Newsletter No. 355

No. 355, 4.4.2010 下回〈十方吐露〉將訪問李少南教授 Prof. Paul S.N. Lee will be featured in the next instalment of ‘TEN QUESTIONS FOR’. 預告 Coming Danie Katsande Danie Katsande遠道自津巴布韋來中文大學 Danie Katsande is an undergraduate student from Zimbabwe 1 為甚麼揀中大？ Why CUHK? 我瀏覽中大的網頁，它看來挺不錯，便申請入學。我現 在是工商管理學士綜合課程二年級生，有感於精算行業 尚未在津巴布韋發展起來，掌握這方面的知識應是一 項優勢，所以我也在修讀這方面的課程。 I surfed the CUHK website. It looked convincing, so I applied. I am now a second-year student in the Integrated BBA Programme. Because the actuarial industry in Zimbabwe is not developed, having knowledge of the field could be advantageous. So I’m also taking classes in actuarial science. 2 對香港和中大有甚麼印象？ What’s your impression of Hong Kong and CUHK? 記得初到埗時，發現香港與我所想像的頗有出入，但我 很快便習慣了。舉例說，我以為這裏是無神論的地方， 香港人不思考宗教的事情，他們只管眼前發生的事— 賺錢和找得一份工作。可是中大的中國文化和哲學通識 課程改變了我的想法。部分儒家和道家思想很大程度 上與我的信念互相呼應，我想，在津巴布韋我們也講這 些，只是說法不同罷了。神在這裏可能是「看不到」的， 但人們是受某些道德標準規範的。 When I first arrived, I found Hong Kong quite different from what I had imagined it to be, but I got used to it quickly. For example, I thought god was non-existent here, that people didn’t think about religious matters, that all they cared about was things they could see and touch—making money, getting a job. But the general education courses on Chinese culture and philosophy changed my mind. Some tenets of Confucianism and Daoism resonated quite a bit with my convictions. I felt this is what we say in Zimbabwe, but we say it differently. God may not be ‘visible’ here, but people are guided by certain moral principles. 3 社交方面適應得怎樣？ How are you adapting socially? 很快便有在家的感覺了。我的本地室友帶我認識校園的 人和事物。在津巴布韋，我們都以為亞洲人十分精於數 學，我還預期會在這兒見到很多怪傑，原來校園的氣氛 是頗為輕鬆的，大家會外出耍樂，但到了重要關頭，他 們還是會努力學習和工作的。我也不時外出，但不能太 頻密，因為我得依賴獎學金資助，不能每周外出買醉， 把它搞砸。這是我的人生，必須由自己主宰，才可達至 最終目標。 I felt at home here very quickly. My local roommates took me around campus and showed me who was who and what was what. In my country, we all believed Asians are good at maths, so I was expecting to see a lot of geeks here. But the campus is actually quite relaxed. People go out even though they all work hard when the crucial moment comes. I go out from time to time, but not too much because I’m on a scholarship and I can’t jeopardize it by getting drunk every weekend. It’s my life. I need to take control of it and direct it to my final goal. 4 最大的挑戰是甚麼？ What’s the biggest challenge? 語言。我的法文是靠聽錄音和與朋友談話學回來的，但 廣東話卻是另一回事。對我來說，廣東話的九聲都是一 樣的。我的室友是本地人，他可不是這樣學廣東話的， 所以他亦幫不上忙。這個夏天我會留在香港正式修讀廣 東話課程。剛來時，日本菜亦是另一挑戰，生肉實在不 對我胃口。不過，我倒喜歡那些熱菜，生日那天朋友們 便帶我到日本餐廳去。 Language. I learnt French by listening to recordings and talking to friends. But Cantonese is a different story. The nine tones sound all the same to me, and my local roommate didn’t learn Cantonese the same way, so he couldn’t really help. I’m staying in Hong Kong this summer to take proper lessons in the dialect. Japanese food was also a challenge at first. Raw meat just isn’t my cup of tea. But I like the cooked dishes. In fact my friends took me to a Japanese restaurant for my birthday. 5 中大該怎樣給非洲學生更好的服務？ How can the University serve African students better? 我相信我算是最早來自非洲的學生。宿舍安排方面沒有 問題，在學業上，我得面對困難就是了。可是，我認為大 學可多安排非洲學生參觀一些能引起他們共鳴、與本地 文化拉上關係的地方。說到底，香港可是自稱為亞洲的 世界都市的呢。 I believe I’m one of the first African students here. Hostel allocation was OK. Academically, I have to face the music. But I think the University could arrange more visits to places of interest that would resonate with African students and enable them to relate to the culture here. After all, Hong Kong does tout itself as Asia’s world city. 6 香港和津巴布韋都曾是英國的殖民地，可有留意兩 者有甚麼相同之處？ Both Hong Kong and Zimbabwe are former British colonies. Notice any similarities between the two? 在津巴布韋，你能講英語的話，真是酷斃了。這兒也一 樣。 In Zimbabwe, if you speak English, it’s considered cool. Same here. 7 兩地的分別也應很大，你能列舉一些嗎？ The differences must be great. Could you name some? 我們要為爭取獨立而戰，為此，一場解放之戰打了十四 年。我們在獨立前和殖民後的狀況與香港完全不同，比 較香港和津巴布韋之時必須倍加注意。香港人好像並 不關心他們認同哪種文化，因為政權交替不涉及暴力。 We had to fight for our independence. For 14 years, there was a War of Liberation. Our pre-independence and post-colonial settingwas completely different from Hong Kong’s. Care must be taken when comparing Hong Kong to Zimbabwe. Hong Kongers don’t seem to care which culture they identify with, because at the end of the day, there was no violence. 8 你怎樣看津巴布韋的現政府？ What do you think of the current government of Zimbabwe? 我不是政治分析員，亦不支持或反對政府。願神保佑我 們的領袖。 I’m not a political analyst. I don’t support or oppose the government. God bless our leaders. 9 你喜歡美國饒舌文化嗎？ Do you like American rap culture? 饒舌文化廣為津巴布韋青年人接受，大家都試着唱饒 舌歌曲。他們會在房間內自行錄音，學着Jay Z或Black Eyed Peas唱起來。有些更特意從互聯網下載歌詞，背 熟了以便回學校唱。我是指男孩子都是這樣，女孩子 則全喜歡模仿Beyonc é 及 Rihanna。 Rap culture is well accepted by youngsters in Zimbabwe. People try to rap. They take a tape recorder and record themselves in their room, trying to sound like Jay Z or Black Eyed Peas. Some of us go to great lengths to download the lyrics from the Internet and memorize them so we can rap in school. I mean the boys do that. The girls all imitate Beyoncé and Rihanna. 10 你最惦記甚麼？ What do you miss? 我想念我的家人、朋友，我想念那種生活方式和美味的 傳統食物，亦想念說說家鄉語和我的文化。 I miss my family, friends. I miss the lifestyle and delicious traditional food. I miss speaking my native language and my culture.