李倩綺 Jenna Lee 新加坡國立大學
National University of Singapore
2017.07.02 - 2017.08.13
作為學生，每到計劃假期時，總是非常令人興奮的。然而，旅行也僅僅是旅行而已。除了看看美景，吃吃美食，從沒有更深入的瞭解過當地文化與人情。但今年夏天，我通過大學的國際組織社團AIESEC的媒合，來到了台灣宜蘭縣蘇澳鎮的白米社區。
其實最初，獨自旅行這個概念讓我惴惴不安。第一次一人出遠門，沒有家人、朋友的陪伴，來到一個有點語言說不太順的陌生地區。但我希望能通過這次機會鍛煉自己，同時也希望能親身體驗並探索這個位於中國大陸東岸的小小島嶼。當我踏出火車站時，迎面而來和我一樣是國際職工的同事與白米社區亞儀姐的熱情問候。漸漸地，我忐忑不安的心平靜了下來。然而，這樣的平靜這並沒有持續多久，因為當我意識到我身處於一個完全陌生的環境時，我那穩定的心又開始產生漣漪：與新加坡截然不同的生活方式，全中文的工作環境，以及能否與同事構建良好關系的憂慮一一產生。
但所有的擔憂在我感受到這裡人們的熱情，以及諸多的感動後都被沖散了。盡管我只在這里呆了六周，所有的人們都非常好客，經常會請國際職工的大家到家裡做客，一起吃飯，游玩。
大家一起在冬山拍的大合照😊
不烤就沒得吃了，我们盡全力为大家烤好吃的肉！
和白米工讀生的小夥伴一起逛冬山夜市
羅東看遊行的亮點：得到拋出的閃閃發亮的禮物
颱風過去後，大家出遊了！7個人擠在一個車子內。我居然坐在包子的腿上了。Paiseh，希望沒有弄疼你
有一句讓我印象深刻的話，是木屐館師傅所說的：“別擔心我，我看你們吃得好就飽了。” 很肉麻，但真誠。其他同事也經常帶我們參觀當地節慶、逛夜市。我也有機會到當地人家寄宿幾晚，跟他們聊了很多，也從他們的角度看到了台灣不同的一面。正是這零零碎碎的小事情，讓我不後悔來到台灣，因為這些經歷是我一生都不會忘記的。
Yosa請我們到她家里！她家的旁邊有非常多的稻田。然後晚上她的媽媽還教我們包餃子😂
上次沒機會到玉珠阿姨的家，今天我們有口福了！玉珠阿姨親自下廚，我也是得力助手😯
玉珠阿姨的功夫1小時就搞定！
這里的工作環境很有挑戰性，但這就是我在這里的原因。我很有幸被分配到營銷團隊，因為我能運用到在大學里所學到的知識為社區做出貢獻。我們團隊共同商討處理社交媒體的行銷方案，同時也希望透過IG跟FB把白米社區介紹給更多的人認識。
和來自馬來西亞旅行社的拍攝組一起商討宣傳影片
超lucky能把自己會的技能用到工作中！比如木益客棧的網頁製作哈哈
來到蘇澳最最最幸運的是認識了我寄宿的房東阿姨和叔叔。他們會邀我們一同吃晚餐、聊天 ，並在一瓶瓶台灣啤酒中變成了知已，成了一個家庭。當我們下班回家時，他們會問一句：“吃了嗎？”外出游玩回來時，也會說一句：“餓了沒，過來吃水果聊聊天。”
叔叔阿姨帶我們午餐在宜兰台北中间点-坪林的“公路饭店”！
阿姨看我們昨天很遲才會去，就提議送我們上班
颱風降臨...停電了。叔叔阿姨因為擔心我們的安全就請我們到家裡坐。幸好有他們...❤️
當晚，蘇澳出現16級陣風，但我還是像隻豬一樣熟睡了
在我要離開台灣時，有種我不是回家，而是離家出遠門的感覺。也許當阿姨說“這個家的大門永遠為你們敞開”時，這里，已經成為了我的另一個家。
現在，我回到了新加坡。時不時也會想起阿姨叫我“小鳥胃”（阿姨起的綽號）的樣子，每天晚上聊天的情形，與叔叔阿姨帶我們出去玩的日子。
離開前帶走的紀念品，我會好好珍惜的！也謝謝Kelly和小葳葳一起和我完成的作品
最後一天上班打卡了😔
不哭其實挺難的。在這六周之中我走過了台灣很多的地方，也遇到過很多的人，但沒有一次能比白米這個社區更深得人心。這次的出行給予了“旅游”不同的意義，它給我帶來了歡聲笑語，也帶來了離別時淡淡的憂傷。可我沒有一次後悔過我的決定，因為今年夏天，我有了我在宜蘭蘇澳的第二個家。
離開台灣之前最後的一張合照總結了我的台灣之旅，謝謝你們所有帶給我美好回憶的人
來自新加坡的李倩綺（Jenna）
2017年8月20日
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A Travel Blog
I love the idea of traveling and excitement when there are holiday plans. But the sole idea of travel seems to be something missing - I don’t feel fulfilled. This summer, I jumped at my chances on a volunteer project offered by AIESEC, which incorporates traveling and community involvement.
At the beginning, the thought of solo traveler was daunting, but I wanted to be brave and be able to explore on my own. Before I knew it, I was on my way to the Baimi Community in Su 'ao Township, Yilan, Taiwan. I felt calm when I was warmly welcomed by my fellow international volunteers and Yiayi, a Baimi representative, at the train station. But the more I was introduced and brought around, the more butterflies I felt in my stomach: the Non-Singaporean living style, a Chinese work environment, and more importantly, the worries of not getting along with others.
However, all these became trivial. The people were friendly and approachable. Even though we’ve only been around for six weeks, they were hospitable with dinner, events, and stay-overs. I remembered I was touched by Shifu’s (a trained carpenter at the local clog museum) words, “Don’t worry about me, I am full from seeing y’all enjoying the food.” It was cheesy, but he meant his words. My fellow colleagues had also brought me to festivals to immerse myself in the local culture, in which I adored their accompaniment. My stay-overs were fun as I got to interact with local families and experience life through another perspective. This was an experience I could never forget. The bonds we created was extraordinary and I was glad I had made my decision to come to Taiwan.
The work environment was challenging, but it was the very reason that I chose here. Being allocated to the marketing team, I found myself passionately contributing to the Baimi Community with aim to increase the influx of people visiting the wonderful place. My team and I discussed social media platforms to use and contents to post that truly describe our experiences.
I was honored to use my expertise through providing advises and creating a website for Muyi Backpackers’ Inn, where it served as a place to help the elderly in the community.
I was really fortunate to stay at my boarding house. As the weeks went by, we gotten close with the landlord, auntie and uncle, who lived below us. They regularly called us down for dinner and we bonded over drinks, and by drinks, I meant cans of Taiwanese beer that my fellow Malaysian volunteer loved. We were a family. When we returned from work, they would always say, “Did you have dinner yet?” “Are you hungry? Come in and sit.” Auntie and uncle were open and fun-loving people. Now that I’m back to Singapore. I miss the nickname (小鳥胃) they gave me, the conversations we had, and the road trips where they would bring us to their favorite eateries.
When it was time to leave, it felt as if I was leaving home once again and was touched by their words when they told me the door will always be open, waiting for us to return.
It was hard not to feel emotional when all these memories were created within six weeks of time. I never regretted once that I made this decision, and I would definitely return to visit my second home.
