意猶未盡 SPLENDID FLAVORS
當天的這張照片裡，居中的兩位夫妻是我們的HOME爸、HOME媽，因為他們接待了我們遠道而來的客人。HOME爸與HOME媽居住的地點是一個氣派雄偉的大樓。由於僅有於來客抵達機場時的一面之緣，對於他們的為人處世不大清楚，所以對方交待我們於合照當日的十一點整抵達，為時兩小時談話，我們便謹遵指示。
That day inside the photo, the couple
standing at the middle would be the host and hostess of the Homestay Family who
have received our distinguished guests from overseas. This couple live inside
an impressive edifice. As I never interacted with them, except for a brief
HELLO when we were all meeting our international guests at our international
airport, I advised all those who’re invited to be on time, in accordance with
their instructions, that we’d begin our meet-up from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.
沒想到相談甚歡，一聊聊到快五點才結束!!!我想，一定是大家的出發點都是愛心滿滿，這樣的相聚才會如此相見恨晚!!!
What we never expected would be that our
meet-up went more than two hours. The session ended when it was almost 5:00 p.m.
I figure it must be that the energy surrounding us was about KINDNESS and SHARING,
something very positive, so that the meet-up lasted longer than planned!
Those two guests visiting Taiwan are filled
with stories they’d like to share with us. For the retired principal, his story
would be evolved from his being sponsored by some kind foreigners who later have
continuous interactions with him and his wonderful family until this day. For another
gentleman, his works of artistic creations are so well-reputed that his crafts
scatter all around! When these two gentlemen mention about their family and
their respective other, better half, their loving kindness can be very touching.
接待遠方來客的男主人及女主人在當年是遠距離書信談戀愛，跨國戀情，男方還由於「看上」女方時，對方仍有男友，所以苦苦等侯多年……如今兩人白手起家後，經營事業有成，便毅然決然將事業無條件交付給專業經理人繼續經營，並在女兒於遠地求學之際，以餘暇時間進行社會公益活動。談著談著才知道原來女方還是藝術方面的高手，令人佩服不已!!!
After chatting with each other, we have
learned that the host and hostess were writing to each other before they got
married, as they’re in different parts of the world during such moments! When
the gentleman met his future wife, an outstanding florist or flower arranger, she
was still in a relationship with another man, resulting the courtship lasted
for quite a few years. By the time they were married, they began from the scratch
and successfully reached a certain level of the magnitude of their business. Later,
they handed their much-achieved business to a professional manager for free. At
the moment, their daughter is studying for her degree overseas while the two of
them do voluntary works for the general public.
在座一位台籍公部門主管退休女士，幾次於我的國際友人在台時期擔任招待工作，讓大家在他們家中飯桌上品嚐其高齡九十母親的美饌佳肴，凡到過之外籍友人均讚不絕口。其一家人均樂善好施，為善不落人後，方能促成一個又一個美好故事的串連。
此一九十高齡之女性曾與我言及：
「我出嫁的時候，我父親交待我，如果妳先生跟妳吵架，就充耳不聞，所以我遇到先生在外面偷腥、跟我大小聲講話等種種事情，都裝作沒事，就連先生把外面的女朋友帶到家裡來，我也照樣奉茶、煮飯給人家吃……我管他那麼多呢?! 把孩子們拉拔大比較重要!」
最奇妙的則是大姊和母親一家人都茹素，卻在與外籍和本國人士的餐桌之上，沒有人可以想像素食怎麼經過大姊母親，可以變得那麼好吃……令人好生敬佩這位總是客氣地說「沒有工作過一天」的九十高齡女士的睿智。
Another person who used to work at the
public sector and her 90-year-old Mom have invited my foreign guests to their
home for delicious meals cooked single-handed by this 90-year-old lady. Her cuisines
are always so delicious that no one could have imagined those are vegetarian
dishes. The entire family enjoys sharing with the needed their fortune.
During our many conversations, this wise 90-year-old
Mom told me that “When I was about to get married, my Dad told me to stay quiet
and do my things when my husband makes girlfriends or argues with me. That is
why when my husband wanted to fight with me, he had no one to fight with; when
he brough his girlfriends home, I would offer these females tea and meals. Why should
I care about what he’s doing? Rearing my kids is the priority!”
在座的還有一對均於百年樹人的教育界退休的台籍校長夫妻，則另有佳話……兩人在學生時期就是偏遠地區服務隊的成員，充滿愛心，透過活動而跨校結識，結髮至今，先生急公好義為人爽朗，妻子則秀外慧中談吐不俗，一雙兒女更是藝高人膽大於不同領域擁有非凡表現。每每與他們會面總可在相處過程中習之甚多，實在極其榮幸!!!
一回，為了讓遠赴台灣教書但又茹素的外籍同仁能夠享受台灣的素食，他們甚至請遠在其他縣市的後輩老師一起坐陪，讓我們享用了極為可口的素食晚宴。
或者他們最令人津津樂道的，是在對外籍人士根本不熟悉、也不在組織架構制衡的情況之下，熱情接待外來訪客，不但帶著對方去划船、與學生們的家長互動、到遠地農場參訪，還如照片中的男女主人般換穿遠地人士當地服飾，贏得許多喝采。
Also present would be a couple who used to
work in the field of education in Taiwan, with the husband as a retired high
school principal. This couple were working for the needed when they were merely
college students. Filled with kindness, they married and have cultivated a
daughter and a son who are quite talented in their own different fields. Every time
when I see this couple, there are many lessons to learn from them—how lucky I am!
One evening, they invited my foreign
colleague, another teacher working in the field of education, and myself for a
vegetarian meal together since the foreign teacher of mine was new in town. This
couple’s hospitability goes far beyond a meal, for they’re the ones taking care
of one of the special guests from overseas during those days he visited Taiwan
for the first time, in which this guest was brought for rowing boat,
interacting with parents, visiting farmland and so on. This couple were even
dressed traditionally, like the host and hostess in the photo, for the celebration
of a friend coming from afar.
同樣在座的還有目前在長照單位服務的授証護士，總以她最為親切的態度和行止，讓人們充盈著滿滿的感動，尤其在我們的相聚一刻之後，她立馬書寫了一封短文感謝遠道而來的訪客們，滿滿的愛心讓人感動不已。只是，在我們相聚的時刻，明明也是英語條件不弱的她，卻總客氣地讓我持續為大家轉譯所談內容，一如台籍校長夫人般謙虛!!!
Also present would be a certified nurse who
works in the long-term care facilities at present. As a very patient person,
she often walks and speaks with much warmth. By the time she reached home that very
evening, she composed an English letter and asked me to forward to our distinguished
foreign guests, thanking them for their visit. She is with quite fine English
ability, but like the local retired principal’s wife, they often allow me to translate
for every person participating our gather-togethers.
兩位來訪的貴賓一位是足跡已經遍布世界各地的退休校長，其生動而充滿活力的言行舉止，讓各處與他交流的人士們都期待與他和他出色的妻子及一家人，持續進行更多互動；而他所帶來的另一位貴客則是名滿天下的藝術家，長於雕刻各種媒材，作品享譽國際。當他們二人或對於成長過程中受到先進國家人士提攜的故事有所著墨時，令人動容，或提及妻小時的愛慕、愛護之情，令人玩味。
種種交流談話間的美好，就因為我必須透過不斷提問及轉譯，反而讓我自己的印象最深刻也說不定!!!也許是這樣的原因，我總是鼓勵學生們能夠盡量參與任何必須以英語表達思慮的場合，就盡量參加，其實道理很簡單：
英語已經成為幾十億人口的慣用強勢語言，大家慣用這個語言的態勢在無法頓時消失的情況下，彼此之間的溝通在運用此語言之上，變得更為重要，所以鍛鍊這個語言的熟稔度，自然也非常重要。
Actually, since I needed to translate and raise
questions, I might have felt even more strongly towards the beauty of such
interactions. Maybe this would be one of the main reasons I tend to encourage all
my students to participate in any events utilizing English. My reasoning is
very simple: English is a language billions of people have used to communicate
with one another; asking any of us to stop using English is very unlikely. Since
it will become more and more important, to be effectively communicable really
relies on our practices of such a foreign language.
人們在日常生活中往往認為「我不重要」，但又可能在那些最為緊要的時刻感到「我最重要」，這種在內裡像打架一樣的思緒使得許多人染上箇疾或者心病，然而從我的角度看，世上的事情非常簡易，其實只是認知人與人之間的關係環環相扣，從而進行單純的交流、溝通、付出，如此簡單罷了。
During our daily lives, we often think “I
am not that important.” However, in some moments of crises, we may feel “I am the
most important.” Such conflicts can pepper in our behaviors which can lead to physical
and/or mental sicknesses. From my angle, to solve such problems can be quite
smooth or easy—it is to recognize that we are all connected, so much so that we
can facilitate simple interactions of ideas, create chances for communications,
and share with the others what we have.
當我們心態純正做一些事情，沒有像是計較或者攀比等等負面的心態，自自然然地便成就了一個又一個美好的故事，留給我們在那些吉光片羽的時刻，產生回味無窮的美好。
When we hold the righteous, correct mindset,
we do not fall into negative traps or mindsets such as calculating or
comparing. Naturally, we form one beautiful story after another by and by,
which, of course, leave us superb memories savoring the best moments of our
lives.
結語
Afterthoughts
This world continues to amaze me.
這個世界持續以不同的姿態使我感到驚奇。
As a consequence of my actions taken for the
benefits of the others, I can encounter customs officers or ground crews at
different airports informing me that due to reasons causing me overwhelming
headaches, I was not allowed to continue my journeys the ways I intended; whatever
frustrations I must have felt at the moments could not be shared with anyone
around me at all, most of whom holiday makers, as I often conduct my service
journeys solo, with no companions.
由於進行了義務服務這樣的課題，自然，我所遇到的事件也會與這樣的道途，息息相關，好比，我可能會在繼續於世界某處的行程時，被某種人士告知我不能夠再繼續原訂行程，當下，由於我可能採取一人行動的方式，甚至連個能夠討論的對象都沒有，畢竟，觸目所及可能都是度假及遊玩的旅客。
Alternatively, I can be face to face with
students who are either in despair or ecstasy, luckily most would fall into the
latter category out of reasons with mysteries, that when they see me, they are
more than eager to learn while we study altogether—these students are from
varied family backgrounds leading to their diversified personal traits in the
same public school class sessions while at all times, I practice similar
teaching methodologies to various classes with all sorts of individuals to just
be fair, especially during my experimental stage of teaching in the elementary
school settings all over again.
同樣的，有可能我會在給自己一個在教學現場的新挑戰後，發現自己所面對的是一群又一群可能感到坐在我的教室裡面極度歡樂、或者完全相反情緒的公校學生們，還好的是、幸運的是，大部份我所指導的學生們是樂於與我一同學習的，而我也實在無法取悅每一個學生，所以，我就盡我所能的在我所實驗的不同班級裡面，運用我從自己的教育水平中所取得的知識，與這些莘莘學子們教學相長。
Then, it happened one of my most important
allies needed to visit my homeland where I could not host the team supposed to
be two. I ordered and paid accommodations for them, only to realize one of them
could not arrive and the accommodation fees paid by me was not to be refunded.
在這一個又一個不同的階段裡面，突然，一位我在國外服務地點的重要盟友和他的隊友，要到台灣造訪，然而他所抵達的時間，也恰巧是我無法親身接待的時刻，這時，除了幫他們訂定旅館和安排其他我能夠安排的事宜，感覺上我似乎無法做太多。接著我才發現，雖然這位重要盟友已經抵台，他的隊友卻由於種種情事而無法來台，我為他們所付的旅館費用亦不能退回……
On top of all these, someone can comment “You
are fatter, aren’t you?” Perplexed since most people complain that I am literally
“too skinny,” I did not answer this question right away, especially on that day,
I was wearing two skirts as the outside one was too transparent. Or when I have
prepared gifts for all those who are so kind to me or to the others, I can hear
“Oh, so you are also very good at shopping!” As usual, I did not voice anything
back, for I believe I am not good at shopping and when I have to buy things, most
of the time, it must be out of the reasons of public good. Yet, does it matter
what we have heard from the others? I am convinced when we have something
important to do, none of the comments from the others matter that much. It does
not mean we do not respect such people voicing such ideas. It shows, however,
we are determined and we are on our paths.
尤有甚者，可能我會面臨人家問我：
「妳變胖了?!」
我有點花容失色所以一時之間沒有回應的主因，其實是由於那天所穿的裙子實在色調太淺而透明，所以我是穿了兩條裙子……
又或者，為了這些愛心人士所準備的愛心小禮品，可能換來他人不明究理說及：
「原來妳也是個買貨!!」
這更令我不知如何回應，所以微笑以對：
實則，平常我的消費習慣幾乎和義務服務都必須扯上邊邊角角……
只是，別人對我們的說法有那麼重要嗎?
這倒不是不尊重他人的想法，而是，如果我們所行走的是一條康莊大道，那麼，我們又何苦執著於他人的意見之上呢？
To me, I am delighted that through the years,
I have stayed on such a path that I am firmly certain to be alright, and that
is why I know I will be alright.
我想我必須感到榮幸、幸運、喜悅的，是我仍然走在相同的道途上，山清水秀而泰然自若。
泰然自若而山清水秀的主因，自然是像一個又一個因為義務工作而牽連出的故事、飯局一般，如此意猶未盡而令人回味無窮!!!
Comments
Post a Comment