The Map Inside The Mind & Heart: Journeys Beyond Geographical Definitions 內心深處跨越地理疆界的地景
At my homeland, with a kind hostess accommodating us, after our newly made German friend asked questions about what I've focused on in terms of making others' lives better, particularly what I've done in Africa, hours later when our discussion ended, the following words appeared in my mind:
Once a person does things truly thoughtful for the others, the rest of the world echo to such actions, also, in caring ways surpassing our previous boundaries in our ideology.
The following work is dedicated to all those whom I have met, with whom I have learned tremendously, and those whom I am yet to meet in the days to come.
在我的故鄉台灣，一位親切的女主人熱情款待著我們。同時，這位新結識的德國青年問起我長久以來如何致力於改善他人的生活，尤其是那些在非洲所發生的點點滴滴，從他也去過的南非洲開始，我們一路談到了東非洲。
幾個小時之後，當我們的談話告一段落，下面的話語便悄悄浮上心頭：
當一個人真正用心為他人著想，並付諸行動，世上的其人群也會以無限的關懷與良質的互動，回應這份善意；而這份關懷，正是能夠帶領我們翻山越嶺、走出既有思想藩籬的利器。
謹以下面的文字，獻給所有我曾有幸結識的人，也獻給那些總讓我獲益良多的人群，更也獻給那些於未來的歲月當中，即將與我相逢的人們。
深深地，我感到世界是我的舞台，但這個舞台完全毋須我的嘩眾取寵，僅需我將過去所有的善行義舉，輕輕拋出，而引出許許多多一樣站在舞台上的人們，或引吭高歌、或婆娑起舞、或彈奏樂音、或蓄勢待發。
Deep down, I feel that the world is my stage—yet it requires absolutely no sensationalism from me. It merely asks that I gently cast out all my past acts of goodness and kindness, drawing forth countless others who stand upon this same stage: some singing out loud, some dancing gracefully, some playing melodies, and others poised, ready to shine.
I. Are There Other Ways to See the World?
壹、我們能否用不同的眼光看待世界？
Are there different ways of looking at our own lives? Are there other ways of travelling beyond the familiar routines of sightseeing, collecting photographs, tasting local delicacies, and ticking destinations off a list? I suppose that, throughout my journeys, I have always been quietly challenging myself with these questions. Perhaps that is why I sometimes do things rather differently from other travellers. The more places I visit, the more I begin to wonder whether travelling geographically is also a way of reshaping the map inside our inner world. We may arrive in a new country believing that we already know where everything belongs, only to discover that a conversation with a stranger can move an entire continent inside our hearts.
我們是否能以不同的方式看待自己的人生？旅行，除了觀光、拍照、品嚐當地美食，以及逐一完成旅遊清單上的目的地之外，是否還有其他可能？回顧一路走來的旅程，我想，自己始終默默地透過這些問題挑戰著原有的思維。或許，這正是我有時候不太按牌理出牌的原因。走過的地方愈多，我愈開始思考：地理上的移動，是否也意味著我們正在不斷重新繪製內心世界的地圖？我們可能帶著自以為熟悉的認知踏進一個新的國度，卻在與陌生人的一次交談之後，發現原本遙遠的大陸，竟然已悄悄移進了自己的心裡。
II. How Old Am I, Really?
貳、我究竟幾歲了？
Recently, a newly acquainted friend with a philosophical mind and much accomplished career asked me how old I was. Her question immediately transported me back to my years studying in the United Kingdom, when I was pursuing my master's degree. Back then, during our self-introduction, one of my classmates, a white person from Europe, looked at me in genuine bewilderment and asked,
"Why have you got so many more life experiences?"
Even today, I sometimes find myself tongue-tied when people ask about my age. How does one explain the feeling of being young and old at the same time, within the same body? Perhaps this is why I have always found it relatively easy to communicate with people from different generations. There is a younger part of me that remains curious, adventurous, and inquisitive, while another part has accumulated enough experiences to understand that life rarely follows the neat arrangements we make for it.
最近，一位新結識、頗具深度及專業涵養的台灣朋友於近日相識後，詢問起我的年齡。這個問題立刻將我的思緒帶回英國求學、攻讀碩士學位的那段日子。當時，在大家自我介紹之後，一位來自歐洲的白人同學帶著滿臉疑惑問我：
「為什麼妳有這麼多人生故事？」
直到今天，每當有人問起我的年齡，我有時仍然不知該如何回答。究竟該怎麼解釋，同一個身體裡，竟然可以同時住著年輕與年長的自己？或許，這也正是我一直以來都能相對自在地與不同世代交流的原因。我內心仍有一個年輕的自己，充滿好奇、勇於冒險，也願意不斷質疑既有的觀念；而另一個自己，則在歲月的累積中逐漸明白，人生很少會完全按照我們事先安排好的劇本演出。
III. A German Mother and Son, and Two Different Ways of Travelling
參、一對德國母子，以及兩種不同的旅行方式
Some years ago, my former class leader of that graduate school class in the United Kingdom visited Taiwan with her boyfriend. A German from head to toe, she was a remarkably direct woman, with a strong voice, a commanding presence, and an almost indomitable determination to get things done with efficiency. It was easy to understand why she had become our class leader. When the couple were around, I took them to visit my late maternal grandmother, who welcomed them with the delicious noodles she had prepared. They enjoyed the meal immensely. They also told me how passers-by at Taipei's main railway station had seemed rather frightened when the two of them approached to ask for directions. I wondered whether it was their English that had startled people, or simply their imposing presence.
Years later, right now, another German visitor arrived in Taiwan: a high school graduate travelling during his gap year, accompanied in spirit, if not physically, by his mother, whom I met at the same time. His mother could not travel with him to Taiwan as she is committed to her work, but he had made up his mind to try a different way to travel, the style of mingling with the locals I shared with him, and he really did make it here. What struck me was that, after visiting so many places around the world, including extensive travels through China, they seemed genuinely interested in the way I approached travel and human relationships. When we were together, they told me that they would like to visit East Africa, where my humanitarian projects are primarily based at the current stage.
I had never expected that my way of travelling might influence people who had already seen so much of the world. Yet perhaps that is precisely the point: no matter how many countries we visit, there is always another way of seeing them.
多年前，我在英國求學時的班級代表，一位德國女性，曾與男友一同來到臺灣。她是一位非常直率的女性，說話音量宏亮，氣勢攝人，而且總是帶著某種強烈的使命必達感，她之所以能成為我們的班級代表，似乎也就不難理解了。我帶他們去拜訪我稱呼為「姥姥」的外婆，姥姥親自煮了美味的麵食招待這對情侶。兩人吃得十分開心。他們還跟我們分享，在臺北火車站向路人詢問方向時，似乎把不少人嚇了一跳。我不禁好奇，究竟是他們說英語的方式讓人感到緊張，還是他們本身的氣場實在太過強大？
多年後，另一位德國旅人於眼下來到了臺灣。尚未進入大學的他，在高中畢業之際，正利用人生的「空檔年」 (gap year) 旅行，而我也在同一段與他結識的過程中，與他的母親相遇，大家相談甚歡。雖然此次母親無法陪他一起前來臺灣，但他仍然決定跨越重洋，抵達台灣，嚐試我所不斷施行的、與在地人交流的旅途方式，我們甚至已經透過必要的管道，取得近日他將與我進入校園裡面服務的可能。
這對母子早已走訪世界各地，甚至幾乎踏遍中國內陸；然而，令我印象深刻的是，他們似乎真心對我看待旅行與人際關係的方式感到好奇。當我們相聚時，他們告訴我，希望有一天能前往東非，看看我所投入的關懷服務計畫，而我也更加大範圍地鼓勵他們不但可以前往台灣，我們亦可以於德國或任何其他世界上的不同地點見面。
我從未預料到，自己的旅行方式竟可能影響那些早已見識過廣大世界的人。然而，或許這正是旅行最有趣的地方：
無論我們已經造訪多少國家，世界永遠還有種種不同角度，等待著我們的發現與凝視。
IV. The Sri Lankan Gentleman Who Had Been There All Along
肆、那位一直都在，卻從未被真正理解的斯里蘭卡男士
Then came an encounter that made me stop and examine myself.
During the same journey, I met a migrant worker from Sri Lanka. At first, none of us knew him. He was simply there in our accommodation, trying to repair a door knob that had somehow locked itself and refused to open. While other travellers were chatting and eating around the dinner table, he was busy handling the problem.
On the table were dishes prepared by a student, Cathy, also a dear friend of mine, and me. We had been cooking with whatever groceries we could manage to arrange, using the only useful appliance available to us at that hostel overseas: a microwave. My student had become rather tormented by the situation, for we had already met countless foreign visitors, and her teacher seemed incapable of stopping the invitations. Every day, more people were welcomed to join our meals. One could almost hear her thinking,
"Are we ever going to have a peaceful dinner again?"
Yet there I was, approaching the man repairing the door and asking him questions out of sheer curiosity.
How did he know how to fix the door?
What other work did he do?
Where was he from?
Who was waiting for him back home?
How long had he been working in Taiwan?
The questions continued until the man was so astonished that he told us,
"I have worked here for more than a decade, fixing one thing after another and working among foreign travellers all the time. Everyone remained seated without even looking at me!"
For once, I have a different picture of myself. The person who rarely stops asking questions suddenly had a question for myself:
Why had I become this way?
更讓我在內心停下腳步、重新審視自己的，是接下來的一場相遇。
就在同一段旅程中，我生平第一次認識了一位來自斯里蘭卡的移工。起初，我們彼此完全不認識。他只是剛好出現在我們住宿的地方，正在修理一個不知怎麼突然鎖住、怎樣都打不開的門把。當其他國籍不同的旅人，因受到我的邀約而圍坐在餐桌聊天、吃飯時，他則忙著處理門鎖的問題。
餐桌上擺著我與珮甄，一位學生朋友共同準備的菜餚。我們只能設法買到一些簡單的食材，再利用現場唯一真正派得上用場的設備——微波爐——弄出幾道可以簡單上桌、勉強果腹的料理。
說真的，我這位秉性純良的學生，或許早已被「這樣的生活」折騰得有些崩潰。畢竟，她從未如此這般遊歷過世界，而我們已經連續數日認識了無數來自不同國家的旅人，且她的老師似乎完全無法在沒有正常佐料、食材、器具的情況下，停止邀請別人共進晚餐。一天接著一天，又有新的異國朋友加入我們的用餐時光。
她的內心大概早已響起一個問題：
「我們到底什麼時候才能安安靜靜地吃一頓飯？」
然而看著修理門把的我，當時卻慢慢離開了餐桌，走向正在修理門把的那位我仍不知其來歷的先生，並在純粹出於好奇心的情況下，一連串問了他許多問題：
他怎麼會修門把？
平常還做些什麼工作？
來自哪裡？
家鄉有哪些親人？
來這個我們一同存在的異鄉，工作多久了？
問著問著，他的表情愈來愈驚訝。他說：
「你們是誰? 我已經在那裡工作十多年，到處修理各種東西，長年與來自世界各地的旅人擦身而過。然而，從來沒有人與他人交談過，更沒有人會這樣問我事情?!」
最後，我們的這位新朋友最後在我們的鼓勵之下，拿了一點我們饋贈的水果離開，並堅持不與我們一同坐下用餐。在他離去之後，我們仍在同一空間的人們，繼續著我們的談話。
只是這一次，連我自己的內心都停止跳動了片刻有餘：
我究竟是怎麼變成今天這個樣子的？
V. A Door Knob, a Sister's Wedding, and a Gentleman From Sri Lanka Officially Invited for Dinner
伍、一個門把、一場姊姊的婚禮，以及一位正式受邀用餐的斯里蘭卡賓客
The more I spoke with this gentleman from Sri Lanka, the more I learned about his life. He is a hardworking man who has mastered a wide range of practical skills. Plumbing, electrical repairs, laundry, and even rental-unit management are all part of his daily routine. In other words, if something goes wrong, he is probably the person everyone invites to show up.
But what stay with me most is not his impressive list of skills. It is what he told me about his older sister. He has been saving money so that his sister will have a merry wedding making their parents proud the following year.
Can you imagine that? A man living and working far away from home, spending his days fixing other people's problems, while carrying within himself a simple, loving wish for his sister's future. I approached him because of a broken door knob. I end up discovering a whole human story behind it.
Finally, we officially asked him to join us for dinner. At first, he might not feel that comfortable to accept the invitation immediately. After all, he had spent more than a decade working among foreigners without being treated quite this way; eventually, however, he agreed to join us.
That same day, another friend arrived: an Indigenous woman from this foreign land to us who represents her village and is someone we hope to work with in focusing assistance on her community. Her seven-year-old son came with her.
Suddenly, the picture around our dinner table changed completely. There was a Sri Lankan migrant worker saving for his sister's wedding, a local Indigenous community representative carrying the hopes and concerns of her village, a young child discovering the world through the adults around him, and the two of us, trying to make a meal out of whatever our microwave could manage.
Nobody had planned this as an intercultural event. Nobody had designed an educational programme. We were simply people who happened to share a table.
Yet, somehow, that was precisely what made the moment extraordinary.
與這位來自斯里蘭卡的男士聊得愈多，我便愈了解他的生活。他是一位非常勤奮的工作者，掌握的實用技能多得令人驚訝。水電修繕、洗衣工作，甚至出租套房的管理，他都能處理。換句話說，只要哪裡出了問題，他大概就是大家最希望出現的那個人。
然而，真正留在我心中的，並不是他有多少技能，而是他提起姊姊時所說的話。他正在努力存錢，希望明年能讓姊姊幸福地出嫁，讓父母也放下心頭的重擔。
可以想像嗎？一個遠離家鄉、在異地辛勤工作的男人，每天忙著替別人解決各種問題，心裡卻一直裝著一個簡單而溫柔的願望：
希望家人能夠擁有充滿幸福的未來。
我原本只是因為一個壞掉的門把而走向他，最後卻因此認識了一整段屬於他的生命故事。
接著，我們邀請他一起吃晚餐。起初，他驚訝得幾乎無法立刻答應。畢竟，十多年來，他一直在充滿外國旅人的環境中工作，卻從未真正受到這樣的對待。但最後，他還是接受了「我們未來的飯局」的邀請。
就在那場他不是進入我們於國外停留空間中的、修膳水電的「未來飯局」裡，另一位朋友也來到我們身邊。她是一位當地原住民族女性，也是代表自己部落的夥伴。我們希望未來能與她合作，把更多關懷與資源帶進她所屬的社群。那天，她七歲的兒子也跟著來了。
於是，原本平凡的餐桌，突然有了完全不同的風景：一位努力存錢、希望姊姊幸福出嫁的斯里蘭卡移工，一位承載著部落期待與關切的該處在地原住民族代表，一個正透過身邊大人認識世界的孩子，以及我們兩個努力運用微波爐變出一頓飯的人。
沒有人事先把這場聚餐設計成跨文化交流活動，也沒有人安排什麼教育課程。我們只是一群恰好坐在同一張餐桌旁的人。然而，不知為何，正是這份毫無刻意安排的平凡，讓那一刻變得格外珍貴。
VI. When the World Comes to Dinner
陸、當世界走進我們的餐桌
As if the story were not already complicated enough, another chapter soon unfolded.
A retired Taiwanese, couple Principal Liu and Mrs. Liu, made the effort to travel overseas to find us. They had already treated us to a candlelit dinner and a luxurious hot-pot lunch, much to the relief of my dear student, who probably hoped that, for once, we could stop entertaining international guests and simply enjoy speaking our mother tongue.
But this was not how the story worked.
When the couple eventually decided to visit us due to a meal together, by an almost comical coincidence, the Sri Lankan handyman agreed to join us again.
Just imagine the scene: a retired Taiwanese couple adventurous enough to drive all the way to find us while offering us many lessons of life; an Indigenous woman representing her community and her seven-year-old son; a Sri Lankan migrant worker whose mind was still occupied with saving for his sister's wedding...the author of this essay, plus her ever-enduring student Cathy...
Our dinner table was turning into a rather unconventional international conference. There were no registration fees, no name badges, no official speeches; somehow, the conversations were equally intellectual, ranging from education to languages, cultural heritages to national situations.
In the end, Principal Liu made a conclusion. "Hope, you should run a hotel/hostel business. You are the best candidate for it!"
接下來, 故事又出現了新的篇章。一對已經自教育界退休的臺灣夫妻，劉校長夫婦，特地遠赴海外開車自駕至我們的據點。他們先前已經請我們享用近乎純英式的、令人讚嘆不已的燭光晚餐，還安排了相當豐盛的火鍋午餐，席間我們聽著他們的所見所聞，實有醍醐灌頂之感。這讓我那位親愛的學生終於鬆了一口氣。她大概早就盼望著，有一天我們能停止接待來自世界各地的旅人，單純用自己的母語好好吃一頓飯。
但事情顯然沒有打算照著她的願望發展。
當與劉校長夫婦互動多時後，他們竟然也願意與我們一起共進晚餐。而幾乎出於某種喜劇式的巧合，那位斯里蘭卡男士也答應加入那場飯局。
請想像眼前的畫面：一對勇於冒險、特地遠赴海外來以自駕方式尋找我們的臺灣退休夫妻；一位代表自己社群的在地原住民族女性，以及她七歲的兒子；一位仍努力存錢、希望姊姊能幸福出嫁的斯里蘭卡移工；還有一位似乎已經無法忍住不追問每個人生命故事的筆者，以及她刻苦耐勞的學生，外加兩位新結交的歐陸白人朋友。
我們的餐桌儼然成了一場極不尋常的國際會議。沒有報名費，沒有名牌，沒有正式演講，當然也不需要同步口譯。大家認真吃著不怎麼樣的料理，可是大家的談話內容，卻是一層又一層無與倫比的關心：
「家鄉裡面的人生活狀況如何?」
「語系是哪一種?」
「吃些什麼?」
「生活水平如何?」
「家園現況怎樣?」
這對夫妻原本是為了來找我們，卻未必預料到，眼前的我已經如此習慣與不同國籍、性別、背景及膚色的人交談，以至於在旅遊的世界裡面對於「循規蹈矩」，反倒顯得生疏，甚至迎來了劉校長說及：
「Hope實在非常適合經營民宿」的說法。
VII. Back to the Map Within
柒、回到內心世界的地景樣貌
One of the most fascinating connections to emerge from these encounters was Africa.
A Taiwanese female, Chair Chin, had retired had travelled to Africa partly because of me. Recently, the German mother and son told me that they hoped to visit East Africa to learn more about the humanitarian projects I had been involved in. I had never expected that the way I travelled, the relationships I formed, or the stories I shared might encourage people to consider visiting places they might otherwise have approached differently.
Then, one day, the German young man and the Taiwanese retiree found themselves talking about Africa at my dinner table. This happened after they had enthusiastically praised my cooking and finished everything prepared for them.
I could hardly contain my laughter.
Here I was, a person of Chinese heritage standing on my Taiwanese homeland, listening to a German youth and a Taiwanese retiree exchange thoughts about an African continent that I had once imagined I might visit mainly to offer assistance. Instead, through the people I met there, I had learned to become more peaceful, more humble, and more willing to reconsider my assumptions.
And now, Africa had become a bridge between people who might never otherwise have had this conversation.
What an honour. What a privilege.
Perhaps this is one of the most unexpected things travel can do. We set out believing we are going to discover another place, perhaps even help someone there. Yet the people we meet often become the ones who change us. We return with more than photographs or souvenirs. We return with a different understanding of humanity—and sometimes with a different understanding of ourselves.
這些相遇之中，最令人著迷的連結之一，便是非洲。
琴主任這位已退休的臺灣女性，曾因我的影響而前往非洲；而那對德國母子也告訴我，他們希望有一天能前往東非，更深入了解我所參與的在地社區關懷行動與計畫。我從未預料到，自己的旅行方式、所建立的人際關係，以及一路分享的故事，竟可能讓其他人重新考慮那些原本或許會以不同方式看待的地方。
後來有一天，那位德國青年與這位臺灣退休女性，竟然就在我的餐桌旁聊起了非洲。而這一切，是在他們大力稱讚我的廚藝、把桌上的食物吃得一乾二淨之後發生的。
我實在忍不住笑了出來。
一個具有華人背景、生活在臺灣這片土地上的我，竟然坐在一旁，聽著一位德國青年與一位臺灣退休人士談論非洲。曾經，我以為自己前往那片大陸，主要是為了提供協助；沒想到，透過在那裡遇見的人們，我反而學會了更平和、更謙卑，也更願意重新檢視自己原有的想法。
如今，非洲竟成了人與人之間的一座橋，讓原本可能永遠沒有機會交談的人，開始分享彼此的想法。
這是多麼大的榮幸，又是多麼珍稀的可能！
或許，這正是旅行最令人意想不到的力量之一。我們出發時，以為自己要去認識另一個地方，甚至可能是為了幫助那裡的人。然而，最後真正改變我們的，往往正是那些與我們相遇的人。我們帶回來的，不只是照片或紀念品，而是對人性有了不同的理解，有時甚至也重新認識了自己。
VIII. Do We Really Have to Meet in the Same Place to Make a Difference?
捌、我們真的必須在同一個地方相遇，才能帶來改變嗎？
Over time, I have become increasingly aware that my way of interacting with people is very different from the way I used to be. I feel surprisingly relaxed about this change. Perhaps I have stopped worrying so much about whether I am travelling in the right way, following the right professional path, or becoming the person I once imagined I should be.
Professionally speaking, there are still three major things I would like to learn. At the same time, I know that I already possess other skills that allow me to continue working and contributing. This awareness brings me a quiet sense of satisfaction. I do not have to know everything, nor do I need to have every part of my future mapped out.
What fascinates me even more is the possibility that we do not always have to meet physically in a particular place to do something meaningful together. The retired Taiwanese couple travelled overseas to find us. The German young man crossed oceans to reach Taiwan. The retired woman went to Africa partly because of my influence. Yet their journeys did not have to end with those geographical encounters. The ideas, friendships, and possibilities that emerged could continue travelling long after everyone had returned home.
Perhaps the real question is not simply where we go, but what happens to our way of thinking after we have been there.
When we begin to reshape the map inside our hearts, we may discover new ways to relate to places we have never visited and people we have never physically met. We may begin to understand that doing good is not necessarily restricted by national borders, nor does meaningful cooperation always require everyone to stand in the same room.
The world becomes different when our inner maps become different.
漸漸地，我愈來愈清楚地發現，自己與人互動的方式，早已與多年前大不相同。對於這樣的改變，我反而感到相當自在。或許，我已經不再那麼執著於自己是否採取了正確的旅行方式、是否走在理想的職涯道路上，或是否成為自己想成為的那個人。
就專業而言，我仍然有三件希望全力學習的重要項目。同時，我也明白，自己已經具備其他足以繼續工作、持續貢獻的能力。這份認知帶給我一種平靜而踏實的滿足感。我不必什麼都懂，也不必事先把未來的每一步都安排得清清楚楚。
更令我著迷的是，我們未必一定要在某個特定的地方親自相遇，才能共同完成有意義的事情。那對臺灣退休夫妻特地遠赴海外、自駕勇往直前探望我們；德國青年跨越海洋來到臺灣；那位退休女性則曾受到我的影響而前往非洲……等等等等，這許許多多旅程並不需要隨著地理上的相遇而結束。相反地，由此產生的想法、友誼與可能性，仍然可以在每個人回到家鄉之後繼續因不斷發酵而持勇往直前。
或許，真正重要的問題，不只是我們去了哪裡，而是當我們離開之後，思維及後續所產生的行動，究竟為我們的內心及生命，遞造了什麼質與量的變化。
當我們開始重新繪製心中的地圖，就可能找到新的方式，去關心那些從未造訪過的地方，以及那些從未親眼見過的人。我們也可能逐漸明白，善意不必然受到國界的限制，有意義的合作也不一定要求所有人站在同一個房間裡。
一旦我們決定改變心中的那張地圖，世界也就因此而跟著深刻運轉。
IX. "My English Is Not Good Enough."
玖、「我的英文不夠好。」
There is one sentence I hear repeatedly from people I meet: "My English is not good enough."
Whenever I hear it, the slightly rebellious part of me wants to respond,
"Just keep communicating with people from other countries. You will find your own way."
I do not mean that language learning is effortless, or that grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation do not matter. Of course they do. Somehow, communication is not an examination in which we must achieve a perfect score before we are allowed to participate. Sometimes, a question asked with genuine curiosity is worth far more than a perfectly constructed sentence delivered without interest in the person listening.
My conversations with the Sri Lankan gentleman, the German travellers, my foreign indigenous friends, and the many people who have crossed my path have continually reshaped my understanding of language acquisition. English is not merely a subject to be studied or a qualification to be obtained. It is also a means of discovering other people's lives, questioning our assumptions, and allowing our own thinking to change.
Perhaps the best way to learn a language is to have something real to say—and to care enough about another person to try saying it.
我經常聽到身邊的人說：「我的英語力不夠。」
每當聽見這句話，內心那個有點叛逆的我，總會忍不住回答：「就繼續和外國人交流吧！慢慢地一定會找到屬於自己的那種溝通方式。」
學習語言並非不需費力，文法、詞彙與發音並非不甚重要，只是溝通並不是一場考試，我們不必先拿到滿分，才有資格與別人交談。有時候，一個出自真誠好奇的問題，遠比一句文法完美、卻對眼前的人毫無興趣的話語更有力量。
與那位斯里蘭卡工人、德國旅人、外國在地的原住民族朋友，以及一路上遇見的許多人交談，不斷改變著我對語言學習的理解。英語不只是需要研讀的科目，也不只是取得某種資格的工具。它同樣是一種認識他人生命、重新檢視自身假設，並讓自己的思維有所改變的方式。
或許，學習一種語言最好的方法，就是先有一些真正想說的話，再帶著足夠的真誠，努力讓另一個人聽懂。
X. The Traveller Who Never Really Retired
拾、那位從未真正退休的旅人
Looking back, I sometimes wonder whether all of this was already hiding inside a dream I had many years ago, when I was still a flight attendant.
Back then, I dreamed of pushing my trolley anywhere in the world. I imagined the places I might visit, the people I might encounter, and the endless possibilities waiting beyond each flight. Perhaps I thought travelling meant moving from one destination to another, crossing borders, landing in unfamiliar cities, and continuing towards the next place on the itinerary.
Little did I know that one day, I would no longer need a trolley, a uniform, or even a plane ticket to continue that journey.
Today, the world comes to my dinner table. A German traveller talks about Africa with a Taiwanese retiree. A Sri Lankan gentleman tells us about the sister whose wedding he is saving for. An Indigenous mother sits among friends who might once have been strangers, while her seven-year-old son curiously witnesses a world larger than the one he knew before. A retired Taiwanese couple travels all the way to find us, only to discover that their host has become rather too comfortable talking to practically everybody.
And somewhere in the middle of all this, my poor student Cathy is probably still wondering whether we will ever be allowed to eat a meal in peace again.
Perhaps I have finally discovered what it means to travel anywhere in the world.
I once dreamed of pushing a trolley across the skies. Now, I find myself pushing the boundaries of my own inner map, one conversation, one friendship, and one ridiculously crowded dinner table at a time.
The trolley has retired. The traveller, apparently, has not.
And if you ask me whether I have finally reached my destination, I can only laugh.
My dear friends, I am still travelling. I have simply discovered that the world is much bigger when we make room for one another—and that the most extraordinary journeys sometimes begin when we invite a stranger to dinner.
As for the cleaning afterwards such as washing-up? Well, our friend from Bangladesh in the IT business working in Thailand demonstrates the best example.
"Let me wash the dishes, please?"
Thus, "international banquets" related to me never come to an end, especially with our local friend in Taiwan, a grandma in her 90s is in the wish of cooking for all of us due to our German friend's expected departure...
回頭看看這一切，我有時不禁想，或許這些故事，早在很多年前就已經藏在我的某個夢想裡。那時的我，還是一名空服員。
當年，我夢想著有一天能推著自己的服務推車，走遍世界各個角落。我想像著自己可能造訪的地方、可能遇見的人，以及每一次航班之後，那些無窮無盡的可能性。或許當時的我以為，旅行就是從一個目的地移動到另一個目的地，跨越國界、降落在陌生的城市，再繼續前往行程表上的下一站。
我萬萬沒有想到，有一天，自己不再需要推車、不再需要制服，甚至不再需要機票，也能在某種意境上，繼續這樣雷同的旅程，畢竟與我有關的空間、其中自然包括了餐桌，竟然迎來了全世界……
就這樣，習慣與任何旅者聊天的我，還可以幾乎到了聲音沙啞的地步。
而這一切的中間，我那位可憐的學生許小姐，大概還在默默思考：
我們究竟什麼時候才能安安靜靜地吃一頓飯？
或許，我終於明白了，什麼叫作走遍世界。
曾經，我夢想著推著推車穿越天空；如今，我所捲動的，是自己內心世界的那份地景，這就像那卷長長的傳世傑作「清明上河圖」……只是我的這份內心地景，並未有著傳世的淵遠流長罷了；只是每一次的交談、每一段友誼，以及每一張座無虛席的餐桌，都全部幻化為旅程的一部分。
機上的餐車隨著我離開了航空界，離我遠去。但是旅行的本身對我而言，從來只是引領著更多人的團聚與相逢。
如果你問我，是否終於抵達了目的地，我大概只會笑出來。
親愛的朋友們，我仍然在旅行。只是現在我終於明白，當我們願意為彼此留出空間，世界便會變得更加寬廣；而最不可思議的旅程，有時竟然只是從邀請一位陌生人共進晚餐開始。
至於誰來洗碗呢？
嗯，孟加拉的科技新貴給了我們一個最為超越的示範：
「妳們都花時間作飯了，我來洗碗好嗎?!」
對我而言，於是這樣的「國際宴會」從來沒有停過，從國內到國外、再從國外到國內，直到高齡九十的阿嬤都要「出面」來歡喜為我們的德國友人下廚，讓大家好好共聚一堂……
在我的生命裡面，於是，所有的故事，都有可能才剛剛開始，從未結束~~~
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