Home Visits 1
The teacher says that she will be doing some home visits to talk with our parents this week and asks us what will be the best time for her to come. We'd love our teacher to visit us but what she doesn't know is that most of our parents won't be home for her visits. That's why Juang says, " but my parents are not at home. They have to work. They come back only for the New Year." We all know that Juang is the little mother of her family; she has to take care of her toddler brother.
"Work?" the teacher asks, "go hunting? Does it take long to hunt?"
The teacher really thinks hunting is a "work"?
The teacher really thinks hunting is a "work"?
"No, " Dan says, "only hunt when they come home."
"They work outside, in Taipei, very very far away!" Kai said.
"What about your mothers?" the teacher asks again, "Do they work, too?"
"Yes, " Mei says, "work, too. Very very far away."
"Then, who takes care of you?" The teacher looks at us a little in disbelief.
"Grandma and grandpa," Juang says, "can you visit them instead?"
The teacher nods; she seems to understand, "Yes, I'd like to talk with your grandmas and grandpas. I just want to know how you are getting on at home."
Wednesday morning, those who will be visited by the teacher come to the school to take her to their homes. Kai is the first one. We all follow him to his home. Kai lives with her grandma. His mom ran away when he was little and his father hasn't been home for a long time, not even for the new year or festivals. His grandma is very old and very small. She is no taller than Kai but very healthy because she speaks very loud, the loudest in the village. She grows corns and millets and keeps some chickens.
When we are almost there, we see his grandma waiting for us at the doorway. She beckons us to come, and says, "I've prepared some bamboo tube rice for the teacher..." The teacher is surprised to have this traditional food. The moment she opens the bamboo tube, the mixed smell of fresh bamboo and steamed rice immediately floats to the air. The teacher tastes the rice with oh and ah. She says it's the best bamboo tube rice she has ever had, she even asks for the recipe, totally forgets about Kai.
Kai's grandma is so pleased that the teacher likes her rice. She tries to describe how to prepare the rice, but she only speaks a little Mandarin. So, here she is with a lot of gestures, some Japanese, and our tribal language. Her voice gets louder and louder until it's so loud that some of us have to cover the ears. The teacher stars at us and mouths "put down your hands" to us. Luckily, Kai's grandma doesn't see anything, she is just going on and on about her rice. She even asks the teacher to stay for lunch. The teacher says she needs to go on with her other visits and can't stay. Then, the grandma looks a little hesitant, she lowers her voice and says, "thank you for taking care of Kai. I don't know how to help him with his homework....you know...I can't read myself..well, I read a little Japanese, but ...please take care of him, you know his mother..." then, we see her wipe her tears. We notice Kai is looking down at the floor. It must be awful to see your grandma wiping tears in front of the teacher and classmates.
The teacher holds her hands and says, "Don't worry, grandma. Kai is a good kid. Everybody likes him. He doesn't have big problems in his homework. Don't worry."
Kai's grandma says thank you thank you a million times. She asks the teacher to visit again and gives her a big bag of bamboo tube rice to take home. Kai takes the bag for the teacher, I see him breathe a big sigh of relief and gives the teacher a big smile.
家庭訪問When we are almost there, we see his grandma waiting for us at the doorway. She beckons us to come, and says, "I've prepared some bamboo tube rice for the teacher..." The teacher is surprised to have this traditional food. The moment she opens the bamboo tube, the mixed smell of fresh bamboo and steamed rice immediately floats to the air. The teacher tastes the rice with oh and ah. She says it's the best bamboo tube rice she has ever had, she even asks for the recipe, totally forgets about Kai.
Kai's grandma is so pleased that the teacher likes her rice. She tries to describe how to prepare the rice, but she only speaks a little Mandarin. So, here she is with a lot of gestures, some Japanese, and our tribal language. Her voice gets louder and louder until it's so loud that some of us have to cover the ears. The teacher stars at us and mouths "put down your hands" to us. Luckily, Kai's grandma doesn't see anything, she is just going on and on about her rice. She even asks the teacher to stay for lunch. The teacher says she needs to go on with her other visits and can't stay. Then, the grandma looks a little hesitant, she lowers her voice and says, "thank you for taking care of Kai. I don't know how to help him with his homework....you know...I can't read myself..well, I read a little Japanese, but ...please take care of him, you know his mother..." then, we see her wipe her tears. We notice Kai is looking down at the floor. It must be awful to see your grandma wiping tears in front of the teacher and classmates.
The teacher holds her hands and says, "Don't worry, grandma. Kai is a good kid. Everybody likes him. He doesn't have big problems in his homework. Don't worry."
Kai's grandma says thank you thank you a million times. She asks the teacher to visit again and gives her a big bag of bamboo tube rice to take home. Kai takes the bag for the teacher, I see him breathe a big sigh of relief and gives the teacher a big smile.
老師說要家庭訪問，讓我們回去問爸爸媽媽甚麼時間最適合老師到家理來，我們都很想老師到家裡來訪問，但是老師不知道，大部份的爸爸媽媽，都在外面工作，只有放長假的時候才回家。
美娟說：“爸爸媽媽都不在，去工作，要等過年的時候才回來。“ 我們都知道美娟是家裡的小媽媽，因為她還要照顧剛會走路的弟弟。
老師說：“工作？去打獵啊？打獵要這麼久嗎？“
老師真的以為打獵是工作嗎？進貴說：“不是，放假的時候才去打獵。“
俊凱說：是去外面工作，台北，很遠。
老師又問：“那媽媽呢？“
純妹說：“也去工作，很遠。
“那誰照顧你們？“ 老師看起來不太相信我們的樣子。
“爺爺奶奶啊。“美娟說，“那問爺爺奶奶可不可以？“
老師說點點頭，好像有點懂了：“可以阿，如果爺爺奶奶在也可以，老師只想知道你們平常在家的生活的情形。“
那天上午，要老師到家裡訪問的人到學校集合，帶老師到家裡去。俊凱先帶老師去他家，他和奶奶一起住，他媽媽在他很小的時候就離家出走了，爸爸也很久沒有回來了，連過年和村子的節慶都沒有回來。俊凱的奶奶很老了，也很瘦小，跟俊凱一樣高，可是很健康，因為他講話很大聲，是村子裡最大聲的。我們快到的時候，就看到奶奶在門口等了，他對我們招手，說，“我準備竹筒飯請老師吃喔。” 老師打開冒著竹子香氣的竹筒，又驚又喜，吃著被竹膜裹住的純白的米飯團，一直說這是她吃過最好吃的竹筒飯，都忘記要問俊凱的事，只問奶奶怎麼做竹筒飯。
奶奶國語不好，一下子部落的話跑出來，一下子又講日本話，還一邊比手畫腳， 她越講越大聲，聲音太大了，有人把耳朵摀起來，老師瞪我們，要我們把手放下來，還好奶奶什麼都沒看見，只顧著講着她的竹筒飯。奶奶太熱情了，要老師留下來吃中飯， 老師只好說還有幾家要訪問，一定要走了，奶奶才說：“謝謝老師照顧俊凱，俊凱的功課我都不會教他，我也不會看字，日本字還懂一點點，也不知道他功課會不會，請老師多關心俊凱，你知道他媽媽...“ 然後我們看到奶奶擦眼淚。 我們看到俊凱頭低低的一直看地下。看到自己的奶奶在老師和同學面前擦眼淚，一定不好受。
老師握著奶奶的手說：“俊凱很乖，大家都喜歡他，他功課也沒什麼大問題，奶奶不要太擔心。“
奶奶一直說謝謝，還要老師以後常常來吃竹筒飯。還讓老師把一大袋的竹筒飯帶回家。 俊凱幫老師拿袋子，我看到他放鬆地吐了一口大氣，還給老師一個大微笑。
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