flurry of restaurants was asking a little too much. This also meant that buying Chinese food, things like char siew, beansprouts or tofu, were all very difficult to get hold of. You couldn’t just pop down to Safeway’s or Asa and pick up all your Chinese necessaries. Invariably, a trip to the old favourite, Gerrard Street (China Town, for those not in the know) would be on the cards. However, from the local butcher’s, you sometimes could get trotters and pork ribs to make various stews, soups, or whatever, for free.

 

I came to this country 42 years ago to seek a new life, a better standard of living and improved earnings but more importantly, to start up a family in the best possible environment. This, I think, I have achieved.

 

 Translated by Cao Yuan