I could not believe what happened ?

I could not believe what happened ?
2002, July. We were on a tour to take a plane from Moscow to St.Petersburg. We saw that a young mother holding a baby went up the stairs, all the passengers gave her way immediately and an air hostess helped her to a VIP seat. I wondered if she was a very important lady ,so that people paid the great honor to her. Our tourist guide said that the Russian Government worried about the birth rate lower and lower because the Russian winter is so cold that hard to bear a baby. They are very precious the young generations.
We live in a subtropical area, our Government worried about a large population would be a heavy burden in finance and made the ad. " Just two kids are good and in spite of male or female babies all the same." In the mainland China, a couple even be permitted only one baby to bear.
Suddenly , I could not believe what happened ? Just passed ten years, our birth rate decreases rapidly down the lowest in the world. And the Government declared a lot of projects, such as healthy insurance, bearing allowance, caring allowance, education free ,tax decreasing and all the people pay attention to the safety of children .
In Taiwan,the steps are hurry and the competing pressure is heavy, more material desire and less feelings between generations,uncertainly in the future. Many of our young people say, "If I could not believe better in the future ,what could I give to my generation ? "
In the ten years, Taiwanese middle class lost their confidence and the richest get more wealth and the poverty get less resource. I could not believe what happened ?
我無法相信這倒底怎麼一回事?
二OO二年七月，我們搭飛機從莫斯科到聖彼得堡旅行。看見一個抱著嬰兒的年輕婦女要上階梯，所有的旅客立刻讓路給她，一位空中小姐幫助她並帶領她到貴賓席。我猜想她可能是一位非常重要的女士，所以大家都很禮遇她。我們的導遊說俄羅斯政府非常憂慮出生率越來越低，因為俄羅斯的冬季酷寒，嬰兒養育不易，所以他們非常珍惜嬰幼兒。
我們住在副熱帶，我們的政府擔心太多的人口會造成財政的嚴重負擔，並作廣告"兩個恰恰好，男孩女孩一樣好。"在中國大陸，甚至一對夫妻祗允許生一個孩子。
突然地，我無法相信這倒底怎麼一回事? 僅僅過了十年，我們的出生率急速減少跌至世界最低。政府宣佈許多措施，如健康保險，生育補助，育嬰補助，教育免費，減稅，所有的人都密切關注兒童
安全。
在台灣，腳步匆忙，競爭壓力沈重，更多的物質慾望，世代間的親情越淡，對未來不確定感。許多年輕人說，"假如我不能相信未來會更好，我能夠拿什麼給我的孩子? "
十年之間，台灣的中產階級失去了他們的自信，富有的人累積更多財富，貧窮的人資源更少。我無法相信這倒底怎麼一回事?

Feeling Homesick in The Taste Buds

Feeling Homesick in The Taste Buds
The Dragon Boat Festival, we also call Duanwu Festival , is on the 5th day of the 5th Lunar month. The day is a traditional holiday to honor Qu Yuan, poet and statesman of the Chu kingdom during the Warring States period. Except for holding Dragon Boat races ,we worship and eat Rice Dumpling ,Chinese named Zongzi ,being wrapped in bamboo leaves.
Zongzi have a long history in Chinese generations , even be regarded it as mother's taste. A deep image in my college student time , we rented a dorm room nearby an area where the employers and their families of the Food Stuff Office lived in , they were coming from mainland China in 1949. I remembered that festival ,every family made Zongzi which had different shapes and different flavors ,there were long, short, sharp, roll, pyramid, pillow.....and the sticky rice sweet with red bean inside or salty with meat ,shrimp, squid inside. They considered that we were the students far away from home. Every family gave us four pieces of Zongzi as a present. Resulting in their warm heart, we ate the various and the most Zongzi and shared with the feelings of homesick in the taste buds.
My mother-in-law was expert in kinds of making rice food ,especially wrapped rice dumpling which she used the Alpinia leaves , put the raw sticky rice ,peanut and meat,dried shrimp,salty egg yolk inside,then tied and boiled them for four hours. Every year, she made lots of Zongzi for the big family and shared with her married generations in Dragon Boat Festival and Winter Solstice Festival until she passed away. My husband is certain that his mother's Zongzi was the best in the world .Nevertheless, sometimes I thought of my mother's Zongzi being wrapped with bamboo leaves.
Moving to Chung Li over forty years, we didn't like the Northern Zongzi that are wrapped with fried rice to steam for half an hour , similar to Oil Rice. Because the boiling Southern Zongzi have a mother's taste.
Living abroad ,My youngest daughter and her friend's families are group buying Zongzi when they get homesick.
Dragon Boat Festival ( Duanwu Festival ) is a great traditional festival and Rice Dumpling ( Zongzi ) reminds us to feel homesick in taste buds.
味蕾中的鄉愁
端午節是在農曆五月五日，這天是一個傳統的節日，為紀念屈原，一個戰國時代楚國的詩人和政治家。這天除了舉辦龍舟競賽，我們也祭祀並吃竹葉包的粽子。
吃粽子在中國歷史上已世代相傳許久，甚至被視為代表母親的味道。我印象最深刻的是在大學時代，我們租了一間宿舍和糧食局員工眷屬宿舍緊隣，那裡住的都是一九四九年從中國大陸撤退來台的人。我記得那個端午節，每個家庭都做粽子，做了不同形狀不同口味的粽子。有長的、短的、尖的、滾筒狀的、金字塔形的、枕頭狀的，形形色色。糯米內餡有包甜紅豆的，鹹的豬肉、蝦子、魷魚的，不一而足。他們想我們是遠離家鄉的遊子，每一家都送了四個粽子給我們，結果是由於他們的熱心，那年我們吃了最多樣也最多量的粽子，也感受到他們在味蕾中的思鄉之情。
我的婆婆很精於製作各種類的米食，尤其是包粽子，她用月桃葉放入生糯米和花生，內饀是豬肉、乾蝦仁和鹹蛋黃，包緊後水煑四小時。每一年端午節和冬至節，她都為大家庭做許多的粽子，也分享給已婚的子女，直到去世為止。我的丈夫肯定他母親做的粽子是全世界最好吃的，雖然有時我還是想念我娘用竹葉包的粽子。
搬到中壢已超過四十年，我們還是不喜歡北部粽，那是包了炒熟的飯蒸半小時，感覺像是油飯。因為水煑的南部粽有媽媽的味道。
我的小女兒和她的朋友們，居住海外的家庭，當想家時會團購粽子以解鄉愁。
端午節是一個傳統的大節日，而粽子是我們味蕾記憶中的鄉愁。

A Clear Image of Mango

A Clear Image of Mango
In early time ,a lot of tall mango trees stood on side- walks in order,the passengers and riders appreciated their shadow and enjoyed the cool wind in the hot sunshine. When economical growth brought heavy traffic, the mango trees gave the way to the cars and disappeared slowly. In Southern Taiwan ,they still survived on countryside.
Taking green line bus, we started from Tainan Train Station bus stop to Yujing. When the bus passed Shing-Hwa ,through the green tunnel,all along the road ,we saw full of mango trees growing on the hills and valley. This is the main famous producer of mangoes. Both Shine-Hwa and Yujing have Mango and Fresh Fruit Market, during the mango season, people from Tainan and elsewhere come to buy the freshest mangoes.The best famous species are I-Wen and King-Hwan. They are delicious and sweet smell.
Mango is a tropical and subtropical fruit. Taiwanese continued to improve the species .Recently, the mango trees are shorter and heavy bearer, the fruits are bigger and sweeter. Because of fruitful ,people picked up some of them to peel and put salt,sugar before maturing. It tastes the flavor sweet and sour like the feelings of falling in love ,we call a nickname" Lover fruit ".
The farmers pay attention to their mango trees, when the fruits are near mature,they cover every fruit tenderly with a little bag to avoid the insects biting or planting diseases.
In Summer season,mangoes are used to be eaten raw and make ice-cream, juices,beer and are widely used in cuisine. If plenty of mangoes more than in need of the market ,the farmers bake them into dried mango goods instantly. The ripe mangoes color are variously yellow, orange, red or green,looking beautiful and tasting delicious and smelling good.That is a deep image of fruit.
印象清晰的芒果
早年，許多高大的芒果樹是整齊站立道路兩旁的行道樹，在炎熱的驕陽下，行人和騎車者都很感激他們的樹蔭和享受習習涼風。當經濟成長帶來擁擠的交通，芒果樹因讓道給汽車而逐漸消失。在南台灣，他們仍然存活於鄉間。
乘坐綠線公共汽車，我們從台南火車站前的公車招呼站往玉井站出發。當公車經過新化，穿過綠色隧道，整條路上，我們看到許多芒果樹生長在山坡上、山谷間。這裡是主要的著名的芒果產區。新化和玉井都有芒果青果巿場，在芒果產季，人們從台南和其他地方來這裡買新鮮芒果。最著名的品種是愛文和金煌，他們非常美味香甜。
芒果是熱帶和副熱帶水果。台灣人不斷改良品種。近年來，芒果樹矮化且產量更多，果實更大更甜。因為果實很密很多，人們採摘部分未成熟的果實去皮加塩和糖，嚐起來味道酸甜像戀愛的感覺，因此被稱為情人果。
農民非常呵護他們的芒果樹，當果實接近成熟時，他們為每一顆芒果溫柔的套上小紙袋，避免蟲咬或病蟲害。
在夏季，芒果通常是拿來直接生吃，也可做冰淇淋，果汁，啤酒和廣泛用於料理。假如芒果盛產超過市場需求，農民會立刻將多餘的烘成芒果乾。成熟的芒果色澤有黃色，橘色，紅色和綠色，看起來漂亮，嚐起來可口，聞起來香甜。是一種令人印象深刻的水果。

Learning English

Learning English
Miss lee announced that we were separated with children into groups to PK.
We will play a game that one side of the teams uses any way to express a word or a phrase and the other sides guess to figure out the correct answer as fast as they can.
I am nervous. Facing the difficult situation that I am afraid of competition,
normally I stay in reading alone, not to challenge any contest. Thinking with great speed and answer immediately is terrible to me.
May I give up for a reason that my heart is too weaken to beat very fast ?
But it's not my style .
學習英語
李老師宣布我們和小朋友一起分組進行對抗賽。
我們將玩一個逰戲，一組使用任何方式表達一個字或一個片語，其他組猜想理解出正確答案，速度越快越好。
我很緊張。面對困難的情境是我害怕競爭，我一向獨自唸書，不挑戰任何競賽。快速思考搶答對我來說是很可怕的事。
我可以以我的心臟無法負荷快速打擊而放棄參與嗎?可是那不是我的風格。

Talk about a book " I am Park Geun- Hye "

Talk about a book " I am Park Geun-Hye"
We will have a meeting on May 6 with my retired co-workers at the reading club. I will share a book about " I am Park Geun-Hye",that was written by herself.
Park is the current President of South Korea and the first woman to be elected as President.
Park was born in 1952, graduated in 1974 from Sogang University ,studied in electronic engineering and also briefly at the University of Grenoble in France. She wanted to be a professor and researcher.
Park is the first child of Park Chung-Hee who was the third president of South
Korea between 1963-1979. Her mother was assassinated in 1974, she left
France to be the assistant to help her father and was regarded as First Lady till 1979, when her father was also assassinated.
During the sad time, she read Buddhist Bible and the Bible, studied in ancient Chinese politics and learned Chinese. Some times she visited the historic spots
to understand the history of her country.
When her father was considered an autocrat, she wrote a book and made a movie to clear her father's name, told the people that her father loved the country and devoted his whole life to lead doing a miracles of economic development.
1997 South Korea was burst out IMF crisis, she decided to help her country and devoted her whole life to lead the people. She was elected a member of the
National Assembly and the Chair of the conservative Grand National Party.
Now she is the President in South Korea and is serving the 18th presidential term and is considered to be one of the most influential politicians.
Park has never been married, she said that she has married to her country.
談一本書" 我是朴槿惠 "
我們在五月六日將有一個讀書會的聚會，我將跟我退休的同事分享一本書，書名是" 我是朴槿惠 "，由她本人所寫。朴是現任南韓總統，也是第一位被選出的女性總統。
朴生於一九五二年，在一九七四年畢業於西江大學電子工程學系並留學法國Grenoble大學。她希望能成為教授和研究者。
朴是第三任南韓總統( 從一九六三至一九七九年 )朴正熙的長女，她的母親在一九七四年被暗殺，她離開法國做為助理幫助父親，並被視為第一夫人直至一九七九年，她的父親也被暗殺。
在這段悲傷的日子裡，她開始讀佛經和聖經，研究中國的古典政治學，並學習中文。有時候她拜訪古蹟去了解國家的歷史。
當她的父親被視為獨裁者時，她挺身而出為洗清父親的汚名，她寫書也拍電影，告訴人民，她的父親愛國家且奉獻畢生精力，領導南韓創造經濟發展的奇蹟。
在一九九七年南韓爆發了金融危機，向世界貨幣基金IMF貸款。她決定要幫助她的國家，並奉獻她全部的生命去領導人民而投入政治。她被選為國會議員及保守的大國家黨主席。現在她是現任南韓第十八任總統，並被公認為南韓最具影響力的政治家之一。她至今未婚，她說她已經嫁給了國家。

Thousands-pond Township

Thousands-pond Township
Taoyuan County is located in Northern Taiwan .There are many ponds at Taoyuan Plateau for irrigation, so the county has a nickname called " Thousands-pond Township".
Due to increasing population rapidly and heavy traffic ,Taoyuan County needs more parks to be the lungs to breathe the fresh air and to relax for the local residents and visitors. But it isn't easy to get a large field in the city.
Recently, Taiwanese folk is changing, most of people consider when the relative had passed away to be burnt to ashes and put into Buddhist temple tower. So that the past tombs fields inside or at the edge of town are becoming the beautiful parks. And the military camps inside the city are released to be the parks.
Most parks keep the special symbol of ponds to save water and form a Eco-friendly environment. A variety of water plants and creatures grow in the ponds and the ducks ,geese, chicken play in harmony with each other by the sides.
We understand that the living space belongs not only to human being but also to all plants and creatures .
千塘之鄉
桃園縣位於北台灣。為了灌溉之利，桃園台地密佈許多水塘，所以" 有千塘之鄉 "的別名。
由於人口的急速增加和交通流量很大，桃園縣需要更多的公園作為都市的肺，來呼吸新鮮空氣，給當地居民和遊客舒暢輕鬆的地方。但是要在都會區取得大片土地相當不易。
近年來，台灣的民俗在改變中，許多人考慮當親人逝去，火化成灰置放於佛寺骨灰塔。如此許多城市內或市區邊緣的舊墳場就可改變為美麗的公園。並取得城區內的軍營釋出的土地，作為公園。
許多公園保留了池塘這種特色，用來儲水也形成了對環境友善的生態公園。池塘中有許多不同的水生植物和生物，鴨子，鵝，雞彼此和諧相處，在池邊玩耍。
我們了解這個生活空間不僅屬於人類，也屬於所有的植物和動物。

Around the Coast

Around the Coast
Taiwan is an island being surrounded by the sea . When we were young , swimming in the sea , personal fishing by the sea ,taking a picture to the sea were forbidden . Because all the coast line was military area .Till 1987 the President Chiang Ching-Kuo lifted martial law.
Today , going to the sea ,sailing on the sea ,living by the sea are fun .A trail along the seacoast was built for biking to surround whole the island. Taiwan's bike brands- Giant and Merida are the most famous in the world. Many young people who coming from foreign countries challenge the course ,really enjoy the beautiful view and warm heart of the local people.
There are lots of delicious sea food restaurants on the ports and spectacular sceneries along the shores. Young people play kinds of sports and activities, Sea Music Festival combined a variety of bands is popular.
Today ,Taiwan is ranked highly in public education ,economic freedom and human development. Some times we took the train or drove the car toward the seacoast to make a cycling tour. It's a great time and safe way .
繞著海岸走
台灣是個四週被海洋環繞的島嶼。當我們年輕時，在海裡游泳，私人海邊垂釣或對著海洋拍照都是被嚴禁的，因為整個海岸線都是軍事管制區，直到一九八七年蔣經國總統解除戒嚴法為止。
今天，去海裡玩，駕船在海上航行，住在海邊都很有趣。沿著海岸有自行車道環繞全島。台灣的自行車品牌巨大和美利達馳名全世界。許多外國的年輕人來挑戰這條環島路線，他們都非常享受台灣的美景和本地人溫暖的人情味。
各海港有許多美食海產餐廳，沿著海岸有壯麗的景觀。年輕人玩各種運動和舉辦各種活動，最受歡迎的是結合各種樂團的海洋音樂祭。
今天，台灣在普及教育，經濟自由和人道發展各方面都名列前茅。有時候我們乘火車或開車到海岸做環島一周旅遊，那是很快樂的時光而且一路安全無虞。