Congo Diary 3 - retrieving water
March 2, 2006
燕姿刚果日记 用帮浦打水 重到爆
2月19日
在台湾、在新加坡，我们习惯一开水龙头就有干净水，很难想象非洲，要每天排队、提水，水还浊得不能喝。
今天要看刚果的水井。先到受助童Albertine家，院子里一个小小的洞就是浅水井井口，放水桶下到十公尺处汲取地下水，抽上来的水是浊白色的。这个井供50户用水，一年前深水井未挖好前，大家就喝这样的水，现在转为洗澡、洗衣。
我知道这样打水不容易，但亲身尝试后才发现，哇靠，重到爆！一桶水大概有10多公斤吧，线愈长就愈重，难怪这里的妇人都要轮流打水，实在太费力了。好吧，我在非洲没机会运动，就当作是运动吧。
我们再去看深水井。远远地看到许多小孩、妇女顶着水桶，水井周围像市场一样热闹。井深45公尺，前面排了长长的黄色水桶，打上来的水很清澈。我上前去尝试打水，用尽全身力气、几乎发抖，好不容易打上一桶水，全村都为我鼓掌。
听到一名妇女说，每天要走两公里来提水，总共要提10桶水供家里七人用，但排队的人太多，有时要排一个晚上。这口井要供500户使用，挖一座井大约10到20万台币，不便宜，但有干净的水，可以减少许多疾病。
今天还去探访19岁的班哲明，他是台湾第一批资助童，先前我们在刚果展望会办公室看到他的画和卡片，大为惊叹，今天到了他的画室—其实是没有屋顶、盖到一半就废弃的砖房，终于见到他本人。
班哲明高中毕业，许多画作已被当地美术馆收藏，并通过国家考试，但家里有11个孩子，没钱供他到首都金夏沙上艺术大学，只好等下去。我和经纪人小蓉各买了他一幅画，尽一点点力量。
班妈妈办了一场「盛宴」，玉米粉做的Shima、蔬菜泥、鱼干、碎牛肉及西红柿泥。我试做两大球Shi-ma，有人吓我做多少就要全吃下去！虽然这里的水不尽干净，我们在外面跑一天，手也脏，但班妈妈的盛情难却，大家尽管担心拉肚子，仍装了一盘子。
老实说，很好吃，但我的肚子10分钟后咕噜咕噜叫，胃膨胀得好痛，更惨的是，回到饭店不小心从湿滑的楼梯跌下来，全饭店的黑人都跑来关心，我好像乌青了好几个地方。展望会资助专线：（02）25856300，邮政划拨01022760，或上网站www.worldvision.org.tw
Congo Diary 2 - Dim classroom
March 1, 2006
姿刚果日记 幽暗教室中 唱起天黑黑
【新闻】
【文／孙燕姿】
2月18日，天气：雨季里的晴天
如果有人问我这几天最感动的事，我想这就是了。当我们抵达台湾世界展望会所资助的学校时，学生列队欢迎，大声唱着歌，那么用力的唱着，我没有思考的空间，感动得快掉下眼泪。
当歌手以来，也常被歌迷包围，但这种感觉很不一样，孩子们不知道我是谁，一样很热情，我的手还被抓伤了。没电没桌椅、铁皮屋顶黄泥墙的旧教室挤了102个学生，孩子们对我很好奇，有人问我：「Can you sing？」我只好在这黑漆漆的教室唱起「天黑黑」。台湾爱心捐赠的新教室好多了，但一样挤满了人，听说没被分到新教室的学生会伤心地哭泣，真让人心疼。
今天开始拜访受助家庭，我又多了一个女儿。这一家的户长是年迈的祖父母，月收入不到20美元（约新台币640元），却收容了因爱滋或战乱死亡的亲属，总共14个孩子，其中12人挤在只有两张单人床的房间里。在这些孩子中，我选择资助7岁的费莎。有人问我，已经有印度女儿了，为什么不选个男生呢？因为我喜欢聪明的女生，而费莎看起来很聪明。
费莎果然是资优跳级，但她父母都是爱滋过世，她尚未做爱滋筛检，据说有一半的机率会感染。我衷心期望她健康长大。
另一个案家有10个孩子，却有6个因营养不良死亡，父亲只能到城里找搬运临时工作，好让活下来的孩子长大、上学，长子Jean爱踢足球，今年会到台湾访问，而襁褓中的宝宝明显营养不良，双胞胎姊妹已经过世。这个父亲为孩子织梦，希望孩子当机师、护士。
These few days have been the most touching. When they first arrive at the school which Taiwan World Vision provided financial aid, the students welcome her, sang very very loudly till she doesn’t have any time for much thoughts. She felt so touched that her tears nearly started flowing.
Being a singer, she’s used to having fans surrounding her. But this time, the feeling was different. The kids didn’t know who she was, yet they were still very enthusiastic. Her hand was even being scratched. There’s no electricity, no tables, no chairs and there were 102 children filled with curiosity. Someone asked her:”can you sing?” And she sang Cloudy Day in the dim and dark classroom. The new classroom, with Taiwan’s help is much better in comparison; however, it was still packed with lots of people. Some kids who didn’t manage to use the classroom were so sad that they cried. It makes one heart aches.
Congo Diary 1 - My song in congo
February 28, 2006
《燕姿刚果日记之1》
眼泪成诗 在刚果听到我的歌
2月16、17日，天气…飞机上很难判断…
今天前往刚果，其它人从台湾出发，
我从新加坡飞10个小时，到南非约翰尼斯堡会合，
再飞两个半小时到刚果卢本巴西。
下飞机的第一个感觉，咦，我以为是一片沙漠呢，
绿地还不少。但先前在约堡机场的接驳车上，
有两个白人告诉我，在非洲，愈胖表示愈有钱，
哈，那我一定是最穷的人了。
我们到了简陋的机场，等行李等半天，
后来又闷在车上苦等，不知道在等什么？
展望会协调了一个小时，
最后还要付830美元（合新台币26,560元）的「疫苗费用」，
但我们都已经在国内打过针了。这算不算抢劫？
总算到了饭店，在这里，我碰到第一个刚果小朋友，
她并不是贫童，只是饭店小商店的小孩，我拿糖果请她吃，
她也害羞地靠近我。虽然出了饭店大门就不能乱举相机，
但我们在饭店里就可以和这个小女孩照相。
第一个工作是到刚果展望会听取演示文稿，他们很用心，
一开始就是播出我的歌「眼泪成诗」！全团都笑了。
我好奇音乐那里来的，该不是非法下载吧？
他们说，我在这里很红、这歌很好听，
他们是在网络上找到的。
到现在，我已经17个小时没好好吃一顿，
我像小朋友一样，零食没停，但真的很饿，
没想到这里竟有一家中国餐厅，
能喝一碗热汤实在太棒了。
yz left for congo from singapore, while the rest set off from taiwan. The flight’s about 10 hours. Her first impression of congo changed when she saw the greeneries, as she always think its like a desert. At the airport, they waited for their luggage for very long, and waited in the car lagain, realising that they have to pay another USD$830 for vaccine expenses. She expresses :” didn’t we already had our injections? isn’t this like a robbery?”
Finally they were at the hotel and she met a young girl. She’s the daughter of the owner of that hotel. yz offered her sweets and they took a photo together inside the hotel. At the congo relief event, she heard “yan lei cheng si” being played. and everyone started laughing. She was wondering “Is this illegal download?” They responded that ”she’s very popular here, and that they love this song and had thus gotten it from the internet”
yz mentioned that for the passed 17 hours, she has yet to eat. She said that she’s just like the kids here. Although she had snacks in between, she’s still very hungry. And to her surprise, there was one shop selling chinese food, and she expresses that it would be fantastic if she could drink a hot bowl of soup!
Yanzi’s newest reply 24Feb
February 24, 2006
Yanzi replied to a topic ” 有些眼泪， 是看不见的；有些压力，是感受不到的；唯有歌声和笑容是最熟悉的印象.”
i’ve read it before.
and ya i’m too sentimental for my own good. But i still think love is everything. When there is love, there is hope.
It feels good to be understood and appreciated. I’m not sure if i am all that you say i am, but it’s all very comforting. Thank you.
yz
2006-02-24 02:44:28
Source:Warner Taiwan Forum
http://www.warnermusic.com.tw/community/forum/viewtopic.php?t=214715
Yanzi’s newest Msg:I’m baaaaaaccccck
February 23, 2006
hi all!
i’m baaaacccck!!!
yz
2006-02-23 17:28:05
Source:Warner Taiwan Forum
http://www.warnermusic.com.tw/community/forum/viewtopic.php?t=214671&start=60
Yanzi’s Message: One Art
February 11, 2006
Posted on: 2006-02-11 04:14:42
Source: WarnerMusic forum
One Art
The art of losing isn’t hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster.
Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn’t hard to master.
Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, and names, and where it was you meant
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.
I lost my mother’s watch. And look! my last, or
next-to-last, of three loved houses went.
The art of losing isn’t hard to master.
I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn’t a disaster.
—Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan’t have lied. It’s evident
the art of losing’s not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.
– Elizabeth Bishop
xiao kang’s msg regarding yz
February 10, 2006
剛才和她通了電話,小聊了一下公事,
也順便聊了很多別的事,感覺得出來她在為自己負責任了,
她在為她的未來作準備,她會有自己的想法,
大家不需要揣測她了,這裡不需要這些文章的
一切應該都掌握在她的手中
請大家放心!只要為她加油,她會很好的!
她即將和世界展望會前往非洲,她真的很有愛心
很期待去了解不一樣的世界,也很擔心所有的一切
但相信對她會有不同的感受的
大家一起加油囉!
A moment ago, he was on the phone with yz, chatting over work and other stuffs. He realise she’s already planning for the future, and that we should all have faith in her as she will make the best decision. All (the fans) we need to do is to continue support her.
She will soon be leaving for Africa in anticipation to know more about the other side of the world, though she worries at the same time. However, she believes she will have a diffferent perspective thereafter.
Let’s work hard together!
Yanzi’s short reply to fans
February 7, 2006
that’s right
yz
this is posted on warner forum by yanzi. the fan who started the thread said that yanzi will not come to the site. Another fan replied that yanzi comes often but usually post in english as it is diffcult for her to post in chinese.
Yanzi’s Message: time
February 1, 2006
Posted on: 2006-02-01 04:07:40
Source: http://www.warnermusic.com.tw/community/forum/viewtopic.php?t=212516
hi
this is the 6th chinese new year we’ve spent here. today i met up with old friends at sisong’s and weisong’s house…..and it’s the same topics.
How it’s been X years, how we were young and full of aspirations, how we worked hard, how 2005 was kind to us and how it was cruel. And time
just streams by. And people come and go. And sometimes they stayed around for some time, and sometimes they leave, and sometimes they stick
around forever. And sometimes time gushes like water from a dam, and there were laughter and booze, and pajama parties and surprises. And it
also trickles like a spoilt tap, and there were unkind words and tears and periods of remission.
i have alot of time to spare these days. i’ve been reading alot of poetry after watching ‘in her shoes’. this chick lit movie turned out to be better
than i thought…..let me share one here.
(this is an interesting one…)
A Psychological Tip
Whenever you’re called on to make up your mind,
and you’re hampered by not having any,
the best way to solve the dilemma, you’ll find,
is simply by spinning a penny.
No - not so that chance shall decide the affair
while you’re passively standing there moping;
but the moment the penny is up in the air,
you suddenly know what you’re hoping
– Piet Hein
hope you like that.
yz
Yanzi’s msg on 24 Jan 06
January 26, 2006
Title: OH my goodness.
i forgot to cut and paste here! Please forgive me.
i’m still in hk….had to dye my hair today again! #%!#^~@# it’s so damaged i wish i can shave my head.
yz