Root-Seeking

Hi guys. I've just returned from a winter camp in Guangzhou, China. The camp lasted for 12 days and was pretty much a blast, except for the fact that we couldn't really go shopping due to the supposedly abysmal crime rate in Guangzhou. On the plus side, I learned a lot about Chinese culture and also made a lot of new friends. Believe me, camps are great places to make friends. You do a lot of things together with your camp-mates...studying together, having meals together, practising Chinese martial arts together (and failing together), and spending late-nights together cramped in a hotel room snacking heavily on instant noodles and potato chips while exchanging gossip, stories, and 'cold jokes' (冷笑话）. Doing these things forges a bond between friends that lasts long after the camp has ended.

Which was why, during the closing ceremony, campers unabashedly broke down, and even teachers rubbed tears away from their eyes. Even two of my friends, long regarded as being so cheerful and upstart as to be the life and soul of the party, shed tears without shame. Truly, it was a painful moment, and though my tear ducts were dry, I felt the same piercing sadness. Many of us would part forever, never to meet again on this side of Heaven. True, true, we consoled ourselves by saying that we would come for the next winter camp, and the next. But would it be the same? Would we even meet again? All of us frantically exchanged MSN addresses and phone numbers. But the cold comfort of detached electronic voices and messages of the computer screen, seemed but a poignant parody of what we once shared, the friendship that we had. I will still remember our teachers that faithfully taught us during the camp. There was Mr. Hsu (徐老师）, our Chinese Pronunciation teacher and also our coordinator for the closing ceremony performance. He was a gentle man, always soft-spoken, cheerful and respectful, never raising his voice or losing his composure, yet always commanded the respect and obedience of the class, even sacrificing for us by coordinating our rehearsals despite leaving for Shandong the next day. Then there was our 'Taiji'/太极拳 teacher, who taught us tirelessly and endured our jokes and insubordinate behaviour with a smile and quiet patience instead of 'kung fu punching' us into kingdom come. There was our 会话 teacher, Ms. Li An Qi, a mild-mannered, meek young woman whom we bullied (kind of) but also with whom we shared many, many amusing and endearing moments. Then, most of all, there was our class teacher, Ms. Li. She was the one who shepherded us for 12 days, managing our class, Class 6, with unfailing tolerance and patience, enduring all of our idiosyncrasies, joining in our late night parties, chatting with each of us, and guiding us during our short 12-day stay. She commanded a special place in the deepest recesses of our hearts, leaving an indelible impression on our minds, and many of the tears during the closing ceremony were shed for her.

And so we parted. Dearly beloved friends, split apart by things as elementary as time and space and inevitability. To all my friends that I met at the winter camp, and even to those that I didn't get to know personally, you will forever be in my heart. God willing, may we meet someday and once again rekindle the friendship that we ignited on the winter camp on that December of 2009. Farewell, and always remember the times that we had in 'auld lang syne'.

Wait a minute, what the heck am I doing? This was a Chinese Camp, for crying our loud. The least I could do is write my feelings in Chinese!

Well, my feelings are best summed up by the essay that I wrote at the close of the camp that I submitted to teacher. Here it is.

漂风不终朝，骤雨不终日，天下无不散的筵席，又一次的冬令营又结束了。看见营员们为汇报表演练习，交换电话号码及“伊妹儿”信箱网址，看见朋友们向老师们告别，看见老师们眼眶边的泪水……我心里有一种笔墨无法形容的伤感。告别以后，可能这一世就不会再见面了，虽然科技的发展给了我们电邮，互联网，可是电脑荧幕上的文字无法代替真实世界里见面的喜悦及感情，始终显得肤浅。营员们也同我感触到这一切，大家的心里也有一样的伤心及无奈。

十天前来到了广州市，第一个印象是：好大的一个城市啊！四处都是高楼大厦，而朋友们一看见大街小巷的商店，都不约而同地尖叫起来：可以去逛街了！可惜这份希望被冬令营委会设下的规矩辜负，而成了泡影，引起营员们强烈的不满。分班时，我被分至第六班，由班主任李睿老师带队。她是一位漂亮的“靓女”，个性温和又幽默，却能把我们这群顽皮的小家伙管理得非常好。参加了暨南大学的课程后，我们也进一步了解中国文化。我发现自己与在大马的华侨朋友所犯的错误，就是把中国文化看得太容易。中国人已存在了五千年，文化随着时代变化，有了千年的历史；而我也发现，华语被称为世上最难掌握的语言，真是有原因的。和这五千年的文化比起来，我们这十余天的课程也只能说是走马看花，却让我打开眼界，使自己因是华侨而感到骄傲。

这次的冬令营让我学习了关于中国的知识，也使我吸取了人生中的许多小教训与启示。我发现有些人看上来不抢眼，不突出，甚至乏味，其实都是“卧虎藏龙”，隐藏着特殊的才华，比如我们班里的水墨画家，小提琴家等。可是同时，无论做什么事，我们要记着“学如逆水行舟，不进则退”，如果做事不认真，不努力提高水平，那无论一个人有多少才华，都总有一天会江郎才尽的。世上的伟人在事业上成功的原因唯有源头活水来。因此我们应该时时刻刻都提高自己在学业上的水平，无论做什么都该做到最好。同时，我们不可因自己的能力而感到自豪，自卖自夸，因为一山还有一山高，强中自有强中手。我们千万不能如墙角的小花儿，当它在自豪的同时，天地变小了。

可是我获取的最大启示就是我始终是位华人是龙的传人，炎黄子孙的一份子，因此了解，学习，并传续华侨的文化是我与朋友们的责任。如今，我国的华裔青少年对中国的了解渐渐减少了，在高中评估考试中报考华文科目的学生也一年比一年少，海外的华裔青少年已慢慢飘离了祖先的文化。因此，这冬令营的“寻根之旅”对我们来说是个回到祖国，接触自己的“根”的机会。回到各自的国家后，但愿我们都会记着自己的“根”，为身体里流着华人的血而感到骄傲。

再过一天，就要离开了，各营员们都要回到自己的国家，过自己的生活，而我希望这次的离别不会成为永别。这时，我想起了徐志摩的诗歌《再别康桥》，反映出每位营员心里一丝丝的离愁。“悄悄的我走了，正如我悄悄的来;我挥一挥衣袖，不带走一片云彩。”

（后记：略经修改。一点点。只有一点点罢了。嘻嘻…）

好了，今天的博客作文到此为止。希望大家度过一个愉快的新年，也祝大家身体健康、万事如意、步步高升。希望有一天，我们这些冬令营营员能再次见面。虽然我们之间有那残酷又无情的距离，但愿人长久，千里共婵娟!好吧，晚安了！