The last day of the tour guide trainning class

     Nov. 12th is the last day of my tour guide trainning class. It will be the last day of the whole trainning. The feeling is complicated. After today, I will have a group for me to lead once the travel agency calls me. After today, there is no more office career or any fixed income. After today, there isn’t any office schedule and no one can plan my life except me. No more innocent but real self-governed life style. It sounds exciting but definitely a big gamble at the same time. Like the instructor told us :  There will be less than half of you will get a job in this industry after the trainning. Only half of the half can stand in this industry more than 2 years. 20% of the survivors can have the life they expected. They’re elites and the reason keeps more and more people attending to this industry every year. But, it’s not everyone’s story. It doesn’t scare me and it sounds like a challenge I would like to try.

The trainning school

 

The view outside of the classroom

       To keep everyone remember this unforgettable day, the final oral exam isn’t a cake on the table ever for an experienced tour guide. Firstly, they give us ten tour points in Taiwan when the class began. Some are famous places but some are the places even Taiwanese seldom goes there. You need to pick up a number from the lucky sticks ten minutes before your oral exam. Of course, you need to prepare the tens at home. However, when you knew what topic you need to talk about, you only has ten minutes to organize everything. You need to make your owned speech and your guide for ten minutes by the language listed on your license. For my example, I need to guide a tour point ten minutes by english.  The place  I got is “Tarkao (Kaohsiung) Consulate museum”  which is built in 2003 where I’ve never been there before. I seldom go to Kaohsiung area after grand parents passed away and almost went there only for visiting customers. Honestly, the only image in my mind is from TV, photos or what other people said. But, like the instructor said: Say it when you knew it. Images it when you don’t know it. I think my imagination isn’t too bad and passed it like what I expected.

Everyone is preparing the exam

 

The assistant who controls the time and stickers

       Since it’s a three week trainning class and we had four day’s outdoor class, the classmates seem have close relationship after the trainning. We had a graduation dinner and party after the ceremony. Different from the solemn feeling few hours ago, people becomes very active and  enjoyable. There is a story about the elder classmate shows up below. Since he’s very nervous about this exam, his voice is so tight and weak. The teacher even tried to interrupted his speech and failed him. But, the classmate sat next to him rised his hand and told to the professor said he got a serious cold and didn’t feel well for a week. He passed luckily by classmate’s help. During the dinner, you can see a healthy and happy man sang joyfully. Another good lesson for me, you’ve never know what mood your customer might have and don’t judge someone before you know well enough. Like an experienced tour guide said, for a tour guide, treats everyone fairly. You’ve never know who you met.

The professor starts an opening speech

                                                                                          A happy elder singer

     We had a party after the dinner. It’s a long day for me. I wan’t nervous about the exam but still can’t sleep well last night. My brains keeps me rehearsal the guide when I laid on the bed and it kept me falling of sleep very late. I was very exhausted when the party started. However, I still don’t want to miss any chance to know what capability a tour guide should have.  Learning from the classmates is a good and easy way. After an hour of the party, I found out most of them are party animals. One of my best classmate called Michael.  He is 10 year elder than me but he dances and sings like a 20 year old teenager. (He is 45.) I see no trace of years on his face. Suddently, I found out it’s an attitude of life.  

graduation party

 

Michael invites classmate to dance

     That night, I’m glad I choose to run away from the office life. Otherwise, in 10 year, I still will try to save money for a humble oversea tour once a year but unhappy besides the holidays. Double of my weight because I’m exhausted after work and don’t want to move at all when I’m home. I’ll  keep on saying the same formulistic answer to the same group of customers (I’m sure they bet what I would answer everyday for fun and just called to know if  there is any new trick of my answers. Sorry, I’m always let them down.) It’s a chance, for my life and new career. However, don’t walk the straight way means I need to take double time and effort than others to have the same thing they had. Well, but I will have a better view on the walk…. I hope.

My best classmates

      For more photos, please see the link below:

      http://www.flickr.com/photos/orpheuslin/sets/72157622792683812/

If there were one day

      I think you hear my pray. The last two years, I think you hear me asked you “Why?” more than 1,000 times. Maybe, my sincerity touches you or maybe you just felt over the top and want to stop me bothering you by this question. The best way to answer the “why” question is to put people in the same position. 

      Back to  the moment two years ago, “I can’t change the world to meet your expectation and I can’t change what you think. Playing piano is the only language to balance the two inharmonic worlds. In the moment, we are in the place sweet like heaven. Can’t you read me? Do you know I hope we can play a perfect  Duet.  Why don’t you hold your Urhu when I played my piano? Does all the sweet will turn to sour when the music died?” In front of the apartment door you said : ” Don’t change the lock. I will be back in any moment.”

 

        Back to the moment two days ago,” I’m not a mean person and you’re the boss I repect the most in my 10 year working experiences.  However, this job won’t bring me anywhere. I’m not the person for this position and I knew I can be someone better somewhere else. We’re both nice persons but it just doesn’t fit. I will always miss this company and your kindness but this step destined to walk out.  For my owned good and for your owned good, too, you deserved a better employee and I deserved a better career. It’s sad you even don’t want to make any eye contact when I said I will leave this company. In front of the factory you said: “Come back to visit us anytime you would like.”

       Yes, come back ….. If there were one day. 

        It reminds me a taiwanese song called “If there were one day”

Chinese lyrics (Excerpt only one paragraph)      

     如果有一天　我們再見面
　時間會不會倒退一點
　也許我們都忽略　互相傷害之外的感覺

　如果哪一天　我們都發現
　好聚好散不過是種遮掩
　如果我們沒發現　就給彼此多一點時間

     The translation

     If there were one day, we can meet each other again.

     Can we back to the moment before we started our angry words?

     Maybe, we can find out some other feeling besides hurting each other.

 

      If there were one day, we all will find out

      A sweet good-bye is just to relief our sense of guilty.

      If we can’t understand it, maybe it’s worthy to spend some more time for next time we meet each other.

       *************************************

      When I was young, I only thought there is only good people and bad people can’t live or work together. Now I know, finally, some good people with good intentions also can’t  live or work together. Is it a prank from the destiny or the mercy from God? I start not to know.

       Here is the MTV of the song “If there were one day”

      http://www.wretch.cc/video/love04876&func=single&vid=4933994&o=time_d&p=1

      If there were one day

The basic trainning class of the volunteer job in World Vision

     I’ve been a translation volunteer in world vision for few months. When I lost the chance to build up a family, I needs something to make up the hallow of the family dream.  The world vision is the foundation I sponsor two kids in Bosnia. The two kids bring me lots of hope and joy after I knew I probably need to wait for a long while for my owned kids.  I sometimes would read their letters again and again to pretend I also have kids in somewhere in the world who wrote me letter. By a conference they elected, I knew they also need translation volunteers to become the bridge between the sponsors and the chidren. It sounds intersting and creative  to me. Maybe the god knew I’m not ready to be a real father but potentially a good one. He wants me learn from those kids before I becomes a real one.

 

      The world vision elected a trainning class for the volunteers this weekend. It’s a trainning class for the new comer of being a volunteer. The course contents self understanding, what’s the voluntary service, volunteer ethic, volunteer law & trend and experience sharing. It’s an 12 hours trainning. The most interesting class is the experience sharing by a lifetime volunteer in world vision Miss Yang.

 

       Talking about the world vision, everyone knew “The 30 hour famine”. The people from everywhere in Taiwan comes voluntarily to a stadium to experience 30 hours without eating anything. People tries to feel how the famine have been through by this activity. It also inspired many people sponsor or donate money or goods to the third world country. Honestly, I didn’t attend “the 30 hours famine”. But, it just one of the most famous activities people known. I will say the activity is the most efficient way to make people know the foundation and to approach those potential volunteers or sponsors. But, the amazing stories and touching scenes are all happened after you becomes one of the vounteers or sponsors.

 

        I don’t know how many people cry during the two hours she makes this speech.  Maybe her speech skill is good but I think people cried because it really touched our hearts. I just say one of them and try to make it short.

         Few years ago, there is a typhoon came to attack Taiwan and brought many damages. There is a family whose house has been flooded. Besides one person (just called John), all the other members have been killed by the flood. John is the volunteer of the world vision for years. Since John knew there’s nothing he can do for his family, after he buried his family, he immediately attends the voluntarily team of the foundation to help other families which still have chance to survive.  After the typhoon, people voluntarily to rise a donation for him. When he took the check, he said : I’m sure there are some other people need those money urgently more than I do. Please give those money to someone who needs them. So, he gave back those money and asked the foundation did the proper arragement which to give those money to some other families. That’s the taiwanese I knew. I’m glad to knew there is still real taiwanese live in this land.  

 

         I knew there are always good or bad people live in the same world. No matter which country or which race you are, the situation are all the same. However, since everybody knew this simple rule, why does the media make the world worse? There are more than 10 news channels in Taiwan. The pro-unification news channel can make a talk show to talk  about why our former corrupted president need to stay in the jail in the rest of his life every day. The pro-independance news channel can make a talk show to talk about why our current president need to fall out of the position every day.  Since the former president won’t die immediately and the current president won’t fall out right away, too, I don’t whom do they try to torture or punished. The audiences?  Yes, we’re really in a “Media Jail”. There are so many beautiful and touching stories Taiwanese made. That’s the stories worth the media broadcast.  For many taiwanese, the political persons are not the taiwanese. They are as the same as any other political person in the world belongs to another planet called “The politician planet”. Why don’t the media tell us more “real taiwanese story” than the story happens in another planet? People said if you don’t watch news channel, taiwan is a beautiful island. But, why the taiwanese tried so hard to have a media freedom but the media never tried to show us how the real taiwanese lives. Too complicated, I think it’s a lot simple if I only tried to be a real taiwanese in world vision.

done