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March 29, 2006
小 手 Little Hands 陳則東 Allen Chen
每次我進入遙遠的山區去考察燃燈建校情形，總會帶上一點糖果給那裏的小學生，他們很少與外面接觸，見了生人就跑，有了糖果就容易拉近距離 (糖果襯托了他們天真的笑容，也拉近了我們的距離)，笑嘻嘻的馬上成了百年之交。有時還要教他們吃糖果是要先把外層包裝紙先拿去的。什麽事總是有第一次，一隻隻小手伸過來，伸出那粗黑帶著泥土氣息的雙手。生長在大城市生長的孩子，不是名牌不穿，不是McDonald’s 不吃，寒暑假還要旅遊。對深山中的孩子，這些事是十分遙遠的事。
Every time I enter the remote mountain regions to inspect the progress of the schools sponsored by the Enlightening Education Program, I always bring candy for the attending students. They seldom have any contact with outsiders and run away upon seeing strangers. Candy establishes a rapport between us. When they smile and accept the candy, it builds instant friendship despite our difference in age. Sometimes I have to teach them how to eat the candy. For example, they often do not realize that they must remove the wrapper before putting the candy into their mouths.
Candy is a rarity in this part of the world. When I put candy into these children’s hands, I noticed that their hands are so much different from those of children who’ve grown up in the city; children, who wear nothing but designer clothes, eat McDonald’s and travel during summer and winter vacations. These children’s hands are much rougher, tanned and carry the scent of the earth. Designer clothes, McDonald’s and vacations are beyond the reach of these children who live in the isolated mountain areas.
有的學生每天要走一、兩個小時山路才能到學校，一、二年級學生也是一樣，一路上撿一點柴和採一些中草藥，再上趕集賣，可以還一點欠的學雜費，或者買一些鉛筆、筆記簿，採路旁的野菜，送一些給老師，帶一些回家給媽媽，所以他們都說窮人的孩子早當家。
Many of the students, even the 1st and 2nd graders have to walk one to two hours on the mountain trails to attend school. They collect herbs and firewood on their way to school so that they can sell them at the bazaar to pay for their tuition and expenses. Sometimes they collect edible wild vegetables for their teacher or parents. There is a saying that a poor kid always takes care of their family early on.
油、鹽都買不起的家，肥皂就成為奢侈品了，全家在天黑前就上床睡，電費每個月八塊人民幣，在每年現金收入不足兩、三百的家是筆很大的開支， Internet，Information Highway 聽都沒聽過，全家不生病，父母能看自己孩子能高中畢業就是最大幸福了，大學學費每年兩萬，是筆天文數字，也就想也不去想了。
“伸過來一個個黑黑、髒髒、粗粗的小手，帶上一個個天真無邪，凍得紅紅帶了兩條鼻涕，羞澀微笑的小臉，一點也不貪，每人給兩三個糖就說夠了，謝謝，轉身就跑，走了四、五小時山路，一身疲倦突然消失了，明天又有一堆新的小朋友在等我呢！”
“They have running noses and pink cheeks because of the cold. They extend their tanned little hands one by one, with an innocent and shy smile. They are never greedy. Two or three pieces of candy are sufficient for them. They are always polite, saying thank you before turning around and running off. Upon seeing their delight, my fatigues from walking 4-5 hours on the mountain trails suddenly seem to disappear. Tomorrow, there will be a new group of little friends waiting for me!” _____________________________________________________________
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Soap is a luxury item since these families cannot even afford cooking oil or salt. They have to go to bed before dark because they cannot afford electricity. These families have annual incomes of 200 to 300 RMB ($25.00-$37.50) and the monthly electricity bill is 8 RMB ($1.00). They have never heard of the Internet, MP3s, DVDs or digital cable. It is a great blessing already if the entire family is free from illness and the children are able to graduate from high school. College is not even an option. College tuition costs about 20,000 RMB ($2500) a semester.
每天做筆記，回家後你會發現，你能從這些極端貧窮的地方，帶回不少無窮美好的回憶，使你一次一次想回去。
I have discovered that after taking notes everyday on these trips, I am able to generate beautiful memories from these extremely poor areas upon returning home.
Posted by dee at March 29, 2006 12:03 AM