(scroll down for english)
謝謝你過去一年的支持,讓我跨越德國/阿根廷/印度,渡過了我第一個學年。你支持了我的學費/租房子/交通,也讓我不單止在課堂上獲取知識,也讓我可以遇見很多充滿故事的人,聆聽他們的經歷,向他們學習。很開心可以跟你分享旅途上的點滴,我希望你也喜歡收這些明信片 😃
明信片計劃讓我學到很多預料之外的功課。習慣了香港的方便快捷,沒想過原來在一些地方要找一間(可以印明信片和地址label而且價錢相宜的)印刷舖、買郵票、甚至找郵筒都可以花比香港多4-5倍的時間。我也在努力地改善自己的拖延習慣,有些明信片未能按時完成,也在此向大家說聲不好意思。。還記得你們在訂閱時問我關於國家的問題嗎?雖然我未能全部回答,但希望你們知道,這些問題一直有幫助我觀察得更入微,時刻懷抱著好奇。
我希望可以延續明信片計劃 — 除了因為我繼續要籌學費外,我也希望可以繼續把遇見的人和事分享出去,以致我們對其他國家和民族的認識不限於媒體的報導和成見。我希望我們想起阿根廷的時候不只是想起美斯,想起印度的時候不只是想起強姦案,而可以想起在這些地方也有很多平凡的人有著不平凡的勇氣,每天努力地面對生活。我希望透過這些小小的postcard,讓身邊的人對這個世界更加好奇,也讓我們更願意了解不同的人。
我的第二學年包括在分別印度和以色列/巴勒斯坦跟兩個機構實習,然後開始寫論文。明信片計劃2.0將會分享12個不同世界各地的人的生命故事。有些是我過去一年認識的人,有些是我將會遇到的人。
我現在正在耶路撒冷跟Musalaha機構做研究。機構旨在促進以色列人和巴勒斯坦人之間的對話和復和。在這裡,我遇見了一個讓我覺得特別溫暖的接待家庭 - 住在約旦河西岸地區的S家庭。在以巴衝突的硝煙下,西岸的政治形勢和經濟環境漸趨緊張,不少巴勒斯坦人的生活陷入困境。過去五年,爸爸Rony在都無法找到穩定的工作,一家五口的收入靠妻子一人負擔。我們聊天的時候,Rony告訴我他正在想辦法為三個孩子籌學費。這讓我對Postcard Project萌生了新的想法。我希望這個計劃不單是一個分享故事的渠道,而是一個我們集合力量,用實際的行動與人連結的平台。所以來年,Postcard Project不只是一個眾籌我的學費的計劃,我希望每張明信片都能讓你connect到故事主角,讓你也可以用你的力量去支持他們。 我也會將今年Projcet收入的一小部分捐出支持S家庭三個小朋友未來一年的學業。
我很想邀請你用以下三個途徑繼續參與!
謝謝你們讓這個計劃得以順利進行 😃 期待寄下一張明信片給你!
-cc
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Thanks to your support, the postcard project has been running for one year! Your partnership supported me through the first year of my Masters Studies across Germany, Argentina and India - the tuition, the rent, the travel expenses... and enabled me to not only grow in an academic setting, but also to meet incredible human beings in different parts of the globe and learn from their experiences. It's been a joy to share bits and pieces of this journey with you through postcards, and I hope you've enjoyed receiving them as much as I have enjoyed sending them :)
The Postcard Project has taught me many unexpected lessons. Tasks that are usually so easy in Hong Kong like getting cards/ labels printed, getting stamps and even finding a mail box can be so difficult in a foreign country, in a language that I've only started learning! As a lifelong procrastinator, I'm also still working on my time management and I want to say sorry that postcards are not arriving so consistently as promised. I might not have answered every question that you've asked me in the beginning (remember them?), but they definitely prompted me to look at the places i've been in in different angles and gave me new curiosity to ask questions and make conversations.
My wish is that the Postcard Project will continue to grow, not just because I need to crowdfund my studies (which i do!). I see the power of storytelling to break stereotypes, so that when we think about Argentina we don't just think about Messi; and when we see the media reporting on India's rape cases we will also know that despite its struggles, India also has a lot of beautiful, welcoming faces. I see the need to arouse our curiosity towards the world, and the beauty of initiating conversations with people who are different to us.
The second series of the Postcard Project will feature 12 extraordinary life stories of 12 ordinary humans from all around the world. These are people that I have met in the past year, and people that I’ll be meeting in the coming year while i complete my internships in India and Israel-Palestine, and start working on my graduation thesis.
Currently, I’m doing a project with Musalaha, an organisation based in Jerusalem aimed at fostering dialogue and catalyze reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians. Here I met the S family who warmly welcomed me into their home in the West Bank. The raging tensions and conflicts is making life in the West Bank increasingly difficult for many Palestinian. For the past 5 years, Ron, the father, has not been able to find a stable job for the past 5 years. The whole family of 5 relies mainly on Shereen, the mother’s income. During a conversation, Ron talked about raising funds for his three children’s education. It sparked in me new ideas about the Postcard Project. I hope that this project, that all of you are investing in, can go beyond sharing stories, but connecting us to one another in practical ways. Therefore, the coming will also give you a chance to connect personally with the people in the stories. You can use your creativity to suppor them in critical ways. I will also donate a small portion this year's Project income to supporting the S family’s three children’s education.
There are 3 things that I’d like you to partner with me to move this forward:
1. I’d like to hear some feedback on your experience and what can be improved! Please help me fill out the form in the link below.
2. A sharing session will be held on 7 Oct 2018 (save the date now!) so that I can thank you personally and share with you the stories behind the postcard stories, and my experience throughout the past year. I'll let you know of the venue once decided.
3. Renew your subscription, and invite your friends to subscribe!
Thank you so much again for making this happen!!! Looking forward to sending more stories to your postbox !
-jane