Language lessons on board/Carlos Pueblo

Language lessons on board/Carlos Pueblo

Another interesting schedule on days at sea is the language lessons

including Tagalog, Spanish, French, Serbian, Chinese, and Afrikan. The

instructors are staff of the cruise activity department effectively

providing the initial interest for many passengers. I have had some

experience of such lessons from my previous cruises; therefore, I am

able to respond Tagalog lesson while Spanish and French are my life

time ambition to learn. Chinese, Spanish, and French are three of the

major languages of hundreds of million while if connected to Slavic

Russian, Serbian can be huge as well. Otherwise, Serbian and Afrikan

are limit to the Balkan Peninsula and South African of less than 9 million

each. For that lessons, I went to review some classical English movies

of the Boer Wars and the Zulu Wars, etc. Afrikan is a 1600, a.d. Dutch, a

part of Western German language.

The class starts at 12:45 pm for 30 minutes and 1:15 pm for the second

class of another 30 minutes, some of them with hand out sheet. I gather

them with my language folders. I find that it is very interesting that some

of the cruise staff like or can speak Japanese. They all become my adopted

daughters. They either with prior working experience in Japan or intended

to work in that country later. The ship is huge like a typical U.S. size of

township with multi nationals speaking different languages. I am still working

on my Japanese and Spanish and the cruise is the ideal to take my learning

into practice.

Due to the difficulty of pronouncing my name in Kanji spelling, I first added

Charles as my middle name at the beginning while officially on naturalization

procedure yet the last name was pretty difficult as well. I explain it to a lady

clerk in Barcelona, Spain that Chuang is the village in English and she responds

it as pueblo in Spanish. Since then, I have used Carlos Pueblo as my unofficial

name and pretended to be a Filipino from Sibu, Philippines. Sibuya is another

major language in that country which I identify as my home town and I don’t

speak.

I always suspect that languages can lead the trace of human immigration. I

suspect that the Pacific Islanders have had the same origin of their ancestors

and yet I don’t think that I can prove it. It is too late for me and is not important

after all. I am just enjoying the language which I learn every day as much as I can.  

船上語言課/莊峻華

船上語言課/莊峻華

也是海上日節目，郵輪活動部，安排在大廳舉辦幾種語言課，因

為此艘巨輪，有超過四千乘客，海上日無處可去，所以結集一大

批觀眾，我因對學習語言，有特殊喜愛，因此我每節參與，例如

西班牙語，菲律賓塔卡洛語，法語，瑟比亞語，和南非之阿非利

刊語，也有中文普通話，三年前在寶玉號，有船員教導馬來語，

我一直都能船上蒙混過日，像菲語，馬來語，法語，和西語，在

全球都有上億人口流通，當然中文更臻十餘億，但非我之問題也，

阿非利刊語和瑟比亞語，使用者僅千萬人不到，一為十七世紀荷

蘭語，一為斯拉夫語系一支，通俄羅斯語，如此有趣矣。

我上過如此船上，菲語和西語課多次，而且很多菲律賓愛女，必

要時可借用西語，蓋菲語中有些西語在內使用，西語我已在識字

班，而且已經能分辨出一些動詞變化，菲語其次，但會話前面幾

句和外貌，似可蒙騙過關，例如我有西文姓名，於是自稱宿霧是

故鄉，常被追問西布亞語，是宿霧當地語言，於是我就顧左右而

言他曰，彼為我心靈之故鄉，台灣平埔族語言煙沒幾世紀，據言

與菲語接近，只是無法考古而已，推斷仍合邏輯。

課是12:45 pm首節，1:15 pm緊接次節，每語兩班，西語進度稍

快，蓋西語在美國社會較普遍，然後2:00 pm，我就登15層甲板

上圍棋課，和先生聊天棋藝，我像是過名士生活，船上誤認我為

日本人，爭先與我日語，我看貌似拉丁族，就開始西語103句，

下船回家，上最後一節日文課，始知免費西語課也結束，先生回

墨西哥渡假去也。

Bridge lessons on board/Carlos Pueblo

Bridge lessons on board/Carlos Pueblo

The cruise activity department arranged bridge lessons on Los Lobos Restaurant

on Deck 8 for all the at sea days starting at 9:00 am for the beginners , 10:00 am

for the intermediate and a real game at 1:00 pm. The instructor is a fellow passenger

from the big Island of Hawaii, Patrick Kalaus and his wife. There were two group of

attendants and various players worldwide attended. After the first lessons for both

classes, I decided to continue for the rest of 7 lessons on both. He handed out several

pages during the entire lessons and were very helpful. I did play some bridge during

my life yet I only learned few trick to the required number 4 player. I have never got

into counting point for the game and mostly never know how to properly open a bit

or respond to a bit.

We must open a bid to inform our partner how good is at our hands. AKQJ cards

represent 4321 points count. He emphasizes heart and spade for the more game

points. 12-19 points to open the bid from 1H/1S according to 5+ major cards while

1C/1D represent 3+ minor cards. 1 non trump means we have 20+ points at hands.

There are total 40 points on all hands and he counts distribution points and dummy

points with suit while he points it out like the Peso value  to the US Dollar. If you have

6-9 points at hands, you must respond, the sheet showed you how according to the

points count for various low, medium, and high points. This will show everyone what

you have and inform your partner a better picture. It is all very logical. I keep all his

handout and make a folder to join and practice at home with players at the community

center. I didn’t participate the games in the afternoon due to a conflict with my language

lessons at the Atrium and the Japanese Go lessons at 2:00 pm at the Observation lounge.

One night at a sharing table at the Manhattan Restaurant, I ran into the couple and had had

a very nice dinner. I mentioned an unique flower in Hawaii to them yet I forgot the name.

When I came home and checked the Google and sent him the name, the Protea, for his

consideration to grow such beautiful flower at his economic farm. They have a coffee farm

and a named brand coffee, Kolena Coffee, for the sale on internet. They also have had rooms

rental business. He is the head person of the bridge on the big Island and traveling to Oahu

Island for the bridge contest. He knows what I am talking of the Matsumoto icy desert.

This bridge lessons bring me back my found memory of my childhood. When I was 10 years

old, my eldest sister Mary and I moved to Huwei with my Dad for his new transferred job

assignment. We stayed at a big house hosted 4 young engineers. I watched them playing

bridges at night and I shuffled the finished cards for them. I still remember their names and

one of them, Mr. Yang Ching Lai, is still keeping the correspondence with me. He is retired

and residing at Antioch, California.    

  

橋牌課/莊峻華

橋牌課/莊峻華

郵輪安排海上日橋牌課，早上九時開始初級班，十時中級班，下午一時

為正式牌局，都在山貓餐廳舉行，這餐廳白天不營業，晚上收費墨西哥

德州料理，我們授課先生，派翠克。卡勞斯夫婦，來自大夏威夷島，是

位咖啡農場主人，而且也是大島橋牌賽主持人，講解深入簡出，我參加

六次，每次兩節，分別有不同聽眾，而且有英國高手，前來比較英美叫

牌法，先生準備講義，而且深奧處，有橋牌書實例講評，我有業餘橋牌

經驗，完全是三缺一，夥伴多有耐性，至今完全未有此好。

牌分妥，發牌者開始叫牌，必需手上有12-19點，AKQJ分別是4321點，

手上有13張牌，注意是否有紅桃和黑桃五張，然後開叫，夥伴必需有6

-9點始得回叫呼應，回叫方式，可明示手上點數，和主牌張數，不然就

是帕斯，如此他反覆說明六節，如果手上有20點以上，要先叫2黑梅，

如果是15-17點，開叫到1無切牌，這種叫法，美國一致，所以一開叫，

一對應，四人均悉各家點數和主牌分配，他有一張講義，如何回應，如

何先發制人，讓對手置入苦境，還有一種加倍叫法，我真需要拿講義，

到社區活動中心，和這些美國退休人打橋牌。

講到橋牌之因緣，應該追朔到1968年年初，大姊萬里和我先行虎尾，與

父親擠在一處長級宿舍之一室，與糖廠中四位單身工程師同居，這四位工

程師，晚上就有牌局，我在旁觀戰，並幫他們洗牌，當年尚不知所以然也

，後來這四位工程師，我都還清楚之記得他們，台大化工之賴洋卿，後來

在沙烏地工作，已退休來美，是橋牌高手，朱復慶是農學院農化，後來官

拜台鹽總廠長，陳瑞雄台大電機，隨二工場遷移至泰國，林春宗台大農化

，離開台糖後，回台從事農藥進口。我初中時，值迷軟式網球運動，而且

也無心橋藝，像圍棋橋牌，均未培養成一生嗜好。

一夜，我到大餐廳晚餐，被安排與卡勞斯夫婦同桌，我們拍照留念，談上

許多夏威夷州之軼事，我先後旅行夏威夷多次，租車坐巴士，大島我搭美

國驕傲號，停泊兩港，非常有美憶，我和派翠克談到歐胡島，我較熟悉，

，而且我也很仔細參觀茂宜島和可愛島，各有兩次經驗，我還是喜愛夏威

夷，我提到那可口之紅豆冰，他也知道我在講甚麼，回家後我査谷歌，找

到普洛蒂亞花名，這是一種移植夏威夷茂宜島，非常成功之南非花朵，長

在灌木上，花朵像是尼佛座前伴花，也像蓮花，35年前住家前超市有售，

一朵約是百元美金，茂宜花圃，可以郵遞。

Japanese Go lessons on board/Carlos Pueblo

Japanese Go lessons on board/Carlos Pueblo

One afternoon I was wondering around the observation room on Deck 15

up to the 3^rd top level of this mega ship. I found an old gentleman studying

a Japanese Go map and I stopped and watch. Mr. Ted Terpstra was invited

by the cruise to teach Go on board at sea days. He invited me to play with

him and I was shy to admit that I was never be able to play. He gave me a

quick lesson right away and gave me a book, The Way to Go by Karl Baker.

He is the founder and owner of the 50 years San Diego Go Club. I briefly

explained my admiration of Go game and a found memory of a solid wood

Go table at home when I was a kid. It was a gift left behind to my Dad for

his friendship with his Japanese principal in Taipei Technology School. He

could not bring all his belonging back to Japan after 1945. My Dad couldn’t

play Go game either and the table had been served as a small desk for our

homework throughout our school years.

In order to practice the game with him, he yield 10 stones to me for the 1^st

Lesson. Go game is occupying spaces and surrounding the opponent’s stones

in order to take prisoners. Once blocking all liberties of the opponent’s stone,

you can take the prisoner by calling Atari, means surrounding or a hit to warn

the opponent. Once both pass their movie, the game is over and ready to count

the occupying territory less the prisoner stones. After coming home, I do check

some of the Go terminology such as Dame, the stone between two groups; Ko

means repeated capture and the liberty is Katsuro. A two eyes formation is a

guaranty of live territory without any thread of Atari.

I did make some progress during my six or so lessons, the Sensei’s yield decreased

from 10 stones to five and then 4. I still can’t figure out some determined placement

on the corner edge to form a double eyes which is several step ahead of my thinking.

He encourages me to play more game like more practice more to make progress. I

mention to him my old college classmate, Chih Ho Su, Ph.D. in Chemistry, is very found

of Go and very introvert person. He went to his room to check on Su’s Dan, ranking in

class of Go, and very much like to play him on the internet.

He mentioned my interest of Go to his fellow passengers from San Diego and later

There were two ladies joined up for lessons. One day at Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, a

friend of theirs sailed his yacht to meet them and treated them for lunch. I took a

lot of photos to the black yacht with a helicopter on board. These are American riches.

From my Go lessons, I remember two stories on the classical Chinese literature about

two famous legend, one is about a lesson of the war strategy while the other one is

about a Go game of a premier while foreign invader was defeated and he kept on

playing and later found his wooden shoe heel was broken due to nervous.

圍棋課/莊峻華

圍棋課/莊峻華

一海上日，我閒逛15層甲板觀賞廳，這是新船設計，專門提供室內

觀賞阿拉斯加冰洲用途，極樂號正在駛往西雅圖，準備春殘秋初，阿

拉斯加線業務，有東方新近歸來之喜悅號，還有三艘稍小郵輪早有陣

容，今夏阿州線，相當精彩。一位高大老者，坐在沙發椅上，研究棋

盤，邀我下棋，我羞怯承認不懂，老者自願傳授，原來這位加州聖地

牙哥旅客，由郵輪安排，在觀賞廳傳授圍棋，我提到家中一具寬厚實

木圍棋桌，舊日書桌用，原屬舊北工校長，來埔里候船歸國遺物，泰

德。德普斯特拉，自創聖地牙哥圍棋俱樂部，超過50年歷史，頗具規

模，他家之實木圍棋桌，有四輪可移動，我提到我們蘇志和博士，他

急著找網路査志和段數不果，想和他下棋。

首日，他就贈我一本小冊，圍棋之路，卡爾貝克箸，然後開始介紹，

讓我十目，非常有趣，我想的是虎尾老家之棋桌，生死安在？是否要

專程返台，移駕美國？想了幾夜，記起大姊夫，經常在家宴客圍棋，

始卻此心，老師父笑曰，來聖地牙哥旅行，與他在家棋桌下棋，非常

親切。他提醒我要讀書，於是我每日在餐廳，都是手不釋卷，美麗愛

女，均甚納悶。我喜歡古典中國文學，下圍棋令我想起兩典故，其一

為通鑑肥水之戰，謝安得驛書，知秦兵已敗，圍棋如故，過戶限，不

覺屐齒之折，下棋要專心，另文留侯世家，黃石公紀事，知習棋藝，

必需準時。

圍棋在圈土掠地，其間名詞日文漢字，我稍整理一下，目為交叉點，

有活路英文為自由，圍棋為日文漢字基下石，阿踏力常見，日文漢字

為當力，就是四週，命中，鈦目是馬旁，也在小冊上，英文直接音譯

，就是兩陣營之間之棋，我的日文授課仲本先生曰，此字不雅，我小

時候常聞此句，約是不肯定之意。於是開始在9X9練習棋盤上交鋒，

先是降到讓五目，然後降到四目，有些盤局，我仍看不出重點，老師

父認為多練習，可以有進步。

一日，老師父曰，有聖地牙哥友人，駛私家遊艇來訪，相約於墨國卡

波聖路卡斯港，遊艇就停泊在郵輪旁，此艘船有直升機，家人小孩們

，就在船旁海上戲水，遊艇敢宴請20位訪客午餐，與郵輪頂級餐廳相

抗衡，顯然不俗。

The disembark/Carlos Pueblo

The disembark/Carlos Pueblo

After 15 days cruise journey, the ship disembark at the Port of Los Angeles

San Pedro. Usually, it is a headache for me to hop on the public transportation

to make it to the airport and lucky me, Al Huang of my old classmate of the

college time in Taipei agrees to meet me at the port. I felt very humble when I

saw the great size of the ports and he told me that he had been through all

ports, like Long Beach and others for more than an hour. He liked to take me

to visit the museum of Queen Mary, a famous cross Atlantic cruise ship and I

suggested that we just leave the port and go to a Chinese Islam restaurant at

San Gabriel for a long missed chat. I haven’t seen him for 20 years. He is a

scholar with a Ph.D. degree in Chemistry from the Wayne State in Detroit,

Michigan, a well learned person.

We were across the Los Angeles freeways with a clear view of San Bernadino

Mountains on the east with a snow peak on a top of un-melted snow. The

Freeway, the weather, and the air are all perfect. California is really a land

of abundance. We enter the small city of San Gabriel and see plenty of Kanji

signs on the two main streets. It was still too early; therefore, we walked briefly

on both sides of the intersection. We visited a pretty Buddhist Temple, Boca

Dhama Seal Temple. I am very impressed the golden color architecture and the

surrounding luxury mansions with the same color and I wonder if those are the

dormitory of the monks.

We finished a whole pot of pickled sour Chinese cabbage soup with lamb meat

and a large size baked sesame bread, both are well known and popular in this

restaurant. The original owner is retired and the new owner is still following the

traditional doctrine of Islam in the kitchen. Al and I discussed some of our traveling

experience. He is a biker and with a very thorough and complete experience of long

distance biking in both Los Angeles and the western part of Taiwan. He even passed

through my home town Huwei on the central southwest of the Island.

After the lunch, he took me to visit a park with cherry blossom, Barnes Park of the

City of Monterey Park. Actually, the cherry blossom season is over yet the flowing

festival is yet to come. There are pink tube flowers on the trees surround the park

with third generation oriental youngsters playing softball on the field. I took many

photos on the area and the San Bernadino Mountains far away on the East. My

flight back to Houston was delayed for 4 hours due to the severe weather hindering

the incoming airplane from Chicago, Illinois. He texted me with a message that we

did have a very pleasant chat that day.