現在看到新標本的第一個問題是：它原來是什麼顏色？因為烘乾之後的色調和有生命的色調完全不同，所以我對於植物原來的顏色很好奇。華南薯蕷的果實標本有種紅銅色的亮澤感，也是很迷人的，不過生長時淺綠的豆莢也很可愛。
The first question that comes to mind when I see a new herbarium specimen is: What were its colors? The main color themes after plants are dried are very different from those when they were alive. The dried pea pods have a red copper hue, which I admit look very beautiful. But the light green color of the fresh pod is quite lovely too.
要回家的路上撿到掉落的第倫桃，又折回標本館詢問，結果前輩們異口同聲地說出第倫桃，如果我的學生學習時也這麼自動自發就好了。接著貴美告訴我有關果實的資訊，據說可以整個煮，但裡面的果肉很少。在這裡只要我展現高度的學習慾望，大家就不斷地和我分享。
On my way home, I picked an Elephant Apple that had fallen on the ground. Wanting to find out what it is, I returned to the herbarium. It was an amazing sight to hear everyone tell me the name in unison. What if my students were such highly-motivated learners ... Then Guei-mei went on to share more information about the fruit with me. The fruit can be cooked to make jam, but there isn't much flesh inside. I love being in this place because as long as I show interest and desire to learn, my colleagues are too willing to show me the fantastic world of plants.
最後貴美為了帶我看十字菩瓜樹，陪我走了一小段路，像是我的植物家教，耳聞這種植物有一陣子，親眼看到特別的葉片造型還是大呼驚奇，造物者的想像力真是無窮無盡。
In order to show me the three-leaf calabash, Guei mei took a short walk with me. I felt very lucky to have a botany tutor. Though I had heard about the plant for a while, I was surprised to see it in person. The leaf is shaped like a cross, and what's more, it's hard to find in Taiwan.
接下來我要好好學習畫植物，讓沒有看過的人也可以第一眼就精準地抓住它們的特色。
My next task is to learn how to draw plants so that people who have never seen them before can immediately grasp their features.
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