Showing posts with label trees. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trees. Show all posts

Sunday, June 18, 2017

If I don't do it, / 不做會怎樣?


六月的植標館週六午後,我們來上豆科植物。傾盆大雨的下午,意外地來了許多孩子和媽媽,兩年前還是個孩子的柏輝這陣子都小學畢業了,這次來感覺像是要和過去說再見了。

On the rainy Saturday afternoon in June, we have a lesson on leguminous plants. It comes as a surprise that there are more children than expected on such a wet day. Our special guest is the 12-year-old Po-huei. When he came two years ago, he was still a child, and now he has graduated from elementary school. I feel he's coming this time to say goodbye not only to us but also to his childhood. 



        平常見沒什麼稀奇的阿勃勒黃花,在拆解之後原來有許多奧秘,今年來的這批孩子頗有學習的熱忱。

     The golden shower trees are in bloom now, and though the yellow flowers are commonly seen, the structure of the flowers is actually amazing. It's nice to see the kids learn with such enthusiasm. 



        雄蕊居然有分三種尺寸,雄雌蕊彎曲的線條也是為了傳宗接代設計!

     There are three sizes for the stamens. Even the curving lines of the filaments and the style are the design of nature to help the plant reproduce. 



        想不到男孩把花插到耳邊! 今天居然還有小朋友想做筆記,我好感動!

     I am amused by how the big boy wears the flower behind his ear. More interestingly, some boys take notes today, which greatly moves me! 



        接著是美麗的鳳凰花,只可惜最近雨下不斷,大美阿姨只能採到幾朵完整的花朵給小朋友們觀察。

      Next we observe the flame flowers. However, because of the continuous torrential rain, Guei-mei finds only three to four intact flowers to show to everybody. 



        雖然這陣子看到阿勃勒和鳳凰花都開了,不這麼近看哪知道花朵果實的奧秘呢?

     I see the golden shower flowers and flame flowers only from far away, but without close observations, I would miss the mysteries of their flowers and fruits. 



        就是看起來普普通通的綠豆黃豆芽也很有趣,黃豆芽還有屁味呢! 

     Even the ordinary-looking mung bean and soy bean sprouts are a lot of fun. The latter smell like farts! 



        我們也玩分組搶答,其實只是想黃豆製品,大家也都好投入! 

     We play the brainstorming game: Each group has to think of as many soy bean products as possible. See how devoted everyone is! 



        最後玩沙包,大家不亦樂乎! 

     We top off the day with the folk beanbag game. The kids enjoy it so much! 

        今年我們把活動頻率減少了,有時候做活動出門的路上也會想,如果不做多好,但每個下午結束的時候,就是會感受到一些溫暖和光亮,促使我繼續,而且在我完全不想界定教育這件事時,週六下午總是向我證明教育可以是有意義的。

     This year we have cut down on the times of the activities. On the Saturdays when there are workshops, I sometimes grumble and wonder how great it would be if there were no such thing on my way to the herbarium. But at the end of these Saturday afternoons, I feel there is always a small flame lit up in my heart, a glow of light that warms me and pushes me to continue. When I don't feel like defining the significance of education, these Saturday afternoons always prove to me that education can be fun and enjoyable. 

        活動結束之前,有個八歲男孩要我看他表演,雖然他一直失敗,我對他說:沒關係,在家練好下次再來!他要離開的時候說:謝謝你鼓勵我!有一天我們也許不再做這個活動,不做也不會少一塊肉,或許有些時候還會慶幸這樣的決定,但我會想念那些可愛純真的孩子和他們的話語。

     Before the end of the day, an eight-year-old boy asks me to watch his specially-prepared show. He keeps failing, so I tell him, "All it takes is practice. I believe you can do much better when you come next time." Before he leaves, he says to me, "Thank you for encouraging me." One day we might not go on with the activity, and it certainly won't kill me. Perhaps I might feel thankful for the decision, but I will certainly, definitely miss those lovely and innocent children and whatever they have said to me. 

Sunday, September 11, 2016

Rainy park / 下雨的公園


我在下雨的大安公園裡散步,大樹和我說:那些讓你心裡不愉快的感覺,都留給我們當肥料吧!又派了一個可愛的外國先生來和我聊樹上的鳥類,於是,我就這麼撫癒了一個小傷口。

After a long evening walk in Da-an park, the trees tell me, "Leave your hard feelings here as our fertilizer." They also send a very interesting foreign gentleman to talk about the birds in the tree with me. Miraculously, my wound is thus healed. 

Sunday, August 09, 2015

Norwegian woods / 挪威的森林


在北歐的日子裡,我每天早起,於是有些屬於自己的空檔,可以到處去探險。在里耳哈默的早晨,從Radisson Blu旅館往旁邊走,居然有座森林,我們在旅程中經過無數個森林,從來沒有機會下車去散步,今天真是我的日子啊!

I am in the habit of getting up earlier than the others during the trip, and that gives me two to three hours of free time every day. Thus, I set off on my own adventures to places that are not included in the itineraries. In the morning in Lillehammer, I accidentally walk into a forest adjacent to Radisson Blu Hotel. We have driven past by numerous woods on our trip, but we are always in a hurry to visit a certain renowned tourist spot. Today is really my day in that I'm blessed with such good luck to actually "walk" in Norwegian woods! 



        對於溫帶植物我一無所知,不過光欣賞他們的外型也是樂事。

     I know nothing about plants in the temperate zone. However, that doesn't blind me from their beauty. 





        森林裡沒有人跡,只有鳥聲和溪流聲,我邊走邊哼著歌,克制不了自己,只想不停地往前走。

     I do not encounter any other fellow walker, but I am not alone. Instead, I am accompanied by birds' chirping and rivers' burbling. Oh, and my own humming sounds. The walk is so pleasant that I can't help but stroll forward. 











        森林裡有很多秘密,不過只要肯用眼睛看,他們很樂意和大家分享。要離開挪威的最後一天,找到了現在挪威書店必備的暢銷書:挪威社交指南,裡面寫了關於挪威人個性的幾個重點,挪威人不多話,也不喜歡打擾人,他們的體貼是表面看起來有點冷漠,但實際上很貼心,同時世界上善意指數最高的地區也落在挪威,我在森林裡看到挪威人的樣子,低調但極度友善。

     There are many secrets in the woods, but as long as I pay attention, they are so willing to be looked at. On my last day in Norway, I find a book featured in every major bookstore now: The Social Guidebook to Norway by Julien S. Bourrelle. He shares what he has learned about Norwegians. "Do not be surprised if your colleagues leave without saying goodbye in the afternoon. They do not intend to be rude. They are in fact very polite, Norwegian polite. You leave space both physically and psychologically." I've also learned in a recent survey that people in Trondheim, Norway, scored the highest in terms of good will index. In the woods I find much resemblance between plants and Norwegians. 



        這是誰的家呢?

     Whose house is it? 



        此時我不禁想到弗洛斯特的詩:兩條路在樹林裡分歧,我選了較少人走過的那一條,於是人生因此不同。

     Faced with the two paths, I think of Frost's poem: 
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by, 
And that has made all the difference." 





        沿途的風景多樣,經過開闊的草原,也經過潺潺小溪。

     Along the way, there are various sorts of scenery, including the meadow and gushing streams. 



        原來這是有規劃的慢跑步道!每天能在樹林裡跑步一定很幸福!

     So this turns out to be a jogging path. How lovely it must be to jog in Norwegian woods! 

Saturday, February 21, 2015

Thai flora / 泰式花草




旅行出發前才學到的火焰木,泰北路上到處都是。

I happened to learn about African tulip trees before going on the trip. The tree can be found everywhere in North Thailand. 



一片又一片的欖仁樹構成清邁的市景。

Indian almond trees form the cityscape of Chiangmai. 



緬梔也很常見。

Temple trees are common too. 



不只是波羅蜜,好多樹木都果實累累。

Apart from jackfruit trees, many trees bear numerous fruits. 



清盛的柚木高直挺拔。

The teak trees in Chiang Saen are now protected from being sawed for making furniture. 


接著就是我不認識的奇珍異果,先列出來,也許有一天我就會找到答案。

The next section is devoted to plants that I don't know. Maybe I'll find the answers one day. 


1. 







2.


和一號同學在同棵樹上,可是感覺不是同一種植物。

No. 1 and No. 2 are found on the same tree, but I am not sure if they are not the same plant. 


3.



4.


3號和4號同學長得有點像,可是葉片不一樣。

No. 3 and No. 4 look similar, but their leaves aren't the same. 


5. 



6. 



7.





8. 



9.



10.



11.



12.



13.



14.


這些植物看起來艷麗多產啊!

The plants look so colorful and productive! 

Monday, December 01, 2014

A room with a view / 窗外有樹景


以前學生考試時,我畫她們,現在我發現窗外也有各式各樣的風景可以記錄,而且我們現在住在一棟樓,每一層教室的高度不同,看到的樹木部位也不一樣。原本我想要畫亞歷山大椰子樹由低至高的相貌,想不到這次監考的教室是另一邊,第一次遠遠畫記錄葉型,下午又到同一間教室,近看才發現花已經冒了出來,更幸運的是,當天立馬問到同事,原來我的新朋友是芒果樹!

I used to sketch students when they were sitting for monthly exams. Now I realize there are various views outside the windows. The 12th graders live in a building which is surrounded by trees on the two sides. The views of classrooms on different floors differ. I had planned to sketch the Alexander Palm from the bottom to the top on the day of the midterm, but it didn't occur to me that I was assigned to go to a classroom on the other side. In the morning I sketched the leaves, but when I went back there in the afternoon, I noticed that the tree had blossomed. Best of all, I found the name of my new friend on the same day by asking my colleague, which is the mango tree. 



        我的班級在頂樓,使我每天都有機會看到亞歷山大椰子樹的頂端,最近我常常盯著葉腋冒出的串串紅色果子,覺得很驚奇,不知道埋首書堆的孩子有沒有看到比書本還要真實的大自然呢?

   My class lives on the top floor, which gives me opportunities to observe the top of the Alexander Palm trees every day. Now I always look at the rounded bright red fruits with amazement. I wonder if the girls, who are buried in books, also notice the beauty of the real world. 

        我和孩子們的旅行要進入最後半年了,我說:這間教室是最接近我夢想的地方,之前從這裡去了倫敦,現在從這裡走進畫繪本和學習植物的美好人生,希望對他們來說也有同樣的意義。

   We are counting down our days together. I say, "This classroom is the closest place to my dreams. I went to London from here. I am reaching my dream of being a book writer and illustrator from here too." I so hope the room has the same significance for them too. 

        謝謝每天有你們相伴的生活!

   I want to say, "Thank you for your company!" to the trees and the girls! 

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Busan 7 / 釜山 7

釜山是海港,海景挺迷人的。

Busan is a harbor with beautiful seascape.