拉近彼此的距離

文:高雄市梓官區農會 張晉瑋  

  我的筆友叫做Trinity Lee,他住在New Bern城市中,位於美國南方北卡羅來納州的一個城市。在活動一開始時,我先傳了一封郵件給Trinity,除了寫我的基本資料外,還簡略的介紹了高雄和我的學校,我也積極地詢問他關於他的學校生活,甚至還有問他是否有用社群軟體等(像是Instagram, Facebook等),但很可惜對方沒有用此類軟體的習慣,我會想要詢問是否能加社群軟體的原因是:除了能夠在未來的筆友活動中分享彼此的文化,還可以透過實際影片來了解對方的生活情境。雖然說此活動看不見對方、更無法透過親自見面來感受對方的人情,但在疫情當前,我們利用科技輔助來認識外國朋友,也是一件機會難得的事。

過三天左右,Trinity也傳送了他的第一封信,希望我們兩能在未來有很好的交流活動。接著,我製作了一份word檔給Trinity,內容主要是在敘述高雄的特色景點及我最喜歡的高雄風景,透過製作word檔,對方能清楚看到文字敘述及圖片。


在介紹我的家鄉高雄後,我詢問他是否也可以介紹New Bern City給我,但不知道是不是資訊傳達錯誤的關係,Trinity之後沒有跟我介紹他的家鄉。但他有問我幾個相關的問題:你最喜歡的電影是什麼? 你最喜歡聽的歌事實麼? 你有想寵物嗎? 你有兄弟姐妹嗎?等等問題。在那時,我好像在準備段考的關係,沒辦法即時回覆,但在之後抽空回覆時,也跟他說聲抱歉太晚回覆,而我也一一回答了他的問題,另外我也回問了他給的問題:我問他有沒有兄弟姐妹,在幾天後也回覆我的郵件。在兩邊的對話中,雖然比較少分享台灣及美國的文化差異,但我們彼此分享之間的家庭背景等。在活動尾聲,Trinity還告訴我百事可樂Pepsi的起源就在他們家鄉,這也讓我學到了一個新知識!

在此活動中,不僅可以多認識一位美國朋友,還可以透過郵件的方式交流,撇開人與人之間的距離問題,此活動更加拉近我們的距離,讓台灣與美國不再感到遙遠。


My pen pal is Trinity Lee, who lives in the city of New Bern, a city in North Carolina in the southern part of the United States. At the beginning of the event, I first sent an email to Trinity with my basic information and a brief introduction about Kaohsiung and my school. I also actively asked him about his school life and even asked him if he used social software (like Instagram, Facebook, etc.). I wanted to ask him if he could add social software because in addition to sharing each other's culture in future pen pal activities, I could also get to know each other's lives' through actual videos. Although we could not see each other at this event, and we could not feel each other's feelings in person, it was a rare opportunity to use technology to get to know foreign friends in the current epidemic.

In the next three days or so, Trinity sent his first letter, hoping that we would have good communication activities in the future. Next, I made a word file to Trinity, mainly describing the special scenery of Kaohsiung and my favorite scenery in Kaohsiung, through creating a word file, the other party can clearly see the text description and pictures.

After introducing my hometown of Kaohsiung, I asked him if he could also introduce me to New Bern City, but I don't know if it was a miscommunication, but Trinity didn't introduce his hometown to me afterwards. But he did ask me a few questions about it: What is your favorite movie? What is your favorite song to listen to? Do you have a pet in mind? Do you have any siblings? And so on. At that time, I was preparing for my exams, so I couldn't reply right away, but when I had time to reply later, I told him I was sorry for the late reply, and I answered his questions one by one. During the conversation, although we shared less about the cultural differences between Taiwan and the United States, we shared our family backgrounds and so on. At the end of the event, Trinity even told me that the origin of Pepsi was in their hometown, which was a new knowledge for me!

Not only did we get to know a American friend during this event, we also got to communicate with each other through emails, which brought us closer together and made Taiwan and America feel less distant.

After the epidemic, I hope to have the opportunity to go abroad to meet new people. Through face-to-face communication, I can not only truly participate in the local culture but also train my speaking skills. The most important thing is to enjoy the moment to the fullest!

Thank you to everyone who helped me with this event and to Trinity, who gave me an insight into his family life and some interesting facts about his hometown.