自始至終的背包客 / BACKPACKERS FROM HEAD TO TOE

ENGLISH VERSION IS BEYOND THE MANDARIN CHINESE. THANKS. 

隻身一人的旅者，是否真的只能與自己對話 ?

怎樣的情狀，使自覺不足者可以開懷大笑? 

「放回去，那可是雙很貴的鞋耶!!!」我那位身為大家族領袖的東非大哥對我說道。

不知何故，過去幾年我決定不再穿雨靴來阻擋四處揚起的塵土（因為那裡許多我去過的路途皆未鋪設柏油、水泥、或者磁磚），但每年我所購買的任何鞋子，好像都無法讓我舒服地在東非那些起起伏伏的地形上跑步。因此，我變得習慣像大哥借鞋穿，還總得在鞋裡塞些東西，讓他的鞋子穿在我腳上不至於像兩艘巨大的遊艇，畢竟再怎樣我們也在內陸。

他這樣的說，我便乖乖把鞋子放回鞋架之上。那上面擺滿了各式各樣的鞋款，有我大哥的，也有我大嫂（我姊姊）的——他們的膚色都與我截然不同，事實上，我們毫無血緣關係，但卻總是兄弟姊妹相稱。

幾分鐘後，非洲大哥問我：「你怎麼不穿我那雙鞋子，反而光著腳？」

「你剛才不是說太貴了嗎？我已經放回去了。」我回答。

他笑了起來，那表情說明了他剛才不過是在捉弄我。

接下來他說：

「穿上就是了！」

這是我人生中第一次意識到，我的那些小學生們真沒開玩笑——

我自己就是個笑話，連我在肯亞的大哥都學會了拿我開玩笑。

然而，有些事情早已超越了這些笑料百出的畫面，可以承載的範圍。這次當幾位與我同行的人逐漸與當地的居民建立起深厚的情感、開始關心他們的境遇時，我突然領悟到，一次次有不同人群跟我一同到當地探訪的價值，有時不過是為了提醒我自己莫要忘懷父母在我幼之時所給予的教誨：

例如如何在設備有限時下廚；

如何在見不到洗衣機或機器故障時手洗衣服……

最重要的還有我的姥爺、姥姥 (外祖父母)、甚至太姥(曾外祖母)傳授的為人處事之道——

在與他人對談時如何展現適切的應對進退，以表尊重。

此外，自然還有我的非洲媽媽對我所耳提面命的話：

「Hope，妳有雙腳可以走路，為何要搭摩托車或汽車？

多走幾步有益身心健康!!!」

於是，我一步一步踏過數不盡的哩路，直到與偶遇的陌生人成為摯友；直到我明白，我代表某人將資金從 A 地轉移至 B 地從非關鍵所在，真正至關重要的，是串連起大家彼此之間的情誼。

正是這份連結，讓這次造訪東非的旅客們能在星空下並肩而坐，凝視著漆黑夜空中的繁星，一邊沉思，一邊訴說著本週稍早被當地一隻鵝咬傷的趣事。當地的居民聚精神會地傾聽並歡笑著，直到正是那位先前假裝絕不肯再借鞋給我的大哥也開口說道：

「前幾天那隻鵝也追著我跑，也要咬我，我差點沒用手上的棍棒把它抽打致死！」

而我們這邊的旅客則笑著回應：

「請你像我一樣和它和好如初吧！」

隨後，人們在星空下放聲大笑。

因此，我一次又一次看到因為我的出現與存在，人與人之間產生了這些真摯的互動——

無論是在我曾任職的客機艙內、在機場，還是在東非那些公立學校尚未收到政府撥款（若撥款真有到來的一天）以改建目前位處偏遠鄉村，儘只於泥牆泥地所舖連的，簡單校舍之中。

在我的人生中，金錢從未在我能否同時保持嚴肅與幽默地在眾人面前談吐時扮演過重要角色。因此，當人們問我多年來為何要在國際社會中施行這些利他之舉時，我只會簡單地陳述：

「透過將每個人連結在一起，我們勾勒出一個沒有人天生卑微或尊貴的世界；即便在此刻，我們在經濟上可能相對充裕或匱乏，但我們都共享著平等的價值——那就是我們能夠彼此分享與互相學習的無限潛能！」

我定會繼續扮演橋樑的角色，穿梭於各方之間傳譯心聲。我無法完全解釋我生命中這首交響樂的奧妙；然而，僅在這次旅程中，我便觸動了至少三位飛行於亞洲至非洲往返航線上的空服員的內心世界，她們每一位都向我吐露了一些關於自己內心深處的故事；還有那些我有幸交流並從中學習的同行乘客，以及我常常造訪與服務的深山中的村民。

從他們的笑容中，我深感有必要傳達——

傾聽他人的心聲，與他人以平等的視角相處，是多麼美好的一件事。

因此，我想像著在未來的日子裡，自己將持續成為那位站在中間的協調者與翻譯者，將具備經濟能力的人士介紹給那些渴望為學童提供適當教育與溫飽的公立學校。或許，當有慷慨解囊的人願意花時間深入了解這些身處貧困環境中的人們，並拿出對於發達國家白領階級而言負擔並不重的一筆資金，去資助一定數量的孩童、為他們提供圖書館設施、教室，或資助更大規模的社區發展（讓女性享有女權，讓大自然保育也能獲得人們普遍的重視）時，我的工作將能伴隨著更多的笑聲，因為這是一個全贏的局面。

要完整表達這些感受，我或許真得在未來的日子裡著手寫下幾本好書了。

在那之前，敬請我所有的讀者、朋友與家人只需要記住一件事：

我並不排斥金錢，也不反對籌款。

我只是並未成長於富裕之中，富貴也從未吸引過我，即便曾經身為一名空服員，我也無法像大部份同儕般享受購物的樂趣。相反地，我更喜歡將時間花在世界各地我所飛抵的城市，與當地的攤販與街頭流浪兒互動，與他們建立某種良質的關係，並在透過他們的城市而找到旅行所代表的意義。

不，我工作的腳步從未過快，因為這從不關乎我籌集了多少捐款、或幫助了多少人；相反地，我覺得自己才是從這整個世界——這所我與他人融為一體、互相互動的巨大教室裡——尚未學完的課題中獲益最多的人。因此，對我而言，從任何角度來看都不存在尊卑高下，因為我們都擁有著他人可以學習的天賦。懷抱著這樣的信念，我聽到了今年一位訪客說道：

「當我看著在那裡與你大哥及其家人合照的照片時，我真的感動得想哭。他們真的很善良!!! 我好想念他們！」

多年前，這些以大哥為首的東非當地有頭有臉的大家族，曾再三拒絕著某些巨擘或大型非營利組織提出的合作構想，但他們卻從未對像我這樣的人說「不」，而我只是一個以最奇特的方式踏入他們生活的弱女子。只是，當時我們雙方都未曾意識到，一個簡簡單單的旅者，竟在探索及了解之餘，帶回更多亦並未大量募集資金的背包客，讓正向能量源源不絕地流動。

對此，我還是傾向計畫以著書來描寫這箇中精采有趣之處。

後記：

敬請注意，本文作者不經手任何金錢方面捐贈事宜，僅願作為希望捐助單位與當地公立機構之溝通橋樑，為善心人士向當地居民轉達捐助意願，有意願者建議可至當地了解狀況後，直接與相關公務部門如學校當局等進行財務方面移轉事宜；當地居民亦極可能同意捐贈者於其資助之建築物上，銘刻姓名、企業標誌或相關標示，以昭紀念。

根據當地公立學校領導者提供之最近評估：

興建一間可容納約五十名學生之教室，所需資金約為「一萬美元」。

(關於入境肯亞可攜帶之現金數量，敬請查詢該國隨時修正最新規定；當地亦有提款機可提領美金現鈔。)

針對未達一日兩餐溫飽之公立學校學童，提供當地家庭與學校社區之膳食援助計畫，「數百美元」可維持數週之午間當地人群慣常食用之午餐糧食所需。

約「二百美元」即可為居住於牛糞房舍（而夜間無照明並無法閱讀）之優秀學童，支付其中一學期之學雜費用。

關於推動公眾福祉且涵括各界社區之合作建設計畫：

其當地預估工程費用均可進一步商議。當地社區領袖已信託拋出多塊土地，專用於裨益當代與世代子孫之福祉計畫，並歡迎本文作者所引薦之善心人士，有意願者亦請先至當地了解相關事宜，裨便後續溝通協調。

When People Travel Alone, Can Conversations Only Be From Within?

How Do We Make Those Who May Feel They Are Not In Sufficiency Smile? 

"Put them back. Those are expensive." My African brother, the big boss of the huge family says to me. For some very strange reasons, after I decide not to wear rainboots for the past few years to block dusts coming up from everywhere as many roads there I go there are not paved, no other shoes I have purchased can make me feel comfortable while going jogging in those terrains going up and down in east Africa, so I would have to borrow his by stuffing something inside, making them not as huge as boats for me. 

Obediently, though, this time, I leave the shoes on the shelf displaying many different shoes, my brother's, and his wife, my sister's, who share very different skin color compared with mine. In fact, we are never biologically related; however, the bond we share can be tight. 

Minutes later, he asks "Why are you not wearing those shoes of mine?"

"Haven't you explained they're too costly? I already put them back." I reply.

He laughs with such expressions showing that he's only making fun of me. "Just wear them!" 

For the first time in my life, I realize my pupils are not joking, that I am a joke myself so that even my big brother there in Kenya learns to joke with me, yet there are things that go beyond the surface, as when this time, when some journeying with me there become more attached to the people there, concerning about their situations, all of a sudden I recognize the values of me traveling back and forth with people going there to visit with me are sometimes just to remind me of lessons my parents taught me when I was little, like how to cook when there's limited equipment, how to wash clothes when washing machine is nowhere to be seen or has become malfunctioned, and mostly importantly, lessons taught by my grandparents, or even my great-grandparent, as how to respect the others when I talk to the other people, plus lessons taught by my African Mama that "Hope, you have legs to walk, why using the motorbike or the car? Just walk!"

Therefore, miles of miles I try to walk, until strangers I meet turn out to be my friends, until I realize it is never the money I try to send from place A to place B on behalf of someone or another that matters; rather, it is the connections I help to build for one another which matter, connections allowing the visitors to east Africa this time to all sit down, in a row, under the starlit sky, for the viewing of countless stars in the dark, contemplating, while narrating the story of being bitten by a local goose earlier the same week, with locals listening and laughing attentively, until one of them, who happens to be the man acting as if lending his pair of shoes to me again is never allowed, voices,

"I almost cane the goose to death the other day when it does the same thing to me!" 

In return, from our side, the visitor claims, 

"He's a good goose. Make peace with him just like I do!"

People laugh under the sky afterwards, feeling content. 

Consequently, again and again I see all these interactions between people due to my appearances, on board of aircrafts where I use to work, at airports, in rural parts of east Africa where public schools are yet to receive funding granted by their own government for the establishment of their children's schools that are already open, if funding ever comes. 

Never in my life would finance play a significant role in my being able to be serious and humorous at the same time, talking in front of people, so when people ask me why I do all these altruistic deeds in the international community through the years, I would simply state that BY LINKING EVERYONE TOGETHER, WE PICTURE A WORLD WITH NO ONE PARTICULARLY INFERIOR OR SUPERIOR EVEN AT THIS MOMENT WE CAN BE FINANCIALLY MORE EQUIPPED OR SCARCED BECAUSE WE ALL SHARE SOMETHING EQUAL: OUR POTENTIALS WHICH CAN BE SHARED AND LEARNED!!! 

Certainly I will keep acting as a mediator interpreting words from all fronts. And, how I can explain this symphony of my life is beyond me; nevertheless, since in this journey alone, I have touched the heart of at least 3 flight attendants on the variously different routes leading me from Asia to Africa and all the way back, with each and every of them revealing a bit of their stories to me, plus the fellow passengers with whom I have had the pleasure to communicate and learn from, as well as those deep in the mountainous areas of east Africa where I have constantly visit and serve, with their smiles, I feel the need of expressing how wonderful it is to lighten up and to hear what the others have to say. Thus, I imagine myself in the days to come to be that intermediator and interpreter who stand in the middle to introduce those who are with the financial means to public schools desperately wishing to feed their pupils with proper education and food. Perhaps when there are generous individuals who have spent time knowing more about such people living in financially deprived situations wishing to probably use a certain amount of money not too much for the white-collared in the developed nations to feed some certain number of children, offer them library facilities, classrooms, and/or sponsor for the larger development of the communities where women can enjoy better rights and animals can be protected, my work can be with even more laughter involved since all sides win. 

Then, to fully express these, I may truly have to work on a few good books in the days to come. Until then, all my readers and friends, family members need to only remember one thing:

I am not against money nor fundraising. 

It is just I am not reared by affluency, which never would have attracted me, for even as a flight attendant, I could not enjoy shopping like most of the others who are my peers do. Rather, I prefer spending time with local vendors, street kids with whom I create bonds and find purposes for my traveling into their worlds, their cities. 

No, the speed of my work is never too fast, for it is never about how much money I have collected for donations, how many people I have helped that matter, as I feel I am the one benefiting from all these lessons yet to be learned at the entire world that is my classroom where I mingle with the others, interacting with them. Hence, to me, there is no inferiority or superiority from any angle, since we are all with gifts others can learn. With this belief, I hear the words from one of the visitors this year, 

"As I look at photos taken there with the big brother of yours and his family members, I feel like crying, really. How can people be so nice? I miss them!"

When such local people in east Africa have turned down collaborative ideas proposed by some tycoons or major non-profits many years ago but they have never said NO to someone appearing such as myself, this minute lady traveling almost solo in their lives in the strangest way possible, neither party realize that a solo backpacker is there to investigate and to bring back more backpackers to form larger family circles for more energy flows. 

What can I say but to write good books about these?!

PLEASE Note that I only wish to be a mediator for those kind enough to donate such amounts to the locals, who may well likely agree that the donors leaving their marks of their names, company icons, etc. on buildings they help finance: 

 

** Based on current estimates provided by local public school leaders, the construction of a classroom accommodating approximately fifty students requires an investment of about US$10,000; food programs for local families/school communities can cost a few hundred USD lasting for quite a few weeks for public schools with kids who do not eat two full meals daily; for around 200 USD, a bright student living in a cow dung house where evening hour readings can be impossible may have school fees paid lasting one term. 

**The estimated local construction cost for a collaborative community inclusive of all communities involved for the purposes of public needs can be discussed, as community leaders have entrusted parcels of land for projects intended to benefit present and future generations.