「動物大搬家!!!」 "Animals Move Homes!!!"
“She graduated from Harvard, Cambridge, or
what… I am not sure. She’s a TOEIC teacher.” When Chair Chin, a retiree
introducing me to her friends, her social circle, she said these words to them.
I thought about it hard, about it has
become literally impossible to introduce me to the others with merely a
sentence, about why I have become this “monstrous” that maybe some people would
prefer staying far away from me, especially those who’re with the same origin
like that of mine, for who could have possibly imagine a female choosing to be
single and independent to extend her helping hand to the needed in the
international community when she was in her prime age… Hence, I totally get why
people have feelings of apprehensions or even anxiety when they socialize with
me.
“What is it that she’s doing exactly?” They
would ask through their body language from time to time. Were I not a very
determined person about what I ought to do, I think I would have fainted or
shrunk into my shell long, long time ago, scared by people’s inward comments
here and there.
Survived that I have had, particularly via
countless ordeals when I have tried to handle this and that in such “missions” I
have tried to lift, and Chair Chin, ALAS, through some very magical
arrangements, have landed in my life again.
The first time she “landed” in my life took
place more than a decade ago, when I earned my degree from University of
Oxford, after I decided I would quit my public servant work in my homeland and
teach adults, still at my homeland, in private institutes for their ambitions
to study overseas or become more fluent in English, and at government offices
where people needed to polish their English skills due to a variety of reasons.
One day, a person whom I had worked with told me the following.
“Ms Wang, we’ve got a (lecturing) case of a
rather peculiar nature from one of the government offices. Instead of a staff
member, a seemingly dominant supervisor from that government office approached
us in person, stating she has to find someone not very good looking, with quite
fine educational background, ‘abundant’ experiences in teaching people who are
public servants, inspirational enough to make her staffers not to fall asleep
because of the lengthy grammatical rules ‘analyzed’ during the sessions, and
good at singing English songs so her colleagues are able to learn English with
that sort of exuberance that they’d start to love using English. I am afraid
the other teachers would not quality for the criteria she has asked for. About the
part that lecturer should not be good looking, let us just say that you left
your flight attendant career since you’re not as ‘appealing’ as you’re younger anymore?”
Noticing I was rather puzzled by all the
information she had filled me in, the person talking to me said,
“Oh, Ms Wang, we’ve approached many
teachers in our human resource bank already. None of them feels confident to take
this case. Would you please at least go there to give it a try?”
A few days later, I was in that government
office teaching a roomful of students who would like to face English test(s)
requested by our government at that moment. Long story short, these dozens of
people were excelling in their performance of taking such English test(s) after
being instructed by me and before I was invited, this time, by the office
itself, not through intermediary agent, but directly by Chair Chin and her
staffers, to keep teaching them. Originally, the English test tackled and
taught in the class sessions was merely one; later, we focused on more than one
English test, with the English learning sessions extended to the scopes of
daily conversations, touching stories, songs, plus many more, making me believe
that when possible, I should introduce drama to this group of adult, public servant
learners. Moreover, Chair Chin and her staff members decided to hold an English
singing contest by inviting me as one of the judges; an English singing contest
would be something not often seen in government offices where I have taught.
Our story should have ended when the budget
from that government office regarding hiring an English lecturer to teach the
people there was depleted, yet, Chair Chin’s co-workers transferred to other
parts of Taiwan have kept inviting me for lectures and so on. Thanks to the
initial collaboration under the specific notion that “I should not be beautiful
enough,” I have had the pleasure to travel to different parts of Taiwan due to
this particular government office. Topics of my lectures have extended to the
environmental sustainability and helping the very needed from the angles of a
global community where I have dearly and wholeheartedly served. At one place of
Taiwan, for example, some college students who used to go with me to east
Africa were with me to do a presentation about how locals there in east Africa
were encouraged to plant more trees and vegetables, dubbed by myself as the
OASIS PLAN at the very moment. For each and every session of such classes
lectured and led by me, I have had the pleasure and honor to remember my
inceptive footstep at that particular government office that Chair Chin used to
work as the Head of HR Dept.
Other layers of the entire story was I got
even the opportunity to translate many of the documents announced to the
general public in English from Mandarin on the official website of that
particular government office; furthermore, individuals from that specific
office taking the English sessions I have managed have begun to have more
interactions with me on their personal levels. For example, someone would like
me to teach her children who’re brilliant high school or college students
English, while the others would like to contribute to my global humanitarian
causes either financially like making donations, asking their own friends to follow
their suit after linking me with their friends, or visiting remote areas of the
world with me so they become more aware of the economically and environmentally
deprived communities worldwide.
Some people have expressed that cats have
nine lives, and when Chair Chin talks to me by mentioning
“My elementary school friend called me
Lao-Miao, Mandarin meaning Old-Cat,”
I have to believe that because the layers
of such stories cannot end at all and are still in their very unique
developments, as there were also times Chair Chin, traveling to different parts
of Taiwan, quite a few times, to just meet and encourage me, life is rosy under
the governance of divine interventions, echoes of Chair Chin’s belief in God. Quite
a few times Chair Chin wanted to know, alone her church goer friends, about
whether I am Christian.
“Serenpidity led me to be baptized when I was merely a college
student. Later, I was admitted to a Catholic university for education, where I
had learned the Bible in its English version. During my moments of serving the
needed, people who believe in Buddhaism felt obligated to donate to the cause of my actions,
despite of my rejections, stating that they should better visit the places I
have served instead of giving me cash. A few of my very wonderful friends are
Muslims, Hindus and many more. In the end, I have learned that all religions
can lead to love, faith, and truths as long as they do not fight against each
other. With these understanding in mind, I have decided that I would not talk
about my religious belief when I am around the world since I know that there
are always effects taking place due to our mind gestures, and I go to temples
or mosques, churches or places where people pray wherever I go or people lead
me to. Meanwhile, I sense this world is my classroom, somewhere I enjoy being
inside very much: I can teach anywhere towards any group of people when
necessary because through such processes, I am also learning many different
lessons.”
Chair Chin, after hearing my explanations,
told me that “I understand where you stand now very clearly!”
Understanding as she is, perhaps such a
lady like Chair Chin who is not too tall, suffering from mal-nutrition, too, in
her own mother’s womb, like my mother, because Chair Chin’s mom was expecting
to be delivering Chair Chin while fleeing China during the Chinese civil war
around 1949, sets her strengths straight in her senses of humor and diligence
when it comes to interact with people. Similar to my mother’s mom, my grandma,
who was also fleeing from the communist China, Chair Chin’s mom delivered Chair
Chin in Vietnam during the much chaotic war time instead of Taiwan, which would
later on become Chair Chin’s homeland, like many others who tried to flee from
possible persecution during that era. Though not as tall as her sisters in
physical constitution, exactly and presumably the result of mal-nutrition, as
could possibly be imagined, Chair Chin speaks volumes of strengths in her
constitutions of her worldview, so much so that Chair Chin might have sensed my
limitations in handling such tasks related to the well-being of many, unimaginable
to the eyes of the others. Clearly I recall Chair Chin held my hand while
walking with me to the train station where she needed to board a train after visiting
me from long distance, stating that,
“Hope, please make sure you have enough to
eat and spend, alright?”
Upon hearing her words, I become aware that
though many would consider me being too odd, here and there, angles are all
around to make sure my humanitarian projects can go smoothly. In terms of Chair
Chin, I feel that she cares for me just like my African Mama, like all those sisters
of mine from any foreign nations, by treating me like one of her own.
Leaving me keys to her apartment, Chair
Chin explains,
“You know, that room in my apartment is
yours. I was getting ready if you needed to work here instead of the other
parts of Taiwan. Just come whenever you want, no pressure at all!”
One should think that Chair Chin is just a
sentimentally old, frail lady, yet in my observations, she still holds that
sharpness like those days when she was handling her subordinates who’re accused
of wrong conducts, who’d committed suicide, and those suffering from natural
disasters under her reigns. Where can such a person humbly expresse herself
being too short and her daughters who’re actually pretty as well as talented
but, also, according to her, ‘too short,’ muster that amount of energy needed
to socialize that many people who are not merely her age mates but a lot more? I
tend to believe Chair Chin has her ways of doing things from her very
soft-spoken parents and in-laws whose stories she has told me through our time
spent together.
“My mom is a very kind person who enjoys
helping the others, esp. those who are truly in need. She is extremely
generous. She and my father never fought, nor were my parents-in-law. When
something went wrong in my birth family decades ago, my mother-in-law
immediately handed me quite a large amount of money to appease the situation. For
my entire life, on the other hand, my husband who passed never winked or
complained when he handed me his salary every time when he got his pay check.”
Indeed when I try to understand more about
Chair Chin, I see that her scopes of influence go beyond her words or actions,
as wherever she goes, people like her, want to invite her to join this and
that, and she often agrees to do so by humbly stating to me,
“Really, I am merely invited to be there. It’s
nothing special.”
What about joining events with organizers
much, much younger than her? Chair Chin would still go. On those occasions when
people want to dance, not those slow ones, but pretty fast, Chair Chin would
also hum plus dance alone.
In Chair Chin, I see that wholesomeness,
that sense of security: unlike many in the very modern societies whose tempers
come and go like changing winds, whose notions or beliefs in whatever alter by
just one blink of an eye, Chair Chin’s values and conducts go hand in hand with
her integrity. Would these be her secrets to make friends with people from all
walks of life, regardless of age groups? Would these be her ways of showing how
much she cares about our society?
Frankly, I have yet too many lessons to be
learnt from Chair Chin.
“Old
Cat?” I was thinking to myself. “We’d better believe that Chair Chin is not old
in her heart and soul but maybe a cat who has many stories to tell out of her
nine lives!”
Certainly anyone would wonder the reasons
behind the success of Chair Chin’s daughters and their families since they’ve
truly, respectively managed wonderful marriages and careers. In my opinion,
though, it is the tenderness of Chair Chin’s personality and her grand
worldview leading such results.
“Through you, Hope, we can help more
people, so of course I need to connect you with every resource I have had the
pleasure to have. We must utilize these human resources to their utmost!”
This ideology of Chair Chin permeates into
literally EVERY SINGLE thing she handles that concerns me, up to the point
where that line of my humanitarian actions and my being a human blur.
“Just take all the snacks away with you!
Eat more!” At the end of a gathering she took me to, Chair Chin said those
words matter-of-factly to me. Under such situations, it is very unlikely I
could have buckled my belt that tight!
At another occasion, Chair Chin immediately
responded to a quite dearly, wonderful friend of hers who wanted to give me
some earrings.
“Of course. Hope can use anything you’ve
worn, even when one side is gone! Naturally your earrings must be with good
qualities and she can wear them at important occasions.”
These individually independent cases are
not even things to the core of stuff I am handling! Then, I reckon, it would
not be difficult for anyone to imagine how serious Chair Chin would be when it
comes to my “missions” of assisting the needed, which goes beyond her linking
me with people who are her acquaintances. So open-minded and helpful Chair Chin
would like to be, she has decided to join us for the journey to Bali Island in
2026, when most of the people her age would not go for “something like that” for
in many people’s eyes, often, trips tied with me are arduously revealing
nothing but “hardships,” a sort of predetermination the majority of individuals
or families I have associated with would have, unless those individuals and
families choose to join those journeys in person—but even through their
participations, some may still feel such journeys are not as easy as those
ordinary ones held by travel agencies and/or managed by one’s own.
This is exactly the reason I often feel
that when people look at me, they see someone who does not fall into normal
patterns, even when it comes to traveling; therefore, it is so challenging for
people to understand that to visit, to me, is not to go sightseeing around
tourist spots. Instead, in my definition, traveling is to “rekindle
relationships with my allies and family members worldwide.” I like using the
word “rekindle” since it brought me back to the days when we’re blocked to
physically travel to various places globally due to COVID 19 and once we would
be able to do so again, my quite wise and tall Kenyan brother, a former
principal, utilized that word “rekindle” to re-connect me with the villagers in
the mountains where I used to serve in east Africa.
Whether it is to ignite the flame for the
first time or to rekindle the light about to be distinguished, for each and
every of my journey taken, numerous details are involved for me to advance not
just myself but also the others. In the case of Chair Chin, once she figured
out that I am neither a graduate from Cambridge nor Harvard, she began to
imprint in her memory of BEEF, I believe, based on the fact that Chair Chin is
convinced her English cannot be fluent in her lifetime, so that the connotation
can link her with the Mandarin name of my former university, University of
Oxford.
“She holds a postgraduate degree from
Oxford and she enjoys taking notes when we meet people.” Chair Chin would proudly
announce again and again, up to the point that I felt rather shy on hearing her
boasting about me. In private, Chair Chin expresses
“We need you to be at the center of the
stage! People need to see you as the leading female character!” What can I do when
I hear Chair Chin say something like that? There is no other way around, in my
opinion, but to work as efficiently as possible in terms of the missions I have
carried, for the degree of Chair Chin’s excitement regarding making me the
leading female character in a story she is carefully nurtured is approximately
identical to her trip taken to Vietnam.
“Hope, you know, I want to find my roots,
especially I was born in Vietnam.”
It’s good to find your root.
“So I said to my niece, that one who is
internationally well-known for her skills in Las Vegas, ‘As you have traveled
to so many places in the world, take me to Vietnam!’”
And?
“She said she’d love to. A day later, she
told me her brother would like to join suit. After that, they told me their
father wanted to go, too. I said to them, ‘I am trying to find my root. It has
nothing to do with any you but that niece who speaks English so that I wouldn’t
be lost overseas. Why do you all want to go?’ But it’s very useless for me to
state such an idea to them, for the next day, their friend whom I did not know
would like to join us as well. In the end, we have had a whole bunch of people
going.”
Isn’t that good?
“Why?! You think it’s good?! I got to find
the place in Vietnam with a plaque hung there indicating there’re some people
from China fighting there around 1949, and I was the only one taking a photo
with that plaque there. The rest of the people going with me? It has nothing to
do with them. They’re merely there for golfing, shopping, etc.”
Chair Chin told me the story all over again
when we were both on our way to visit her friends. The streets were filled with
cars and people as it was the morning rush hour. As Chair Chin spoke, the
sunshine happened to pip from the clouds, spreading its shafts of brightness to
every corner on the streets except for those places with the tree shades. Car
drivers nowadays have learned to stop for the pedestrians; hence, we walked
pleasantly under the sun whereas Chair Chin talked freely, loud, with both of
us laughing here and there.
Don’t you like to be accompanied by many? You
are the sunshine for them; naturally they would want to be with you!
“You need to understand. I did not expect
so many people to join me. This time, I just would like to go back to the
northern part of China to find more of my root, yet I do not know anyone there.”
Continued, Chair Chin stated.
I can go with you if you want to. I will
try to allocate my time.
“It will be great, but I really cannot
guarantee. I truly want to have some very quiet journey, Hope, but I do not
know who would show up and what they’d want to do when they are aware I am
going to China.”
Her words reminded me of the safari we were
talking about earlier, that many modern people’s dream is to visit east Africa
when animals migrate during certain seasons, called the Great Migration.
“That important person whom I have
introduced you to told me that he and his family would like to see how the
animals move there in Kenya.”
What do you mean? What is it about? What
animals moving what?
Chair Chin asked me to discuss about it
with the necessary people when we see each other again.
“Sometimes I do not understand people and
what they say, you know, Hope? Once I was taken to be a temporary actor of a
drama, with another person who’s even about my granddaughter’s age also as a
temporary actor. She could remember every single word the director asked her
to, yet I could not. I told them,
‘I cannot do this!’
In reply, they told me ‘Look! You are not
as young as we are. Take your time, alright?’
I took my time. I still could not remember
a thing. After that, I hid myself in my home for three days. I could not get
out. I did not want to meet people. What a disaster!”
Out loud, I laughed.
Actually, I am happy that Chair Chin did
not get to become that actress or actor those people wanted her to be, or else
she might have the idea of dragging me into those shows she’s invited to act
for?! It’s a scary thought that I’d rather leave there in my thought…
「『她是哈佛、劍橋還是哪裡畢業的……我不太確定。她是位多益老師。』
當琴主任這位退休女性將我介紹給她的朋友們時，她是這麼說的。
我反覆思索著，關於如今幾乎不可能只用一句話介紹我、關於為什麼我好像慢慢變成了一種「極奇怪異等級」的存在，使得某些人也許會選擇遠離我，特別是那些跟我背景相似的人，畢竟，在我們這樣同文同種的世界裡面，少有人能夠想像，一個正值黃金年華的女性會選擇單身獨立，並把援手伸向國際社會中經濟條件最為低下、極度需要外界幫助的人……因此，我完全理解為什麼有人在與我互動時會感到惶惶不安、甚至焦慮到乾脆漠視我的存在。
「她到底是做什麼的呀？」他們會用肢體語言不時問出這句話。若不是我非常堅定地知道自己該做什麼，我想我早就被人們內心中無數的註解與評語嚇得昏了頭，以致於縮回自己的安全環境裡面，讓自己隱形或者消失了。
但我確實在那些我試著一手包辦的各項「助濟使命」而經歷的無數磨難之後，逐漸熬了過來，而琴主任則在此同時，若似透過某些非常奇妙的安排而再次出現在我的生命當中。
琴主任第一次大駕光臨我的生命故事的時間，在我從牛津大學取得學位、並決定辭去公務員工作、專心於台灣的業界教授那些想出國念書、或想英語更流利的成人、以及在政府機關裡工作的人士英語之時，是時，我攀升在協助人們因不同需求而希望提升英語能力的，另一種不同環節的英語教師養成作為中，而這種養成和過往我在教授兒童或少男、少女英語時，又有著些許程度上的不同。
在這樣的過程裡面，有一天，一位當時合作的機構裡面的教務人員對我說：
「王老師，我們接到一個政府單位來找合適教師為他們授課的案子，這教學CASE有點特別，不是某個員工找上門哦，而是一位看起來頗有架勢的主管級人物親自登門來訪，說是要找他們這個公家機關的英語教師，人必須長得不太好看、學歷要不錯、有具有相當教導公務人員的歷驗、還要在課堂上夠激勵人心以讓這位主管的同仁們不會因為過多文法分析而呼呼大睡、更要會唱英文歌曲—好讓她的同事能充滿活力愛上英語學習。
我們覺得其他老師都不像您一樣，可以符合她的要求。
至於那個『講師不要太好看』的部分，我們就……就說您已不再像當空服員那個時間點那麼『亮眼』了，所以早已離開那份工作，把外貌和實力分開談論，如此好嗎？」
那位對我說話的教務發現我被她講的一堆話語弄得滿臉狐疑，這又補上了一句：
「哦，王老師，我們真的都已經找過我們人才庫裡面所有的老師了，但都沒人敢接這個案子。妳能不能至少也代我們到那個政府部門去登門拜訪一下？」
幾天後，我就站在那個政府部門的大型會議室裡，教導台下黑壓壓一片的學生，他們想應付當時政府規定要通過的英語程度檢測，過了一段時間之後，這幾十位學生在我的指導下英語檢測成績表現不俗。在這之後琴主任與她的同仁直接邀請我繼續教導該單位的公僕們英語，而不再透過中間人的轉介。原本只教授一種英語測驗的課室活動，擴展為除了測驗之外，還加入了英語日常會話、英語故事、英語歌曲……等等。這也讓我開始思考是否能把英語戲劇教學也融入在為這群公務人員授課的範疇之中。此外，琴主任與她的同事甚至舉辦了一場政府機關少見的英語歌唱比賽，並邀請我擔任其中一位評審。
照理說，這段故事應該在該政府單位聘請英語講師的預算用盡後劃下句點。然而，被調到台灣不同地區的琴主任轄下的同事們，卻仍然持續邀請我去講課。多虧了那個以「我不夠美」為前提的第一次合作，我得以因為琴主任這翻「多顧茅蘆」於當時北市市中心的英語教學機構之舉，而走遍台灣許多鄉鎮。在該政府單位相關的辦公室、教室中，我的英語課程也延伸到與我個人在世界各大洲服務的環境永續議題，以及如何從全球公民的角度協助弱勢族群等議題。依循這個路線而舖陳的所有課題當中，還包括曾與我一起前往東非的幾位大學生，一同向該政府部門介紹當時被我稱之為「綠洲計畫」的種植樹木與蔬菜的行動。
在這個針對該政府部門之全省東南西北都走遍的過程中，每一次的課程裡，我都不禁緬懷起當初琴主任擔任人事室主任時所給予我的第一個機會。很多事情在現在的我的眼中看來，幾乎都是特別的安排，而非什麼故弄玄虛的巧合……
這樣的安排甚至使我有機會替該政府單位官方網站裡的中文公告，轉譯成英文。
除此之外，上過我的英語課的同仁們不單單因為他/她們被調至台灣其他地區，而繼續聘任我至該地區教學，還逐漸在私人層面與我互動：
有人希望我教他們那些優秀的中學生或大學生的孩子英語，透過這樣的關係，我因而結識了更多出色的、仍然在學的青年男女，我們並且以在他們眼中全然不同於一般教師教學的方式來學習、解析英語，使得他們變得更加積極向善、具有長遠的國際視野；
還有人想為我的全球人道工作捐款、介紹朋友一起捐、甚至跟我一起前往偏遠國度，用各種方式增進他們對全球弱勢族群的理解。
有人說，貓有九條命。當琴主任笑著對我說：「我小學同學叫我『老猫』啦！」的時候，我不得不相信貓真是一種非常奇特的動物，就像認識琴主任一個人而牽動的所有與所有無法中斷的故事，尤其這些故事的層層脈絡還沒完沒了一樣，仍然持續發酵。
再者，琴主任這些年來還多次跨縣市來探望我及鼓勵我，不但自掏要包負擔她和她的同伴交通費用、從來不允許我掏錢付任何他們的餐飲開銷、還一定要幫我準備一個又一個小的禮物及大的禮物：
「晧璞我跟妳說，這些我都不需要了，妳拿去用，不想用就統統帶出去替我送給那些妳服務地方的人，妳不需要但他們一定有需要吧?!但妳什麼都不要給我，我哪有缺什麼?!」
琴主任這樣的舉動常常弄得我頭皮發麻……如果長輩是要這樣照顧晚輩的話，隨著我的學生人次仍然上升、隨著他們當中即便有我的長輩但也有我的晚輩……我要準備多少禮品才照顧得了我那許許多多身為我的晚輩的學生們呢?!
而在這許許多多從未間斷的見面過程中，琴主任和她的教友曾詢問過我是不是基督徒。
「我在專科時期一番因緣際會之下偶然受洗，接著我插班進入天主教大學就讀，在學時必須修習英語版聖經經文。
接下來當我走入國際社會，在進行各地服務工作時，有佛教徒堅持捐款給我，儘管我拒絕他們、告訴他們或許可以選擇親自來到我所服務的窮鄉僻壤瞧上幾眼。
在我的社交圈以及全球的服務範疇之中，有無神論者、穆斯林、印度教徒等等許許多多不同宗教的人。
到最後我明白，只要宗教不因互相對立而引起爭端乃至戰爭，每一種宗教都能通向含著信、望、愛的真理之途。因此，我不特別定義自己的宗教，以免給我所服務的各方群眾帶來壓力，好像他們必須和我有一樣的信仰才會如何如何，同時，我到世界各處時，狀況允許時，會跟著當地人進寺廟、清真寺、教堂或任何他們祈禱的地方，又或者，我會在他們進到這些空間去禱告時，在他們附近的另外的空間和那些生活最為清貧的人士們互動，或者是在教室之內，或者是在泥土之上，任何一個處所。
是以，我覺得這世界就是我能授課的教室，我不但樂在其中，也習慣在世界任何地方針對任何群體授課，或者透過溝通而將理念傳達出去，因為教學相長的關係，這樣的服務理念對我而言，是最為實在的。」
聽完我的一番解說之後，琴主任對我說：
「妳的立場我愈來愈清楚了！」
琴主任確實十分善體人意，並不像她自己所言，她長得不高，在我的角度來說，她像我母親一樣，在她們分別於她們的母親的子宮裡面成長時，就因為戰事連連而營養不良。琴主任的母親和我姥姥(即外婆)一樣，都在1949戰事愈演愈烈時身懷六甲，她們都是北方人，更具體地說，她們在當時的內戰必須從北到南一路奔逃難。一片混亂之中，琴主任在越南出生，而後輾轉抵達台灣。儘管因營養不良而不像她的妹妹們那麼高挑，琴主任的世界觀卻堅定有力。
我至今清晰的畫面，是有一次琴主任又千里迢迢來探望我，離開前她一邊牽著我的手，一邊讓我陪她走向車站。路上她說：
「晧璞妳記得三餐要按時吃、要吃飽、賺的錢自己要留下來一點，知道嗎？」
聽到琴主任這些話的時候，我明白就算有些人背地裡覺得我「很怪」，各種正面力量依然在我身邊，使我那初始而言自己希望扛起的為善最樂計畫，得以順利進行。而我從琴主任身上感受到的關懷，就像我的非洲媽媽，以及世界各地親如兄弟姊妹般的異國朋友們，我無法想像他們為何都可以把我當成自己人，但這些人就如此默默支持著我至今……
琴主任把她家鑰匙交給我，對我說：
「妳知道的，那個房間就是妳的。如果妳需要在我們這個城市工作，就直接來我家住，完全不用有任何一點壓力！」
表面看來，琴主任好像只是位感性的、與我的父母生活在同一個世代的、已經離開工作場合多年的長輩，但在我的觀察中，她像仍然在職一般，依舊保持著當年的睿智，不論在面對她的部屬犯下淘天大錯、單位中有人員或其家庭需要輔導、面對天災之災民必須仰賴她時，她始終冷靜處理卻又談笑風生。這樣的人，怎麼會謙虛到說自己的女兒們「太矮」，即便她們其實才貌出眾？
但也我相信，琴主任的為人處事之道，來自於她溫和有力的父母與公婆。琴主任常常與我分享：
「我媽媽是一個很善良、樂於助人的人，尤其她非常大方，總是喜歡幫助真正需要的人。她跟我爸爸從來不吵架，我的公公婆婆也是，永遠都對任何人和顏悅色。
有一次我娘家出了狀況，我婆婆馬上給我一大筆錢來處理事情。
還有，我那已經過世的另一半，一輩子領薪水後都是原封不動交給我，對此，他從無怨言。」
當我更了解琴主任時，我看見其影響力遠遠超過她自己三言兩語所描述的種種。實則，琴主任走到哪裡都有人喜歡她、想邀請她，而她總是謙虛地說：
「真的啦，我只是被人家邀請而到場，沒什麼特別之處。」
所以，當我親眼看到年齡層比她年輕的主辦者們有活動時邀她去，她也去，甚至當眾人想跳的不是慢舞、而是快節奏的舞，她也會跟著哼跟著跳時，我感到琴主任那顆童心未泯的心性，才是令所有人感動的地方。
在琴主任身上，於是我看到一種絕對的安全感，那不像處於現代而進步的社會中，情緒瞬息萬變的人被自己的決定與語彙而困擾，例如突然爆怒、過錯在他人身上等；琴主任的價值觀與行為始終朝著光明大道的方位前行。我想，這些應該才是她能跨年齡、跨界與不同背景的人士交流的獨道之處，也是她關懷社會的具體呈現。
而我，還有太多、太多必須師法於琴主任之事。
「老貓？」我心想……「我們最好相信，琴主任的心與靈魂一點兒也不顯老態，而更像是一隻擁有九條命、故事說也說不完的貓！」
世人也許會好奇，她的兩位女兒與她們各自所經營的家庭，為何如此成功。我個人認為，這是源自琴主任敦厚的人品與寬闊的世界觀：
「透過妳，晧璞，我相信我們能具體地幫助更多人，所以我當然要把我所有的資源都介紹給妳，而我們要把這些人力資源發揮到極致！」
所以一天做為人事主任，琴主任於是一輩子都在「人力資源」這樣的議題上打轉，連國際服務也如出一轍！
這種理念滲透在琴主任為我所連結的每一件事裡，甚至到了模糊我「義務協助任務」與「個人生活」界線的程度。
「把這些點心全帶走！多吃一點！」
她在某次聚會結束後對我理所當然地說。
結果就是我的皮帶顯得太緊了哦！
另一次，她的一位閨蜜只是說了半句：
「Hope，我看妳蠻時髦，耳環會戴一邊，我有幾個耳環正好有一邊遺失了……」時，
琴主任立刻說：
「當然可以！Hope用妳戴過的東西絕對沒問題，就算少一邊也沒關係！妳的東西品質都很好，她可以在重要場合戴！她要見多少重要的人啊，是不是？！」
而上述這兩種場景都還不是我在全球關懷的事務底下，最為核心的議題！可以想見琴主任在面對涉及「協助需要的人」的事上有多認真，而這已遠遠超出她把熟人介紹給我認識的範圍。
琴主任甚至決定在2026年跟我們一起去峇里島。大多數她這個年紀的人不會參加「這種行程」，因為在很多人眼裡，跟我出遊就和「受苦受難」畫上等號，除非這些如此認定的人親自參加過我們的行程，但就算曾經參加過，有些人還是覺得我們的行程，遠遠不如一般旅行團那麼輕鬆自在。
也正因如此，許多人看待我時，或者總會覺得我不像「正常類型」的人，而我「不正常」的範圍，還包括我看待旅行的方式。人們或者比較難以理解對我來說，「旅行」不是觀光，而是「再度重溫與世界各地的家人和盟友們連結的美好」。
我喜歡「重溫」這個字，它讓我回想起因疫情而各個國界全部封鎖的那段時期；當旅遊於不同國度之事再度開放時，我那位又高又聰明、曾任校長的東非異國手足，便是使用「重溫」這個字眼，對著我曾服務的山區村落居民們，來表達我重新回到那些地點的善意及關懷。
無論是舊夢重溫，或是重新燃起希望的光芒，我的每趟旅程都有許許多多訴之不盡的細節，不只從我個人的角度，也從其他許許多多人群的角度而言。
至於琴主任，在她確認我不是劍橋或哈佛畢業後，她開始把「牛津」(大學)跟「牛筋」這做了聯想，她應該是發現用這樣的方式，她可以記得比較清楚。
「她是牛津碩士，還喜歡時時做筆記。來，把妳的筆記給人家看一下。她都是寫英語哦!!!」
琴主任一次又一次地公告週知，弄到我感到非常不好意思。私下，琴主任還再三強調：
「妳是個站在舞台中央的人，大家應該要懂得把妳看成女主角！」
聽到這種話，我只能更努力在琴主任一向支持我的事項上，更加努力，畢竟，我深深感到琴主任想把我捧成「女主角」的熱情，就像她去越南尋根的旅程一樣強烈。
「Hope，妳知道，我想找我的根，因為我就是在越南出生。」
尋根很好啊。
「所以我跟我那位在拉斯維加斯小有名氣的姪女說：『妳到過那麼多地方，就帶我去越南！』」
那然後呢？
「她說好啊。隔天我姪女說，她弟弟也想跟我們去。
再隔天，我姪女跟我說她爸爸也要去。
我跟他們說：『我是要找自己的根，跟你們沒關係，只需要那個會講英語的我姪女一起，這樣我才不會在國外迷路。你們幹嘛都要跟？』
但說了也沒用，隔天，她們一個我不認識的朋友也要加入，最後就變成一大票人一起去了。」
這不是很好嗎？
「好？哪裡好？！」琴主任瞪大眼睛繼續說：
「我好不容易找到一個掛著紀念牌匾的地方，上面寫著一九四九年前後有中國人戰爭過程中抵達當地。接著，只有我一個人跟那牌匾拍照。其他人呢？全部在那邊打高爾夫、購物！」
後來她又把這故事講給我聽一次，那天早上我們正走滿是車潮與人潮的大街之上，朝琴主任朋友家前進。陽光穿過雲層，灑在街上，只有樹蔭下的地面稍微悠暗一些。現在的司機都會禮讓行人，所以我們在陽光下頗為放鬆，邊講邊笑，除此之外，琴主任還感慨萬千。
妳不喜歡大家陪妳嗎？妳就是他們的陽光，所以他們當然想跟著妳啊！
「妳要了解，我沒預期那麼多人。像我明年吧，只是想回中國北方找我自己的根，但我在那裡一個人都不認識。」琴主任接著說。
如果妳願意，我可以陪妳。我可以想辦法排時間。
「那當然好，但我無法保證會怎樣。我真心想要一趟安靜的旅行，但我不知道一旦其他人知道我要去對岸，他們會不會又突然出現、又想跟我一起。」
她這話讓我想到我們早些談到的東非大遷徙，那也是很多現代人一生至少想看一次的景象。
琴主任說：
「我介紹給妳認識的那位重要人士說，他和家人想實際現場看看動物大搬家。」
您是說什麼？動物搬什麼？
「等我們下次再見到人家的時侯，妳再當面問問吧，我也聽不懂。」琴主任笑著繼續說：
「有時候我真的不懂人家在說什麼。像有次人家找我當臨時演員，跟我一起演的一位演員年紀足足小我幾十歲，她一句台詞都不忘，我一句都記不起。我跟他們說：
『我真的不行！』
他們竟回答：
『看妳也不像很年輕嘛，慢慢來好嗎？』
我慢慢來了，還是不行。後來我在家躲了三天，不敢出門。太丟臉了！」
我大笑出聲。
老實說，我反而慶幸琴主任沒因此真的去演戲，不然哪天她要我跟著她一起上戲劇節目怎麼辦？！這畫面太可怕，我還是不要多想好了……
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