秋節無處不飛花 The Flames Speaking the Languages of Loving Kindness

Kindly go to the later parts for the English version if you are one of my friends with English proficiency. Thank you very much for your patience. 

落筆而下，數千字就這樣娓娓行來，本來希望取名為「馨香薪傳」，但是，另一個題名經過微調後，如此輕輕巧巧躍上心頭。

服務的道途，沒有強迫、沒有硬拗、沒有虛假，一如過去，一如今昔，一如未來。

如果我會在人間有著閃閃淚光的片片斷斷，那多半來自於在經由服務的歷程而於世界各地萬家燈火之中，有著無以計數的感動樂章。

本文開始之初先附上一位在文中描寫，於北美工作的(男性)學生因為週六無法親臨現場，而遠渡重洋為了大家這樣的一路行來而書寫(字體加諸色彩)的作品……以其角度拆解所謂「服務」是為何物。文中的另一名(女性)學生則與他有所不同，工作之洲別亦有不同。

我本身的學經歷其實從來是為了準備讓自己有更好的服務角度而切入，所以，在海外的、在國內的、在各地的高等教育學府，不論是任教過、學習過、現正在學習之處，所能夠讓我悠遊的，也就是「感動」二字得以涵蓋。

感動自然是與這許許多多年幼的、年長的、世界各地所結識的前輩們、後輩們、平輩們所帶給我的光火，我更感動的，是上蒼賜予我的能量讓我得以行萬里而讀萬卷、再讀萬卷而行萬里，環環相扣，一絲不苟，沒有勉強，只有感恩，只有祝福。

海外服務    

撰文者    陳璿安    

現職    洛克菲勒大學研究員

或許很多人聽到海外服務有些望之卻步，認為自己並沒有甚麼特別的財力或是專長能夠去”服務”其他第三世界國家的人，但我想說的是所謂的海外服務其實並不如大家想像的遙不可及，更多時候是踏出那一步的勇氣，面對舒適圈外的未知地帶，盡力去探索自己的各種可能性。

或許這些描述聽起來有些抽象，但我想分享先前我在大學時參與的服務隊一個小故事作為例子，讓大家稍微能了解我在旅途中所獲得的成長。那時我們社團頭幾趟出隊，前往位於緬甸東北邊一個叫錫普的小鎮，先前ET(當時因與學生錄製廣播節目而有此稱呼，實為Hope同一人)已在當地有稍微探點過，但是詳細的服務項目仍在洽談中。而故事就發生在我們第一次出隊時，我們前往(位居緬甸北邊)錫普準備與一個距離小鎮約45分鐘路程，較為原始的部落(無固定水源以及電)進行接洽，主要以英語教育以及物資上的捐助為主，並尋求其他合作的可能性。那時我們幾個夥伴剛在鎮上的青年旅館落腳，對於周遭環境可說是一問三不知，但是在某個早晨ET就突然不見蹤影(應是獨自前往部落)，只留下幾句字條要我們在鎮上解決一些任務，回來要來檢驗是否完成。而任務事項是去當地的一些店鋪詢問一些未來進行合作上的事宜，想當然對我們這些先前只是跟在ET當跟屁蟲的大學生而言可說是天大的挑戰，不僅語言上不通外，我們對當地的地理方位甚至毫無頭緒，但隨著夥伴之間的討論，以及逐一詢問當地旅館老闆以及外國背包客，我們逐漸找到方向並逐一完成交辦事項，其中也包括我們後來準備要為部落村民解決穩定水源問題的方案的初步洽談，雖說詳細細節已經記不清了，但是我只記得那天在一個人生地不熟的地方完成了各種設定的目標的感動。事後回想，發現即使我們人在台灣也不一定能如此有效率的完成，只能說there’s a will there’s a way，即使操著一口不流利的英文，若是想溝通總能有辦法能透過各種方式讓對方了解意思。而時光飛逝，在經歷了兩三趟的旅途與後續，我們也總算成功完成我們當初設立的目標，除了持續的英語教育以及物資捐助外，我們也設立了獎學金讓當地成績優秀的學童能繼續升學，並替村落設立了水塔以供他們在冬天也有穩定的水源。雖然這一路上仍有許多的困難，但我仍對那個兵荒馬亂的早晨最為印象深刻，畢竟踏出那未知的第一步總是最讓人猶疑不定的。

或許有些人會疑問這些經驗或體悟在當背包客時也能感受到，但我想說的是當旅途的目的不同時所能得到回饋是截然不同的，如果只是以休閒旅遊為目的，那遇到的困難將大多為自身需求，例如要去哪裡要吃甚麼之類的，所面臨的困難通常可預見的；但若是在進行有計畫性的志願活動時，我們必須達成一些先前設立的目標，因此必須得與當地人有更深入的接觸與交流以理解他們的需求，不僅要克服語言上的不同，甚至是處事以及文化上的差異，以及意料之外地插曲，而從中所得到的經驗肯定為更加深刻與廣闊。

因此我認為海外服務這個聽起來很崇高的活動或許可以稍微分為兩個部分，海外見聞以及服務，每個人從中這兩方面能獲得的各有不同，有人或許比較著重在海外新奇事物的感受，而有些人或許願意繼續追隨老師無私的服務精神，不管是哪種都是屬於自身的成長，讓自己成為一個更好、精神更富足的人。而對我而言，我想這在幾趟服務最大的收穫當屬於在克服這種種不同困難後，我期許自己能帶著如同勇闖異域的勇氣去扛起在人生旅途中面臨的一切挑戰，努力追隨自己的夢想，並學會堅定自己的內心在爾後決定毅然決然踏上了美國的求學之路，並將所學貢獻醫療界。

編按：本文撰寫者大學時期在台接受Hope指導開始了解英語思維、英語寫作、英語口說模式，力戰全額獎學金取得，於大學階段先後出隊多次至東南亞國度及東非 

 

 

A  PRELUDE前言

 

本文因創作時間不同，時而先行英語、或者華文。文中所提之2023 11/11的活動，其海報為如上海報，敬請參酌並請惠予批評指教。特別感謝對於此項歷年來或為大型方式、又或以小型方式舉辦的活動，表達關懷或者參與之情的前輩、晚輩、朋友們。

This work is created at different moments with either English or Mandarin Chinese arriving in my creative process first. For the event or occasion on 11th Nov, 2023, the poster is again pasted above. Anyone’s participation or understanding of it is appreciated. I would like to thank all those who care about such an event or occasion, which used to be grand or small throughout the years.

 

 

For this one specifically, it would be out of the inspiration from a former student of mine who is mentioned in the first part of this work just below this. Over the years, the sharing events of everybody’s good deeds cannot be rated as one single person’s heroic trip only. In fact, it is everyone’s heroic footsteps willing to be told and shared forming charming stories worthy to be narrated everywhere around the globe; through these, we are inspired to be more creative, understanding, and thus loving.

此次活動之所以舉辦，源起於一位曾與Hope於大學課堂上學習，十分認真好學而又努力的學生，後與Hope至東非服務，又於生涯職場中開啟於海外工作歷程的學生難得必需返台而辦。(與此名學生的談話及交流內容在下面第二個章節中有較為細部的述說。)但歷年來舉辦此種各地深耕之服務分享會對我個人而言，是看到各種各樣形形色色的人士，以大家各種多元之法，助益社會及世界的美好，也由於這樣長期的學習與相互師法的歷程，人們才能更加充滿動力、啟發，進而對於這個生命及我們所處理的人、事、物產生關懷之情。

談從種子引伸至夢想 A Disussion of Seeds to Ambitions   (點擊可見  Click for access please)

                                                                        A Work Drawn By Myself 

                                                                                      自創畫作

Hence, to say that the Knights’ Thanksgiving sharing event is one way for us to express one’s gratitude and passion along the quest of essence of life is not an exaggeration. Further, to indicate inside such an event, all sorts of stories will be synthesized to form better stories cannot be overlooked. That is why every year, during those moments of such sharing events, I am much more humbled, for my dedication and the flames towards making the world a better place only gets stronger each and every time, as, according to Principal Sempettah, one of the key persons in my African family adopting me as their family members has expressed, “…actions and good intentions can be rekindled.”

是以，要說起此次的(如中古世紀般行俠仗義的)騎士服務分享之旅，是放大解釋個人英雄主義，不如說那是許許多多人的勇氣聚集，而開展的一段又一段波瀾壯闊的生命交織的歷程，當中的汗水淋漓，自不在話下，而我個人透過這樣的經年歷程，也透過這樣歷來多有的分享會，只是不斷將自己的服務熱忱進行重整、端詳、再重整、再端詳，一如在東非「收容」了我的中產階級家族裡面的重要關鍵人物，前中小學校校長所言「服務及其背後的信念是種溫故知新的歷程。」

 

 

B The Reason緣由

One of my hardworking students excelling in her career working overseas has to return to Taiwan for a while; since she cannot join us this Saturday for the sharing event of her experience in Kenya, we met and discussed about related issues involving her work, life, and experience of visiting Africa in the past. Our discussion lasted more than five hours, by the two of us standing, after the door of a famous coffee shop closed, at the corner of a busy interaction with all the vehicles rushing through us. Content of our discussion covered all those aspects listed above.

我的一位一向知書達禮又極其努力的學生已於海外開創自己的天地，此次因故返國，本來這場臨時舉辦的分享會源起於歡迎此名學生，卻沒有料到陰錯陽差之下，本週六她無法出席，但礙於其經歷自有其獨道之處，我們相約於她在台灣之時於本週六前見面，如此，我可於週六現場轉述其思想、行為之梗概。

 

 

我們的會面共歷時五個多小時，談話直到夜闌人靜，所處之咖啡店必須關門，我們仍站在深夜車水馬龍的市中心十字路口前討論與其生活、工作、乃至於過去她曾與我們一同行腳抵達的東非洲當地，以及相關的服務精髓。

 

 

「老師，如果不是您這樣努力督促，我是不會想與老師見面、或分享這些事情的，因為我認為這是十分個人的歷程，沒有必要分享，因為一旦談到我個人的歷程，我不知道聽者會有什麼樣的感受……」這位學生說道。

 

 

我的回應是「每個人都有十足的潛力，每個人都因為這樣的潛力而有做決定的能力，我們只是將某種訊息解說與他人，至於別人如何接收，老師的淺見，是不需在我們的考慮之內。這樣的觀點如何呢?」

 

 

學生若有所思……此時我反問了一個問題：

「為什麼時至今日，只要老師去任何場合分享這些和國際教育、國際服務與學習歷程等有關的事情，大家仍然問的都是—遇到的最重大的困境是什麼?」

 

 

學生馬上說：「當然是由於大家怕麻煩、怕累，事情愈簡單愈好呀!」

 

 

「妳的觀點是老師不曾思考的角度耶，」我說。「老師的看法，則是一如某句英語俗諺所言—每個人都有生活/生命中的燙手山芋要面對，所以，我們要以和善待人—從這個角度來看，因為每個人都有困難重重的關卡要面對，因為生活已經這麼累、生命已經如此麻煩，很不容易想像一個如果已經超出我們想像空間的事情，還會有多困難，也就是說大家會不由自主將國際服務、任何服務視為困難重重之事，所以大家才會這樣詢問……有沒有可能呢?」

 

 

“I never really want to share with the others about my experience in Africa, for it is merely a part of the experience. In addition, it is very personal, and I am uncertain whether people would hesitate, question, dislike, or like what I can offer…” She said.

 

 

I replied by stating that "With potentials, people can make their own decisions. What each of us can do is to share our ideas with one another while respecting their decisions.” She seemed to be thinking about my words. After that, I asked “Why do you think people are always asking me ‘What are the difficulties you have encountered when you do all these things to help the needed in the world?’”

 

 

She replied by indicating “Everyone wants things to be as easy as a piece of cake! No one wants hardships.”

 

 

“I agree,” said I, “yet you look at the whole thing from another perspective I never explored, for I tend to think that the saying ‘Be kind, for everyone is fighting a hard battle’ rings true. That is why in our lives, we have already fought hard battles. Knowing this, we would wonder and imagine by doing something that seems to be harder than the ordinary; in this case, serving those who are strangers living far away, there must be many difficulties to overcome. Don’t you think so?”  

 

 

C 永無止境  Endlessness

 

Is there an end towards what we have learned or what we are learning now?

針對我們的學習，是否有其終點呢?

 

Professionally speaking in the knowledge-absorption directions, business would be the first domain of knowledge I acquired, followed by literature, particularly English and western literature; later, I went to study in the field of education. At present, I am learning visual art, in which I am cultivated by masters mastering different creative works. What I find to be extremely surprising would be that, like educating people or reading a literary work, art has different forms which can be interpreted and/or created by the viewers. Likewise, I begin to realize and learn gradually that in terms of creating pieces of artworks, what is important is not the skill itself, but what lies inside the mind of the individuals creating their works. Identically, a person can achieve such academic standards but would be poor teachers in his/her students’ eyes: one thing my peers and I discovered when we were all taught at that university mentioned as follows; the professor, my peers  and I all gave that piece of creative work of such professors, namely, their lectures, our piece of mind signifying our viewpoints. Fascinatingly, the world of literature filled with many stories are with the similar mechanism where the writers and readers can both render their feelings or emotions subjectively.   

 

 

When I was earning one of my higher degrees in one of the top five universities in the world, after knowing that inside those well-constructed libraries tourists all over the world would visit at least the outside, for they are not the students nor faculty members in that very university, as tourists take photos from outside the libraries located at different places in that university town/city, I would access all the published English books in human history because as students, we could book and go to any one of the libraries to have access to those published English books. I was more than thrilled. Instead of spending time on my own courses, I ordered on-line all the English titles regarding anything in relation to the world of art. Daily, I was in the library, even when it was snowy outside—inside, it was warm, both the environment itself and my mindset that carried the seeds of doing more for the world. At the moment, I could not have predicted my future of serving the others to such a level that many whom I have known have evaluated me as the kind who have forsaken many earthly invaluable possessions like fame, properties and so on others very often chase; rather, in their eyes, I have chosen to walk onto a very different path. For me, though, the path is very ideal, for it is a path for me to have the opportunities to form my traces of serving the needed, material or mentality-wise.

                        A Part of the Libraries of That Very University Attended (by Hope)

                                        該所筆者曾就讀大學之其中一所圖書館

Of course, I would not have imagined, either, that I would be “arranged” to return back to a city where I used to grow up, to experience the life of a teacher in the elementary schools all over again, only to be a lot more welcomed by my students and those around me, and to be admitted for another higher degree program, this time, truly in relation to art, by a university where I used to obtain my formal license for elementary school level in Taiwan via the courses there. Certainly, it has become very challenging for me to explain everything in detail, like how it is possible that newly formed songs can just ring in my ears when I would have to teach a new lesson without English teaching materials but have to be combined with English, or how my colleagues or friends working in east Africa would be communicating with me in terms of things related to their better survival. All these are magical moments.

 

 

For example, another outstanding student of mine, while being overseas working, just recently commented that

“I don’t know you still would like to return back for degrees in higher education.”

 

 

Another example would be that some individuals in faraway places told me just recently that

“We have not seen people who would care about us like the way you do.”

 

 

Or, for instance, my friends in the advanced regions of the world lately explained to me that

“You just have that mind to make friends everywhere in the world.”

 

 

All these codes or secrets in life are literally enchanting in my mind that I never expected I would be creating artistic works at this very moment, once again, all these years, after my then works were being praised by one of the professors retiring from the same university where I attend now.

 

 

當擁有進入世界排名前五強就學的門票時，和我的同儕不同的，是我並未專心致志於學術上的研究，尤在得知觀光客趨之若鶩的必定遊歷景點，即該校各個座落於城中不同位置之圖書館，保存有歷史以來所有英語版本之出版品時，欣喜若狂的我每天「泡」在圖書館裡面的首要課題，就是先在網上預訂所有與藝術相關的書籍，並且在即始隆冬雪日也暖烘烘的圖書館裡面，好整以暇花上一整天慢慢閱讀這些對我而言的歷史文物。

 

 

當時的我並不確切知道自己在內心種下的苗芽，竟然會在日後引領我走上一條服務的志業，此志業牽動我的一舉一動，使知道我的人們極易於表述我所放棄的附鳳攀龍或者富貴榮華。只是，「服務」這條路對我而言再合適不過，因為我得以不斷從做中學，從學中做，站在一種持平的角度，更微妙而良質地調整所有這與我服務人群和物種間的各樣圖騰。

 

 

自然，我也不會明白，原來在我的生活和工作歷程中，甚至有某一種神秘而不可預期的安排，像是這一個階段，我重新回到年幼學生的公校場域、回到小時候生長過的同一個都會中的行政區，以及，重回到過去所修習過正式教師資格學分的高等教育場域中，去真正修習和藝術相關的另一個學位。

 

 

這些生命中的密碼令我著迷。之所以著迷，像是一位表現優異，人卻也在異鄉的學生最近對我表示：

「我不知道老師您還會想再拿學位耶。」

 

 

之所以著迷，又或是一群在異國深山中的當地人近日對我提到：

「我們還沒有碰過像妳這樣會願意關注我們的外來人士呢!!!」

 

 

之所以著迷，又或是在先進國度中的我的盟友、長輩們在日前才說道：

「妳就是有那種可以和各種區域的人士交流的氣魄!!!」

 

 

之所以著迷，也是由於我沒有想像過自己會重新進到一個，在我並非身為一藝術科班生學生的過去，卻被教授藝術相關的已退休教授賞識過我的藝術創作，爾後經過那些年，甚至在異鄉圖書館中翻閱藝術書籍的吉光片羽，再重新回到同一個位居台灣的高等學府校園，重新開始創作的歷程，一如那些藝術創作的因子從來不曾遠離似的，即始我在那時之後，未曾真正再度使用這份創作的能量。這有點雷同當再度教授數量龐大的年幼學童時，未曾有人創作過的歌謠如此自自然然在我的腦海中生成一般。

我到底怎麼了呢? 

What has happened to me?

 

 

 

I am aware that from the time I was reading those books of art, in that world-class university, I have carried the kind of mission that this life is not merely for myself, for I cannot be granted with all these very unique opportunities, one after another, with such privileges. The sheer power of such privileges has become the way I am today, the person I will become in the days to come, and those whom I will be exposed to, thanks to the arrangements that are beautifully arranged in my life.

我想我能夠確定的，是當上天賦予我那樣的、在一個世界級名校的圖書館裡閱讀的閒情逸致，就讓我帶有必須為這個世間增色的使命。

 

為何會有這樣的信念呢?

 

我想，這是來自於我在生命當中所遇見的所有美好元素，一路以來的延伸，令我有著這樣的信念。

 

 

Perhaps it is due to this kind of belief in life, that I am in this world to serve at a better level, that when I am in my “old” university on my homeland, I discovered that, through the guidance of a newly met and kindhearted senior school sister, that I learned about the library and how to use it, allowing me to see the wonder of the freshly newly renovated library totally different from the one I went to when I was a student there. The current library is quite modern, emitting the qualities of world-class universities.

也許是這樣對於生命的熱好以及信念，竟然，在一位良善且樂於分享的學姊之帶領之下，我首度進入了開學後從來沒有進過的圖書館，這個圖書館和我以前所唸讀時的圖書館，已經完全不同，煥然一新的整修和摩登的等級，逼近極有規模的世界級大學之感，令我有些瞠目結舌。

 

 

At where I am teaching now on my homeland, hundreds of students/pupils greet me merrily daily, as if I am an artwork walking on their catwalk in their mind. Never did I anticipate that I would be this welcomed by such younger students of different grade levels…

目前在我所任教的公立學校之中，幾百名我所任教的學生們每天愉悅地與我打招呼，好似我走在他們腦海中所設計的伸展台上一般，有著他們目光中獨有的風采似的，但我始終沒有料想到決定重回公校，於第一線教學這種年齡相對於我的成年學生們幾乎過度幼小的學生群，會受到這等隆重的禮遇。

 

 

What have I done to have such privilege?

我的行腳過程究竟哪個部份，讓我得以享有這樣的禮遇?

 

 

How do I provide my feedback to the world?

我又該如何回饋這個世界? 這個社會? 許許多多不同的、我所到過的地點?

 

 

I believe I can only humbly serve more, spread better messages, and make myself a true piece of artwork!

我相信我只能更加謙和、更有技巧及充滿策略而進行更有質感的付出。