My interaction with the outside world（ｌｏｃａｌ ｓｏｃｉｅｔｙ）

我喜歡觀看戲劇音樂演出，也喜歡遊覽名園，也喜歡參與各種藝術或思潮討論會。在參與各種本地活動的過程中，我也慢慢產生了想要說一嘴的衝動。於是有時我會寫一封建議信或讀者來信，但若幹次都石沉大海。。。我想把我的參與者來信羅列於下，讓文友看看到底是那裏不對付，讓本地文化工作者選擇視而不見（是英文表達問題，還是意識形態不一樣，人家根本犯不著理我）：

一是給《讀者文摘》編輯的信：

To whom it may concern:

I am a reader of Reader digest, even when I was in China. It was in 1985 that I first read a copy of "Reader's digest' when I was a high school junior(a Chinese edition) .The feeling was like you were blowing with a spring wind .From then on, I had been kept on reading some articles on this magazine(in Chinese or English version).

About 10years ago, I immigranted to New York,and took quite a few English classes. Reader digest became a modest writing sample for me.

After a while, I became a blogger, I published more than 100 articles in a oversea_Chinese oriented website .www wenxuecheng com.

My point is: my  emotion of expressing is so strong that I cannot help to write articles to express my self whenever I met someone or experience something.I wrote mostly in Chinese, sometimes in English.

I understand that my  English article is not as good as a local American's , while we have a different view to see the local American society as an immigrant.

I appreciate the articles in Reader Digest, for the reason it shows the core value of "Old American"  .I mean it shows the 

Valued moral level of an old time that people are less shrewd and less self_centered .

I have two concern :

1)would you mind me submit some article that is not so well written in English but having some point.

2)can you figure out that there is an article part like immigrant story?

I make this suggestion , for the reason that reading your Magazine make me feel comfortable and relaxed ,even in tears sometime. So I think maybe the editors behind the magazine is more friendly and openly to more Reader's and writers 

Your loyal　M

二是給一個大花園的管理委員會寫的建議信：

Hi!

I have had a membership of Old garden for months 

I should say I enjoy the scene of the garden very much .

I had visit there more than ten times .

I preferred to take my friend there to have a summer picnic 

It was nice.

By the way, may I have a suggestion?

I have been a member of an active dancer group In Queens for about three years. 

We do exercise by dancing the Chinese Squad dance with the Chinese folk songs .

It is a nice experience 

Sometime ,I think it will be a wonderful moment if our dance group will be dancing in the sunlight of Old Westbury garden .

Is there any possibility that you guys make some event about some different countries' folk dance?

I experienced your Scottish festival event,and it lasted a whole day. Very impressive!

It must cost your a lot of effort.

I appreciate your effort.

And I try to figure out what is a good way to run a historic site like yours successfully.

No idea yet, an open minded way?

I did visit other site for golden shore in long island which represents a generation named The Glided  Age.a new TV play series by HBO .

My another example is the cliff house in exit 36 of LIC 495.Their management and event planning is not so great.

What is the way?

I just wish everything will be great ,　ａｎｄ　the site could last for generations 

Thanks for your time and concern 

三是給鎮子的市政廳活動中心的月度音樂會組織者寫的：

Hi!

My name is M. I took part into two month"s Jaz concert (Dec.&Jan2022).I am very much enjoyed by their performance 

My point is how to extend the influence of music(classis music especially).

I know this year ｔｈｅ　ｃｏｎｃｅｐｔ　ｏｆ　the Jaz concert is for memorizing Louis Armstlong.

So what will it be for next year?

In my opinion Queens is a diversity neighborhood.

I knows a lot of Chinese_American who love music and Chinese folk song as while. 

My suggestion is if we could organize the part_time musicians to do some exercise on every single country"s folk song topic to drawing more attention to the community.

Like I take part in a Chinese square dance group in a 162st park nearby, we dance with the Chinese folk songs almost every day.we enjoy in them .

If there is a concert with our song as a ｂａｃｋｇｒｏｕｎｄ, we would be very appreciated .

(Not so many chinese_American has good music education/or know how to play instrument of music).

If you can contact with the hostess of Jaz music concert(the female musician saxphoeist).

I guess some interesting idea will happen.

Thanks for your time and concern!

M from Queens 

四是寫給我當時所讀的大學英文係女性權力和反教育中的性別民族歧視活動組織者的：

Dear F:

Hi!

May I speak something that I am too shy to speak in the public about the concern of race or sex harass within the classrooms?

First, I come from China 6 years before. I met with some sex assault there.

My best friend in high school was harassed by my in-charge teacher. The secret was caged many years until the teacher was arrested ten years later.

The point is I seated by her side, and I only noticed she became quieter, and her grade became lower, and never realized what she was suffering.

I myself seemed be influenced too. I always was quiet and shy, seldom being brave enough to wear a skirt or speak to an adult male during my high school year and first two years' college life (For I noticed that when a girl showed some attraction or bloomed like a flower, and later on she would be greyed like a faded flower within a year. It showed me the way to avoid it, and that was to be modest and cover myself up)

Secondly, I had an ex-husband who had been teaching in a college campus within 10 years and dated with his female students, later on our marriage was dissolved.

at that time, I felt very hurtful by his behavior and his girls' behaviors, but I did not find a way out.

Thirdly, When I began to study in CUNY school three years ago, I began to appreciate my professor and their style, some of male professor were very attractive during the lectures.

One of the English professors was kind and casual in his way, but he was strict to my grade. When it was my last-time meeting with him before my final, I really needed him to give me a better grade.

I even imagined If I had flirted with him, it would work. Because he really showed some interest in me, and I had the big pressure not to be failed.

I did nothing, and I failed that subject.

we all know about the sex scandals, and we all know the women status in real life. That is the pressure we face every day.

I think if you guys did not supply a place like the meeting, I will never get a chance to organize my concern about it.

Thank you!

M

這一回我得到了一封回信如下：

Dear M,

 

Thank you for sharing this with me! I am so sorry to hear about your experiences. Each event you described sounds incredibly painful, and sadly, somewhat familiar. I have not had the exact same experiences, but as you say, we women deal with harassment and abuse all the time. Unfortunately it is commonly teachers, bosses and professors who abuse their power with students. This is not ok! It makes my angry and sad. I think it's so important to talk about what?'s happened, and I'm very glad that you wrote to me.

 

Do you want to get together and talk sometime? I'm on campus Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

但其實後來我也沒太參加她的活動會議，而且也有點避開她深入談論這些問題（其一，參會的女孩兒們說的遭遇都有些壓抑沉重，二，比起我在中國遇到的女性遭受的性別侵害例子，女大學生們的例子都屬於小兒科了，即因為她們的會議和聲音，我意識到紐約這裏特別是在大學裏，在維護女性學生免遭性別侵害方麵已經做得相對好了；三是跟人深入剖析自己的痛心有點難為情。。。特別對方是個年輕的白人英語教師。。。四是時間不允許。。。）

五是在大學修課時，我見縫插針參加了古典文學係某閱讀分享小組（他們主要是研究古希臘等經典文學的本科生和愛好者），每次約一小時，主要是大家分享預先閱讀過得希臘長詩歌或文章（已譯成現代英語），由一個少壯的拉丁裔老師Host。我在參加幾次後，給老師寫了封信，表達自己的某些不同意見。原電郵丟了，但也是沒回音。。。

六是我在大學修點古典音樂基礎時，寫了篇課尾感謝信兼交流信，跟音樂教授表達對他的感謝，並想交換自己對古典音樂作品的某些不同想法（不知是我表達不清，還是他太忙，或是他作為一個樂評人，覺得我音樂基礎太初步，不是同一層次，故而免談）。其結果是沒回音。。。

ANYWAY，我回顧一下，發現自己在與本地文化人（受過教育的、掌握些話語權的人）交流的結果，都是沒結果。。。

這不免讓我深思，到底為什麽？

或者是我早知如此，主流文化領域或主流社會中，華裔少數，聲音很輕或極弱，力量也輕也弱，故有聲音聽不到回響。我又想到了奧巴馬，他即使做過兩屆總統，身在主流社會中，他想做的事基本也辦不到，隻能做個工具人。在美國社會生活中，我除了做好自己，又能如何呢？（當然我也有謝絕的時候。如我若幹年前，去JOHNJAY大學參加過一次反對槍支濫用的討論會，會後幾年時間它的組織者都發信息讓我去參加在曼哈頓的若幹次遊行集會，我沒應聲（沒時間精力）；二是我原在紐約醫療機構工作，它的工會也屢次發短信要我去曼哈頓參加遊行集會，我也沒去。後來不幹那行了，收其短信就更沒去））

另外我也想過，有回複的那封信，是因為我說在點兒上，寫信有內容。其他幾封，會不會是我沒站在收信人的立場上想問題，或發給的人不管那事兒，或語焉不祥，人家沒工夫和興趣跟我瞎掰掰。。。

結果是，如那家花園讓我續會員卡時，我也IGNORE。

總之，這與當地人交流的事兒，在我是不斷嚐試不斷失落的過程。。。