Due to family circumstances, Hsu Fang-yu, a fourth-grade student at Chiayi Municipal Ta-tung Elementary School, lives with her grandmother, who makes a living from collecting items for recycling, and her great-grandmother. Hsu likes drawing. By chance, she found some wax crayons among the things her grandmother had collected for recycling, learning by herself, she found something she was very good at. In the third grade at elementary school, she was admitted to a class for artistically gifted children. On Sept. 19 she received a commendation as an “angel in adversity” from the Chiayi Cheng-huang Temple’s charity foundation. Hsu attended the prize-giving activity along with her grandmother and took along a drawing she had done of her whole family. The story of how she has made advances in spite of adversity is quite moving.
Hsu says that her mother looks after her two younger brothers, who are late developers, on her own in Taichung, so she, her 56-year-old grandmother and 93-year-old great-grandmother have to depend on one another. Apart from a military pension, their household income is supplemented by her grandmother’s earnings from recycling. Hsu helps with collecting and sorting things for recycling, and the stationery and drawing materials she uses are picked out from among the recyclables.
The girl’s grandmother, Wang Ching-chung, says that when Hsu gets home she helps by hanging clothes out to dry, bringing them in again and sweeping and mopping the floor. When her great-grandmother goes out, she always walks along with her and gives her a helping hand. Although she lives in a poor household, Hsu is resilient and hardworking, and she is very respectful and obedient. They are lucky to have such a well-behaved little girl, says Wang.
(Liberty Times, translated by Julian Clegg)
Photo: Ting Wei-chieh, Liberty Times
照片:自由時報記者丁偉杰
嘉義市大同國小四年級學生許芳瑜,因家庭因素,跟著從事資源回收的祖母以及曾祖母同住。她喜歡畫畫,無意間從祖母撿回的資源回收物找到蠟筆,靠著自學,畫出一片天,小三考進美術資優班,九月十九日接受嘉義城隍廟慈善會「逆境天使」表揚,許芳瑜與祖母一起出席授獎活動,還帶來一幅「全家福」畫作。逆境向上的故事,讓人感動。
許芳瑜說,因媽媽在台中獨力照顧兩個發展遲緩的弟弟,她必須跟五十六歲祖母,及高齡九十三歲曾祖母相依為命;家裡生活開銷除領榮民撫恤金,另由祖母從事資源回收補貼家用。她會幫忙回收、分類,所用的文具及畫具都是從回收物挑選而來。
祖母王敬忠說,芳瑜放學回家會幫忙曬衣服、收衣服、掃地、擦地;阿祖外出,一定跟前跟後,攙扶阿祖。雖然家境清寒,芳瑜刻苦努力,十分孝順,非常難得。
(自由時報記者丁偉杰)
★ Bilingual Story is a fictionalized account. 雙語故事部分內容純屬虛構。 Kevin leaned over the bubbling pot. “Hey. . . are you okay? You’ve barely touched your food.” Zoey blinked. Her face was red — not from blushing, but from the “mala” spice and the heat of the room. Her blond hair clumped to her face like strands of fine spaghetti. Her carefully applied makeup now streaked. “This isn’t what I expected,” she said softly, forcing a smile. All around them, Kevin’s friends were laughing, shouting, and tossing ingredients into the broth. The air smelled of chili oil and garlic.
Picture this: contestants are walking gracefully across a stage, competing for the highly desired title of “most beautiful.” However, these participants aren’t fashion models—they’re camels. Welcome to the extraordinary world of the Pushkar Fair, where beauty contests take on an entirely different meaning. The Pushkar Fair is held annually in the small desert town of Pushkar, India, usually in November. It began as a livestock trading event where farmers and herders gathered to buy and sell camels, horses and cattle. Over time, it has grown into a major cultural carnival that attracts thousands of tourists from around the world.
Continued from yesterday(延續自昨日) https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang If plushie charms are cute little nods to people’s interests, ita bags are full-on declarations. The term “ita” comes from the Japanese word itai, which means “painful” and reflects the overwhelming visual intensity of these bags. An ita bag is essentially a handbag, backpack, or tote meticulously decorated with an extensive collection of merchandise dedicated to a specific character or idol. These bags usually feature a clear plastic window to display carefully arranged pins, badges, keychains, or fan art. Both the interior and exterior may be covered in fandom memorabilia, creating an aesthetic so intense that it’s almost “painful”
對話 Dialogue 清清:華華,你知道嗎?聽說11月5號有「超級月亮」!那天的月亮會特別大、特別亮。 Qīngqing: Huáhua, nǐ zhīdào ma? Tīngshuō shíyī yuè wǔ hào yǒu “chāojí yuèliàng”! Nà tiān de yuèliàng huì tèbié dà, tèbié liàng. 華華:真的嗎?太棒了!我想去河邊看月亮,順便拍照片。 Huáhua: Zhēnde ma? Tài bàng le! Wǒ xiǎng qù hébiān kàn yuèliàng, shùnbiàn pāi zhàopiàn. 清清:聽說在超級月亮出現的那天晚上許願,願望比較容易實現。 Qīngqing: Tīngshuō zài chāojí yuèliàng chūxiàn de nàtiān wǎnshàng xǔyuàn, yuànwàng bǐjiào róngyì shíxiàn. 華華:是嗎?讓我好好想想要許什麼願。 Huáhua: Shì ma? Ràng wǒ hǎohǎo xiǎngxiǎng yào xǔ shénme yuàn. 清清:哈哈,我已經想好了,我希望「每天都準時下班」。 Qīngqing: Hāhā, wǒ yǐjīng xiǎng hǎo le, wǒ xīwàng “měitiān dōu zhǔnshí xiàbān”. 華華:嗯......我希望今年「年終獎金加倍」 Huáhua: ēn... wǒ xīwàng jīnnián “niánzhōng jiǎngjīn jiābèi”! 清清:等你把手邊的專案做完,你的願望一定可以實現的。 Qīngqing: Děng nǐ bǎ shǒubiān de zhuān’àn zuò wán, nǐ de yuànwàng yídìng kěyǐ shíxiàn de. 華華:希望一切能順利! Huáhua: Xīwàng yíqiè néng shùnlì! 翻譯