Lunch with Sara’s family/Carlos Pueblo

Lunch with Sara’s family/Carlos Pueblo

Sara Rodriguez is our beginner Spanish teacher, a young lady from

Mexico, some time with her son coming to the class. I come back to

the community center due to the beginner Japanese class and find this

opportunity to come back again in Spanish learning. I can ask and answer

one or two basic Spanish greeting and that is all. There are at least 6

families in the neighborhood that I can converse with yet I do have the

limitation. She is an excellent teacher and I may have a breakthrough. After

we successful invited Nagamoto family for a lunch, I invited her family for

a lunch after the class and they accepted.

We went to a Chinese buffet restaurant nearby the community center also

on I-10 and I brought a German Rails map to help the conversation during the

lunch. Her husband is a German from a small city south of Koblenz on the Rhine.

I have visited Germany three times mostly in Frankfurt yet one time with the

German Rails pass across the country. I identified most of the cities which I

stayed overnight or came off the train for a day’s visit. He told me that he was

in the German Army and where he had been stationed. I have followed the map

to visited three scenic routes on DB Bahn, Prague, the Czech Republic to Dresden

on the Elbe; Stuttgart to Cologne on the Neckar and the Rhine; Singen to Offenburg

and to Freiburg in the Black Forest and the Danube. After hearing my description,

they felt that they should do some traveling themselves.

I always admire teachers volunteer their efforts to teach like in English for the new

immigrants. Come to think about it, I have missed so much opportunity to learn

several languages in this great nation such as English, Spanish, Japanese, and French

because that I don’t prepare enough and don’t know how to ask. I feel very comfortable

now because I have nothing to bother me and I can talk if I dare to native speakers.

I enjoy very much to listen to different languages and practice some during my traveling

in the world, i.e. on cruises to meet different people even though they all speak in English.

It is fun and easy to get close.

She is going to continue her beginner’s class after this session and so is Nagamoto Sensei

for his beginner’s Japanese. I like to continue these two classes even though I may have

traveling interruption.

與西語老師家庭午餐/莊峻華

與西語老師家庭午餐/莊峻華

西班牙語老師，為年輕母親，週末來上課，犧牲時間，照顧家庭，

剛好她同意我之謝師宴，邀請一家三人午餐去也，他們選上一家中

餐廳，就在社區中心，也是十號公路附近。我因知其先生為德國人

，特別帶一張德鐵地圖，他故鄉就在萊茵河畔，德鐵標誌德國鐵道

美景之一，我因購有德鐵通劵兩次，特別搭火車路過三次，該段自

緬茵河交界北溯，到科隆市，以河畔山丘葡萄園美景出名，其它兩

段是佛萊堡之黑森林，也是多腦河上游，另外一段是德瑞斯登市附

近之艾伯河畔，這是古東德，美景來自捷克，我是有人生美憶，他

在圖上指出，其服役德國陸軍之駐紥地，遍佈德國中部。

我真高興他們喜歡自助餐，這家湖南自助餐，主人仍舊是個體戶，

侍者聞我們談到金山飯店，原越南華僑家庭主人，已經出售給中國

公司，然後再被聘回經營餐廳事業，我有很多成本判斷，已經逐漸

豁然開朗，中國資本之聚集，來自49年之私產沒收，80年代，中

國開放土地，吸引外資，出租土地開發設廠，這部份之錢，歸地方

政府，地方官僚，我一直懷疑美國物價原料昂貴，地方稅加小費，

餐廳一家一家倒閉，真是無利可圖，卻仍有人，飛蛾撲火。

老師決定繼續開課，也是初級班，很多同學都自動留級，我是在進

步中，但仍然與中英文有顯箸差異，我需要再努力，結識老師這類

善人義舉，真是人生一幸，非常有意義。

Sensei’s birthday lunch/Carlos Pueblo

Sensei’s birthday lunch/Carlos Pueblo

Thursday after class, we invited Nagamoto Sensei and Auksan Datsuko to

Agu Rawmen Restaurant to celebrate his 77 years birthday. Many of us in

the class attended the lunch and we had a good time. In Taiwan, we as students

always like to have something to appreciate our teachers at graduation in

college or above and we believe that is a good tradition to appreciate teacher’s

effort. We also invite his wife and she comes to the class to give us some

lesson and also witness our progress. We, everyone in the class, can introduce

ourselves in Japanese about name, nationality, job, like and dislike, age, telephone

number, and current residency, etc. Everyone is doing very well indeed.

I bring in all my souvenir from my trips to Japan to the class; however, I don’t have

time to show to the entire class. I have visited many of the large cities in four major

islands of Japan. One of the brochure get their attention. It was the old frame

residence of Doi Bansui, the poet, who was with the song writer, Taki Rentaro, on

their famous piece, the moon over a ruined castle. We don’t have very much time

to discuss in details yet I promise them to give them my translation work based on

my previous Japanese Sensei, Daniel Watanabe, his English translation. The frame

house is now a museum of Doi in downtown Sendai, Japan.   

Because of their academic background, I also mention another famous writer,

Soseiki Natsumei. His picture is shown on Japanese 1000 Yen. Mrs. Naga moto checked

her i-phone immediately to verify his birth place, Tokyo, and we are aware of his Tokyo

Imperial University educational background. After his graduation from the University,

he went to teach English at Kumamoto’s 5^th Senior High, then back to the University.

He is an English scholar and also very good at Chinese Classic Literature, Haiku and

Renku in Japanese poem. He is most famous as a novelist in Japan. I believe that we

have had several of his books in our family book cabinet. It is a long story during the

end of the War. A Japanese left some of his collection to my father.

That collection was also included a small rugby bronze medal. I studied an article about

Eaton and Rugby schools at my senior high school English textbook and later, I even made

separate trips to visit both campuses. Eaton is nearby the Winsor Castle while Rugby town

is not far from Birmingham. Both schools are now very famous private schools among the

British Commonwealth Nations.

賀師午餐/莊峻華

賀師午餐/莊峻華

週四日語課後，我們班上幾位同學，到十號公路旁，黑豬麵館午餐，

慶祝仲本先生，七十七歲大壽，先生娘達子也來上課，我們每位同學

，都站上來，流利日語，自我介紹，這要歸功於先生平日，教導有方

，每課充份練習之校，師母也是日語老師，已經退休，我們這一般很

特別，年紀高者82，最年輕者26，主力者，多為我這般年紀之台灣

人，學習日語，帶回許多童年時代之美憶。

此日，我特別帶上一公事包，日本旅行文書資料到教室，尚無機會介

紹，已經下課，先生與師母，都注意到土井晚翠紀念屋，這是仙台行

，師母甚至唱上一段，荒城之月，回家後，我在部落格，將所譯歌詞

印出，將給恩師夫婦留念，這是2001年，開始學日文，根據渡邊先生

英譯，我將之翻譯而成，根據近體七言絕句，我相信晚翠先生等詩人

，漢學造詣均深，歌詞都是絕句，只可惜我無緣欣賞。

因仲本夫婦倆，好學為學校中人，我再提一位日本文學家，夏目漱石，

這是熊本行之主題之一，我們無法詳談，師母東京人也，夏目也是東京

出身，回家後査出為新宿，東京帝大畢業後，在熊本五高教英文，後來

在東京帝大教英文，他喜歡中國古文，長於日本俳句和連句，箸名者為

小說，我上仲本先生首日課，就提到我們家有本夏目漱石小說，說來話

長，這是戰後，台北工校日人校長，遺留存物，我剛好有機會，旅行英

日兩國，體會當年之回憶，夏目之小說，英國之橄欖球，夏目熊本之宿

舍，今在水前寺私園內，我兩次分訪伊頓和勞格比，當年之公校，今為

全大英國協，馳名私校，夏目玉照，就在日幣千元鈔上。

我想增進我之日文聽力，於是開始觀看日本古片，昨夜，我看了一片曰

最後一侍，是一部描述德川幕府末，明治維新際，日本江湖軼事，這是

1972年之電影，日本文明法治，輿論自由，許多文學創作，我稍有此知

識，例如片中描述之主角東京，京都行，鹿兒島，西南戰爭等，西鄉隆

盛是自盡，上野公園有其銅像，其實我在仙台一古藩主家祠旁，也看到

一墓地，埋葬當年西南戰犯者，無主遺體，這是歷史，也是愛聽故事者

，旅行之收穫。

Individual Contribution to the world/Carlos Pueblo

Individual Contribution to the world/Carlos Pueblo

A Korean Japanese movie on You Tube which was seen by me touched

me greatly after a scenery that a depressed son of the family jumped

to a river to commit suicide. He was living in a very stressful environment

with his parents and three elders sisters during a time after the War. He

was far behind at his private school and was bullied all the time in his

class. At the moment his father found that his failing report couldn’t make

to the next grade, he decided to kill himself. I feel very sad and unfortunate

that his parents can’t come to his rescue. There is a famous paragraph on

a famous poem in China by a famous poet Tai-bai Lee in Tang Dynasty and

the meaning is that all things in their being are good for something. There is

always something which we can do as a meaningful person after we are born

to this world. The school system is not perfect and doing well at school doesn’t

mean anything of the future success in the society.

I always had a question in my mind ever since my son Arthur was born. He

had had tremendous difficulty at the beginning of his life in the first 6 years.

He relied on a tube inserted to his lung for respiration until a successful operation

on the third time to strengthen his wind pipe. I don’t blame him for not working

hard at school or in the society after school. He didn’t do well at schools yet he

had a college degree. We work together for his financial needs in the future and

is very successful. We like to protect him and make sure that he is not alone to

face the challenge of the world. He helps me very much in computer technology.

I believe that he is on a right track to the future and his life will never be miserable.

I always think that I have the responsibility to help my children to help them to live

in a good life. They come to this world because of us and we must help them to get

by. There is no age limit at all and it is forever. Our daughter is a normal child without

the health issue and the rest of school performance problem and I can only say that

she is lucky. My philosophy is very simple, to a goal of financial independence and

money can solve almost 80% of our suffering. You can argue with me for all your life,

yet we must face it and prepare to solve it as early as possible.

I also see some videos of the American poverty, i.e. people are sleeping on the parking

lots of Wal-Mart, political agenda such as healthcare for all, college free, and minimum

wage, etc. They are all money issues. I don’t expect that we can wait until the government

to get them done, we must do them by ourselves first. There is always a usage of our life

after our birth to this world.

天生我材必有用/莊峻華

天生我材必有用/莊峻華

最近一兩日，觀看網誌節目，十分感觸，我把電視影片，時事等，像

做厄夢中，混為一局，我在一舊日本影片中，看到一幕，少年投河自

盡一事，有兩位女明星，愛子女心切，找偏徑代考賄賂明校入學觸法

，美國左右兩派路線之爭論，都讓我想起中國大詩人李白之名句，天

生我材必有用，出自將進酒，前後四句是這樣，人生得意需盡歡，莫

使金樽空對月。天生我材必有用，千金散盡還復來。

這位韓裔日本少年，生長在一艱困之移民家庭，父母經營一韓式烤肉

店，在一違章建築陋巷中，家中有三位大姊，來自父母親之兩次婚姻

，因為韓國之濟州大屠殺。父母親省吃檢用，將少年送進私立學校，

期待較優教育，可以改變社會階級，和日後命運，可惜小孩跟不上進

度，在學校受盡委曲，父母大姊無法有效幫忙，終於投河自盡，最近

，我讀到兩件自殺新聞，心中淒淒然，我們家元兒，自幼弱小，偶在

小學校受到霸凌，先是姊姊琳兒，介入打架，後來有情事惡劣者，我

都需要介入保護，美國好學校，不敢開玩校，人權有責任保護，六十

年代之日本，尚無此觀念，此劇情令人心疼。

中國有講究學校出身，但我想不到美國富有家庭，也顧此顏面，我想

科系重於名校，不喜讀書，許多科系無法混過，就是混過學校，也無

法混過社會，當然家境富有，可以生活無憂無慮，但是觸法，則是不

智，父母親不得不注意。我們家元兒，不適應學校之審核考試制度，

看過我大學成績單始莞然一笑，能畢業最重要，而且學無止境。

民主黨有左派，主張要幫助弱小，要全民健保，要免費大學，要提高

工資等，我早清楚此類需求，不能等待政府，我自行解決處理，我和

元兒每日清晨，都在討論國家大事，他仍是德州最低工資，但有健康

保險，上夜班，如果政府有全民健保，可以免除失業之憂慮，我失業

十八年，自從進入老人健保後，已無壓力，我們要自行解決自身問題

，大有為之政府，是可提供國民幸福之機會，我有一網球夥伴，瑟比

亞人，年紀大後，就定居墨西哥，一枝草一點露，船到橋頭自然值，

天生我材必有用。

Discussion of the origin of our ancestors/Carlos Pueblo

Discussion of the origin of our ancestors/Carlos Pueblo

It is very difficult to discuss the origin of our ancestors and we take it

for granted for some unproven theory. I watched a You Tube video

of 2016 from Taiwan about the research of Taiwanese ancestors that directly

challenged the official theory, Taiwanese were Chinese. Actually, the talk

show speakers have pointed it out more likely Taiwanese are the part of

Austronesian, the Pacific Islanders. Why Taiwanese starts paying attention to

where he is from? It is because that he doesn’t like to be Chinese and falls into

the conclusion of Taiwan is a part of China.

Even nowadays the school education is very common and popular, people still

is unable to search his ancestor’s origin. I can track down up to two generation

above me and that’s it. It was because that under Japanese rule in Taiwan, 1895

to 1945, there was a registry of family which was prohibited to open to public by

the Nationalist Chinese regime due to the reason to cover up the fact of Chinese

colonization of Taiwan after 1945 and before 1895, the Manchu Dynasty for almost

200 years, Kuoxinya Cheng’s Dynasty briefly, and the Dutch rule before. I can’t go

that far and there is no such need in my life to do such search.

One year, I believe was 2013, I went back to the birth place of my father, Sanshia,

Taipei, Taiwan, to do some research of my family root. I selected my grandmother’s

side of registry. I suspected that my ancestors were not Chinese because that if

they were, they wouldn’t be in such poverty condition. All my ancestors were struggling

to be survival. It is true that I have not met any of my father’s side of the family. He was

the first one to be literate.

Therefore, there is no way for any of us to go back the record before 1900 in Taiwan.

I estimate that would take at least 5 years for the Governor General’s office of the

Imperial Japan to start the family registration plus the fact of illiteracy in my family

history. It is not important for me to find out my family origin instead that I should

ignore the Chinese claim that Taiwan is a part of China. It is not true even if I have

some Chinese blood. Taiwan is still Taiwan.