萬安之安:美濃行

萬安之安:美濃行 Peace amidst All Peace: A Trip to Meinung (撰文: 季慕華老師 Written by Yolanda Chi)

(2022/07/27，美濃) 七月酷暑，WHC-USR團隊好不容易安排一趟美濃行，叨擾才享受退休生活不到一個月的小蘇老師，儘管雙林老師極力強調家中沒冷氣，美濃的熱情絲毫沒有嚇退這群抱持「下鄉服務」的老師們。雙林老師的居家日常早就是大家羨慕已久田園生活，更何況小蘇老師以她的獨特魅力，難得邀請到彩俶修女與我們同行，趁此時機多多請益，正是此行的重點。

一行九人，分乘兩輛車，早上10:30由文藻出發，於12:00 平安抵達，等待我們的是女主人小蘇老師，和她從一早六點鐘就開始準備的盛宴。雙林老師家真是「美」景環繞，「濃」情無限，處處有情趣，令人忘卻煩惱，高溫帶來的煩躁早就拋回市區了。今日高雄地區的萬安演習被我們偋棄在圍牆之外，牆內是萬安之安的桃花源。

此行的主要目的是每半年就進行的團隊建立，在助理思如和世國的主持下，彩俶修女與大家閒談，分享當初到羅馬參加會議，如何由一個平凡的亞洲修女，被選上成為吳甦樂修會的全球領導人，歷經令人「頭皮發麻」的感召，承接大任。彩俶修女感謝在羅馬有優秀的全職團隊協助，才能擔當大任，他們常說的”insieme” 也正是月桂方法的togetherness。因此，修女也相當肯定WHC-USR的團隊表現。接下來是小蘇老師的藝術速成挑戰，發下白紙、樹枝、竹籤(還不是毛筆咧!)、一碟墨汁，便開始國畫教學，不只要畫蘭花和枝葉，還要畫青花瓷，加上黏貼、各式用印，短短幾十分鐘內便要完成一張深具傳統中國風格的卡片。小蘇老師還一面說明國畫和西化的差異，和青花瓷的歷史，完整的上完一場藝術課。這個下午是滋潤心靈的饗宴，一場大雨讓我們有機會在雙林家多停留片刻，洗滌內外塵埃，為USR復甦生機，更由衷為建勳和小蘇老師一家祈福安康。

(2022/07/27，Meinung) Under the summer heat of July, the WHC-USR team arranged a trip to Meinung, and visited Teacher Little Su, who has enjoyed her life of retirement for less than a month. Although the two Lins kept warning about the lack of air-conditioning at their home, we teachers, who boldly welcome challenges of volunteering in rural areas, were not intimidated at all by the scorching heat in Meinung. In fact, the simple daily life of the two Lins has been our envy. In addition, travelling with us was Mother Cecilia Wang, who was persuaded into joining us by Little Su’s irresistible charm. This rare opportunity for Mother Cecilia’s companionship and exchange of thoughts with her to our advantage was the highlight of our trip.

Setting off in two cars from Wenzao at 10:30, the group of nine people arrived at 12:00. Waiting for us was Hostess Little Su and a big meal, which she started preparing since 6 a.m. The mansion of the two Lins matched the name of Meinung with its beauty and affections for life. At every corner visitors could always find something so artistic in taste that helped forget earthly worries; the irritations brought by the heat had already been forgotten. Outside the fence was the Wanan All-Peace Drills conducted in the Kaohsiung area; inside the fence, there was the idyllic peace of all peace.

The main purpose of the trip was team building, which we performed every semester. Under the instructions by Assistants Jollis and Amos, Mother Cecilia started with a pleasant chat, sharing the story of her participation in the meeting where she, a simple Asian religious woman, became the leader of the global Ursulines. Experiencing “numbness in the scalp” that came along with the calling, she was able to accomplish her mission with the help of an excellent full-time team. They often said, “insieme”, exactly the same in meaning as “togetherness” in the Laurel Method. Therefore, WHC-USR was also praised for its togetherness. The following session was the “instant art challenge” provided by Teacher Little Su, who started a Chinese painting class right after giving some white paper, dried branches and bamboo sticks (instead of brush pens!) and small saucers of black ink. We were asked not only to draw orchids with branches and leaves but also vases of blue and white porcelain, to glue the pieces together, and to use stamps of different styles. In a quarter of an hour or a few more minutes, a card in the traditional Chinese style was completed by everyone. At the same time, Teacher Little Su explained the differences between Chinese brush paintings and Western oil paintings and introduced the history of blue and white porcelain, conducting a complete art lesson. The whole afternoon was a spiritual feast for the soul. The rain detained us at the home of the two Lins, cleansing our outer and inner dust and nourishing the sprouts of USR, while allowing us to pray wholeheartedly for the wellbeing of the Lins’ family.