母難日

今天生日收到了表弟Kevin令人驚喜的小禮物，2008年他曾經回台灣幫母親留下了一些寶貴的紀錄，萬分的感謝

生日也是母難日，想起我那已經離開快三年的老媽，依舊有些許的感傷
感謝老媽一生所帶來的美好親情

Meiyee Chung


Meiyee Chung is a loving mother who enjoyed traveling.

She has three children, Cynthia, Elton and Zenn, who meant the world to her. This page is a place to celebrate her life.

Biography

Meiyee Chung is a loving mother with three children, Cynthia, Elton and Zenn, who meant the world to her.  Meiyee was born in Taipei, Taiwan in 1950, and except for eight months in the US she spent her life in Taiwan.  She was youngest of eight children, and remained close with her brothers and sisters.  She enjoyed traveling and had the opportunity to travel to Thailand, Malaysia, and Australia.  She worked for a bank in Taiwan until 1988, and then worked in a badminton factory until 2004.  She was diagnosed with colon cancer in June 2007.

Meiyee had a happy childhood growing up in the Danshui area of Taipei, Taiwan.  The Chen family was not very wealthy.  Her father was a director at an association of printing companies.  The family often had a hard time making ends meet.  Meiyee enjoyed reading and walking the streets of Taipei with her brothers and sisters.  When she was in high school, her favorite subject was literature. 

 After graduating from high school, Meiyee started working at a bank in Taipei as a secretary.  There she met her future husband, Zhaoxiong Chung.  She was attracted to his dark skin and his physical strength, which was a contrast to her own father, who was more of a scholar.  Both of her parents objected to the relationship, but when her mother was diagnosed with cancer in 1968, her parents gave into her wishes.  She and Zhaoxiong Chung were married in 1970x.

In 1973, she gave birth to her first child, Elton.  Soon after came Cynthia in 1974 and Zen in 1976.  Meiyee was extremely devoted to her children.  One of her favorite memories is when all three children traveled to the town center to purchase some earrings for her birthday.  Her children were only six to seven years old, and this was one of their first outings without an adult. 

In 1988, she tried moving and working in the US, where her brother Shiungwan had been for roughly twenty years.   She tried working in a laundry for eight months, but found the language and cost of living difficult to adjust to.  She returned to the Taiwan in 1989 and began working in a badminton factory.  She retired in 2004.  In 2007 she was diagnosed with colon cancer.

Started work at the badminton factory

In 1989, Meiyi returned to Taiwan and started working at a badminton factory.  This job was not as good, in her opinion, as her previous bank job.  She ended up working at the badminton factory in a variety of positions for another 14 years.

At the factory, she eventually became a foreman / team leader on the manufacturing of the shuttlecocks.  This was when shuttlecocks were still made of wires.  She managed a team of 30 people who had to string the wires as well as spray the paint coating.

It was difficult and long work.  The constant strain took a toll on her hands.  The exposure to the chemicals also may have contributed to her eventual cancer, she thinks.

Eventually, the badminton industry in Taiwan began to suffer in light of Chinese competition.  The factory she worked eventually slid into bankruptcy.

Diagnosed with cancer

In 2007 she was diagnosed with cancer.  She had been feeling ill, and was unable to work at the factory.  She was eventually diagnosed with a serious case of 大腸癌3期.

Her mother is diagnosed with cancer

 

Around 1968, her mother was diagnosed with nose and throat cancer.  Naturally, her mother was very worried about the future of her children.  She was worried about Meiyi being unmarried. Eventually she agreed to allowing Meiyi to marry Zhaoxiong Chung. because of his devotion to her.

Meiyi was married to  Zhaoxiong Chung

They were married in 1972

Gave birth to her son, Elton
 
In 1973, she gave birth to her first child, Elton. 

She describes Elton  as an obedient child.  He was not that serious about learning as a child, and was more interested in outdoor activities.  Similar to herself .
She called him a "fang niu ban" which means a cow watcher. 
As he got older, his character became more serious.  Meiyi described Elton as a late bloomer.  In 2008, Elton restarted school, and was in the process of finishing his masters degree.

Gave birth to her daughter, Cynthia

 

When Meiyi was 25, she gave birth to her second child, Cynthia.
Meiyi remembers Cynthia as a tomboy.  She didn't like to play with dolls when she was young.  She used her chopsticks like a gun.  She spent her time playing with her brothers.
Meiyi was very proud of Cynthia and how she changed over the years.  Cynthia changed her career from nursing to IT and eventually to sales.  She also went to the US to get a degree in 2004.
When Cynthia was awarded her degree in the US, Meiyi traveled to there to witness it.  She was very proud.

Gave birth to Zenn

In 1976 she gave birth to her last child, Zenn. 

Zenn was a very kind child.  She remembers Zenn used to get very attached to objects.  When he was very small, he loved his blanket.  He and the blanket were inseperable.  However, the blanket eventually got so dirty, that she felt compelled to replace it.  Eventually, she moved Zenn's obsession to a face towel.  But even that got dirty over time.  It seemed like the uglier the smell and taste, the more attached to got to it.  This habit continued in middle school when he received an elephant toy.  After years of trying to dump it, Zenn finally gave up the elephant toy... at 32.

Receiving her birthday earrings

On her birthday around 1980, her three children took a bus to Zhonghua Market to buy her a present.  They were only 6-7 years old.  They went into town unaccompanied and found her a cheap set of earrings.  This is one of her favorite memories.