Crossing cultural bridges

 

 

 

 

          "The past does not equal the future!"

                             Anthony Robbins

 

 

 

February 1

 

Happy Chinese New year!

Yeah, I know, I am not Chinese but I look at it this way, if you're one of those people that love to make New Year's resolutions, but have a hard time following up on them, then you can start over again today!

When I was a young girl we used to go to this Chinese restaurant in Central Square, Cambridge. It was owned by these two Chinese brothers. My adopted sister had the annoying habit of always making fun of people. She was talking in Spanish to my adoptive mother about the fact that one of the brothers wasn't very good looking. I on the other hand thought that for an old guy in his thirties, (yeah I know I was only ten, what did I know!) he looked kind of good. Anyway imagine my sister's horror and my amusement, when he spoke to her in perfect Spanish. That will teach her! Needless to say because he heard me speak kindly about him, we became friends, in the "restaurant regulars" category.

I always got extra cherries in my coke and extra fortune cookies at the end of our meals! I never realized that he had been watching me all along trying, very awkwardly I might add, to learn how to use the chopsticks that came with our order. One day he came over and asked my mother if it was all right to teach me. My mother the supportive parent she was told him to go ahead but that he was wasting his time because there was no way I was going to learn how to use them! Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence mother!

Anyway he very patiently spent half an hour showing me how to use them. Before long I had gotten the hang of it, much to my mother's chagrin, and would always use the chopsticks instead of the fork.

They were really nice people and in my mind became like the uncles I never have.

Funny thing is years later my ability to use chopsticks, as insignificant as it might see, became a valuable networking tool.

I was working as a community organizer with the city of Lowell and I was working with the growing Southeast Asian population in the city. They are a gentle, loving and kind culture. The particular segment of the population I was working with were older and most of them did not speak English; and I obviously did not speak Khmer or Laos.

At one event I was attending when the dinner came I started to eat with the chopsticks.  One of the older ladies who had survived the Khmer rouge slaughter of her whole family reached over and hugged me, smiling.

I was taken back and she softly said in her hard earned broken English, "You eat like me, so sweet!"

This lady was instrumental in introducing me to a large section of the Southeast Asian community and was very helpful in making sure that her people had the services and information they needed to better their lives.

Once again it all started with something small that was passed down from a long ago friend. The lesson I learned was that we need to be willing to learn from each other. I have made some wonderful friends from so many different countries. I have shared their cultures, their food and their stories.

Had I not made the effort to reach out to them, it would have been me who was missing out!

I was mesmerized as I watched the dragon dance I saw once at a Chinese New year's celebration! The colors, the music! It was so invigorating!

Just like the awesome celebrations of the Chinese New year and the Southeast Asian New Year in April, we need to live each and every day just like that! Full of passion, energy and giving it all we have!

Always learning, expanding our horizons and points of views.

Any day we don't dance is a sad day! I read somewhere "life is short, dance naked!"(Just not in public!) Not that I will ever be caught dancing naked any time soon. My kids have already been traumatized enough thank you, but I do dance by myself when no one is home! I am Ginger Rogers to my broom partner who is my twiggy Fred Astaire, you get the idea!

So today celebrate the gift that life is! Rejoice and remake resolutions and this time give it your all to make them a reality!

Now on to the serious business can someone pass the spring rolls, please?