癡迷漢語的SALON E老爺子

Salone Gramp Obsessed withChinese Language

地處西非的塞拉利昂有一個美麗的克里奧語名字SALONE。塞拉利昂的男孩子被稱為SALONE BOBO，女孩子被叫作SALONE TITI。當你對當地的某些事物表示疑問、不太理解時，當地人總會攤開雙手，用一句“This is SALONE”來解答你所有的疑惑。即將出場的這位主人公是一位74歲的老人。

這位老人有三個名字：本名.Tonathan Fitzjohn，是塞拉利昂大學孔子學院初級班的學員。瞧！老爺子有多精神 滿頭銀發，挺拔高大的身材，精神矍鑠、聲如洪鐘，舉手投足間透著股優雅的紳士范兒。

他還有一個響當當的中國名字——孔和平。“和平”是老先生自己選的，他說：“我希望我的國家和平，希望世界和平，這一生我也一直努力做和平的人。”“孔”姓是我推薦的，不僅因為老人喜歡儒學，而且他一直保持“學而不厭、誨人不倦”的精神追求。可別小瞧這位老先生，老人家年輕時留學英國和美國，回國后致力于青年教育，是一位資深的音樂教師。

自塞拉利昂大學孔子學院落地SALONE首都弗里敦，漢語似春風吹進校園，掀起了“漢語和中國文化熱”。不少青年學子通過學習漢語打開了留學中國、改變命運的機遇之門。但古稀老翁走進孔院的課堂畢竟是少數。老人在年輕時聽說漢語難學，愿意挑戰自我的他遂產生了學習漢語的念頭。但因忙于工作及各種條件的限制，學習漢語成為他心頭未竟的夙愿。老爺子也曾嘗試研究儒學，對“天人合一”的中國傳統哲學思想有著濃厚的興趣。退休后的老先生聽說塞拉利昂大學成立孔子學院后高興萬分，立即趕來注冊、選課，并激動地說：“我一定要學會漢語，在有生之年實現自己的心愿。”老人學習漢語的那股子勁頭絲毫不輸精力旺盛的SALONE BOBO和SALONE TITI們。用個貼切的詞形容，那就是“蠻拼的”。為此，我尊稱他為“SALONE老爺子”。

“SALONE老爺子”的OKAIDA之路

塞拉利昂首都弗里敦依山而建，道路狹窄、起伏度大，交通很不便利，學員上課遲到的現象常有發生，甚至快下課時才走進教室的學生也不鮮見，“家住的遠”是學生們給出的最“合情合理”的解釋。老人的家離孔院很遠，但上課遲到、缺席的事情卻從未在他身上發生過。一問之下才知道，為了不耽誤學習漢語，他選擇乘坐OKAIDA往返于孔院和家中。OKAIDA是相對便宜、快速的摩托車，也是當地年輕人喜歡的交通工具。司機們在狹窄、顛簸的山路上行駛暢通。我沒想到老人會選擇這種交通工具。每個上課的日子，他身背黑色雙肩書包，帶上食物和水，搭乘OKAIDA旋風般趕來孔院，真可謂“老夫聊發少年狂”。

每次上課走進教室，準能看見他安靜地坐在前排等待上課。如此年紀的老翁本應在家含飴弄孫、安享晚年，而這位癡心于漢語的老人卻寧愿接受挑戰。有幾次我在半路上看見風馳電掣的OKAIDA后座上老先生衣衫飄舞的背影，眼眶不由熱起來，心中的萬千感慨與敬佩之情無法言表。不知疲倦的學霸

課堂上的老人專注、認真，從不因自己的年齡和資歷擺架子，大聲地跟讀，積極回答問題，不時地低頭做筆記，遇到問題毫不遲疑地提出來，幾乎沒有走神、懈怠的時候。有時其他同學還沒反應過來，老先生已經笑呵呵地給出了答案。課堂上進行情境對話練習，他不僅不緊張，反而能根據學過的詞匯及對話內容，創造性地增加恰切的表情和肢體語言，使情境對話顯得自然而豐富，加深了大家對學習內容的本土性理解。同學們有什么問題也喜歡向這位學霸老爺子請教。三個小時的課上下來，體力消耗很大，精力旺盛的小伙子們也常呵欠連連。我心疼他，時不時問一句“您累嗎？”，他總是擺擺手，非常謙和地說： “老師，我不累。謝謝！”老先生專注、堅毅的眼神，使我不敢馬虎任何一次備課、上課，唯恐辜負了這位令我深深敬佩的“SALONE老爺子”。在老先生的感染下，調皮的年輕學生們學習漢語的勁頭也是你追我趕，營造出積極、熱烈的學習氛圍。當之無愧的冠軍

在漢語和中國文化學習的道路上，“SALONE老爺子”從不畏懼任何挑戰。孔院舉辦首屆“中國經典詩歌朗誦大賽”，老先生積極報名參加。備賽期間，他利用課間請老師聽他朗讀、幫他正音，討論詩歌的節奏、韻味，還發揮專業特長，創造性地用五線譜為詩歌配上旋律，一遍又一遍地練習……

朗誦大賽如期舉行，一個又一個的年輕選手用心演繹他們心目中的中國詩歌，或低回婉轉、或含蓄雋永、或情深意長……競爭異常激烈。我不禁為老人捏把汗，擔心孩子們生龍活虎的氣勢給老人造成壓力。老先生卻不焦不躁，就那樣安安靜靜地坐在選手席上，一如他等待上課的樣子。

滿頭銀發的“SALONF老爺子”上場了。“北國風光，千里冰封，萬里雪飄……”在渾厚、有力、富有磁性的聲音中，磅礴大氣的《沁園春·雪》展現出來……老人不緊不慢、張弛有度，那投入的神情仿佛置身于萬里之遙、“紅裝素裹、分外妖嬈”的神州大地。評委和觀眾被其激昂、深情的誦讀深深感動，熱烈的掌聲持續許久，真誠地為這位持守夢想的老人喝彩。評選結果出爐，老人是當之無愧的冠軍。站在領獎臺上的“SALONF老爺子”啊，真是“數風流人物，還看今朝”。

“SALONE老爺子”癡迷漢語和中國文化的趣事還有很多，比如他在家中堅持用筷子吃飯，惹得家里人都笑他為中國著了魔;在條件允許的情況下，他會專門跑到弗里敦的中餐館品嘗中國飯菜……

“學無止境，活到老學到老”。上學時老師常用這句話激勵我們，成為老師的我也喜歡以此勉勵學生。但這句平凡話語中所蘊含的力量和深遠意境真真切切傳遞到我心靈深處，卻是通過這位年逾古稀的老者。“吾生也有涯，而學無涯”，每個人都是人生旅程的匆匆過客，沒有誰敢言自己曉干理、懂萬事。而唯有在這人世間不斷追問、學習、充實生命的體驗，追求更高的境界，才不枉來世間一遭吧。曾經，也暢想自己的晚年生活，總想著那時要“面朝大海，一杯清茶，不問世事，享受生活”。但這位異國他鄉的老人卻詮釋出一個更高境界的人生晚年。他不畏懼歲月的無情，用火熱的行動去持守、追求、踐行心中的夢想，活出一個別樣的“夕陽紅”。祝福你，可敬的“SALONF老爺子”，你是我學習的榜樣！

Sierra Leone， located in West Africa， has a beautifulCreole name-Salone. Sierra Leonean lads are calledSalone Bobo， and girls are called Salone Titi. Wheneveryou show that you are in doubt about local things and donot quite understand them， the locals always spread theirhands and answer all of your questions by saying \"This isSalone\". The main character that is going to take the stageis a 74-year-old grandpa.

He has three names， with his real name as JonathanFitzj ohn. He is a student in the beginner class at theConfucius Institute at the University of Sierra Leone. LooklHow bright-eyed and bushy-tailed he looks-silver hair， talland straight figure， indomitable spirit， and sonorous bell-like voice， with gentleman's elegance in every gesture.

Jonathan is also known as Kong Heping in Chinese.“Heping”， namely “peace” in English， is selected byhimself. He says， “I want peace for my country and theworld. I have also been trying to be a man of peace in mylife.” The surname “Kong” was my idea， not only becausehe likes Confucianism， but also because he persists inthe spiritual pursuit of “being insatiable in learning andtireless in teaching”. Do not underestimate Jonathan. Hestudied in the United Kingdom and the United States whenhe was young， and devoted to youth education as a seniormusic teacher after returning home.

Since the Confucius Institute at the University ofSierra Leone was established in Freetown， the capitalof SALONE， Mandarin has blown into the campus like aburst of spring breeze， setting off the \"Chinese languageand Chinese culture craze\". As a result， many youngstudents have opened the door for opportunities to studyin China and change their destiny by learning Mandarin.Nonetheless， few people in their old age take class at theConfucius Institute. Jonathan heard that Chinese languag～was difficult when he was young， but he was willing tochallenge himself， so he came up with the idea of learningChinese language. Howeve r， due to busy wo rk and variouslimitations， learning Chinese language remained hisunfulfilled yet long-cherished wish. He has also tried tostudy Confucianism and thereby develops a keen interestin traditional Chinese philosophy fe aturing the theorythat \"man is an integral part of nature\". After retiring， theold gentleman was ove rj oyed to learn about the ConfuciusInstitute at the University of Sierra Leone. He immediatelyrushed to sign up for the course， and excitedly said： \"Imust learn Chinese language well to realize my dream inmv lifetime.\" His Dassion for learninst Mandarin is no lessgreat than that of those energetic Salone Bobo and SaloneTiti. To describe it with more appropriate words， he is“pretty strenuous”. Therefore， I address him respectfullyas “Salone Gramp”.“SALONE Gramp” on OKAIDA

Sierra Leone's capital-Freetown， was built aroundmountains， featuring narrow and undulating roads andinconvenient traffic. It is not uncommon for students to belate for class or even arrive at the classroom just before theclass is nearly over. \"I live far from the school\" is the most“reasonable and plausible” explanation from the students.Jonathan also lives far from the school， but you neversee him late or absent for school. I did not know it until Iasked him that he chose to take Okaida for commuting inorder not to miss his study. Okaida is a relatively low- costand fast motorbike， which is a favorite transportation foryoung people here. Drivers of Okaida can go through thenarrow and bumpy mountain roads easily， but I did notexpect that an elder would choose such transportation. Onevery school day， he carried a black backpack with foodand drink， showing up at the Confucius Institute promptlyby Okaida. To say \"he is an elder with passion\" is anunderstatement.

Every time I walk into the classroom， I can surely seehim sitting quietly in the front row waiting for class. An oldman of his age should have stayed at home， playing withgrandchildren and enjoying his golden years. However，this old gentleman who is obsessed with Chinese langu a gewould rather be up for the challenge. On several occasions，I happened to see him on the back seat of Okaida with hisclothes dancing in the wind， and then my eyes grew wet，with strong emotions and admiration beyond words.A Indefatigable Straight-A Student

In the class， he was focused and conscientious，and never put on airs merely because of his age andexperience. Reading after the teacher loudly， answeringquestions actively， taking notes from time to time andasking questions without hesitation whenever he ran intoa problem， he barely got distracted or slack. Sometimes hesmiled and gave the correct answer before other studentsknew it. When doing conversation practice， he was notnervous， but could even creatively add appropriatefacial expression and body language based on thevocabulary and dialogues that he has learned， makingthe conversation sound natural and rich. This also helpeddeepen the understanding of the class in a localized way.Other students liked turning to this straight-A elder forhelp when they had questions. After three hours of class，even the most energetic young students felt exhausted dueto great physical exertion. I worried about him and oftenasked him， \"Do you feel tired？\" He always waved his handsand said very modestly， \"Madam， I am not tired. Thankyoul\" Seeing the focus and determination in his eyes， Icould never be slack in teaching and preparation for anyclass， for fear that I would let down this \"Salone Gramp\"who I respect the most. Encouraged by him， those naughtyyoung students started to learn Chinese language withgreat passion， thus creating an active and fervent studyingatmosphere.

Well-deserved Champion

On the journey of learning Chinese language andChinese culture， \"S alone Gramp\" fears no challenge.He actively signed up for the first session of \"ClassicalChinese Poetry Recital\" held by the Confucius Institute.During the preparation， he asked teachers at theConfucius Institute to listen to him reading， and to helpcorrect his pronunciation. He also discussed with teachersab out poetic thythm and style at break time. He even drewon his own profession-creatively using the staff to matchthe poetry with melody， and then practiced it again andagain...

The recital contest arrived as scheduled. Youngcontestants one by one gave shows of Chinese poetrywith their whole heart and their own understanding，either sweet， or implicit， or affectionate tune， making thecompetition extremely intense. I could not help feelingnervous for Jonathan， worrying that the vim and vigor ofthese kids would daunt him. However， he was not in theleast anxious， sitting quietly in the seat of contestants， justas he was waiting for class.

It is his turn. The silver-haired \"Salone Gramp\" tookthe stage. \"North country scene; A hundred leagues lockedin ice; A thousand leagues of whirling snow...\" With hisdeep， powerful and magnetic voice， the magnificent poemof Snow-to the tune of Chin Yuan Chun unfolded_With moderate tension， he seemed very into the sceneof the poem as if he was standing right in that far landof China which is ten thousand miles away and \"clad inwhite， adorned in red， growing more enchanting\". Deeplytouched by his aroused and passionate performance， thejury and audience offered their long-lasting applause，sincerely cheering for this old gentleman who sticks to hisdream. Eventually， with the result announced， the elderlybecame a well- deserved champion. Standing on thepodium， \"Salone Gramp\" exemplified that \"for truly greatmen， look to this age alone.\"

There are many funny stories about Salone gramp'sobsession with Chinese language and Chinese culture. Forexample， he insists on eating with chopsticks at home，which amuses his family， saying that he is enchantedby China. When it is possible， he even runs to Chineserestaurants in Freetown to have Chinese food.

\"Knowledge is infinite， so it is never too old to learn.\"When I was at school， my teacher often inspired us withthis old saying. Therefore， when I have grown up to be ateacher， I also like to encourage students with this saying.But it is this older gentleman makes me really feel that thepower and far- reaching meaning contained in this sayingis really passed to my heart. \"My life is finite， but learningis infinite\". Everyone is a hasty passer-by in the journeyof life， thus no one dares to say that he knows everythingand understands everything. Only when you keep chasing，learning， enriching your life experience， and pursuing ahigher spiritual realm， can you make the living worth thewhile. At one time， I envisioned my twilight years of facingthe sea， sipping a cup of refreshing tea， withdrawingfrom the world and just enj oying my life. Howeve r， thisgentleman embodies a higher realm of later life. He doesnot fear the heartlessness of the age. Instead， he sticks to，goes after and fulfills his dream with passionate actions，living a unique life of \"sunset glow\". Best wishes to you，my respectable \"Salone Gramp\". You are a model for me！