最近台灣要換國民生份證， 媽媽上個禮拜就三番兩次的交代要我去照身分照，還特別傳真給我一張照片說明書，說是相片比例很特別，我一看之下覺得還真是複雜呀，長4.5cm寬3.5cm就算了，連頭頂到下顎的長度還要介於3.2~3.6公分之間。媽媽說照片一月七號一定要寄到，眼看只剩下一個多禮拜的時間，我趕緊到附近的相片館去。
這家相片館的老闆是一對年老的台灣夫婦，老闆娘很親切，知道我也是從台灣來的，常常會跟我多聊兩句，店裡面常常聽到夫婦們用台語交談。我今天拿著身分證照說名書給她，她笑著說也在等台灣的兒子傳真給她，她也要換身分證。老闆看了看說明書，說照了這麼久還沒有看到這種尺寸的，比護照的照片都還要大。這時店裡面還有一個穿著黑色大衣的阿姨，原本安安靜靜的聽我們講話，後來也忍不住加入討論，原來她也是要來照身分證照片的!
在等待照片的時候，阿姨知道我自己一個人在紐約，就和我分享她當初移民的經過，她說原本在台灣是當老師的，在台美斷交之後毅然決然移民美國，但是因為英文不好，很難找工作，所以都一直幫人家打工，現在兒子長大了，在著名的金融企業上班，她也覺得很寬慰……。在紐約的台灣人，似乎講起來都有一段頗心酸的移民史，和西岸的台灣移民不同，西岸的台灣移民經濟上似乎都比較優渥。
想想自己，還是覺得很困惑，到底是要留下來還是回台灣？雖然和阿姨比起來，自己幸運很多，在美國受過教育，但總還是覺得在語言上和文化上還是很難融入。當初抱著 “體驗生活”的態度來紐約，也已經一年半了……下一步應該要怎麼走呢？
圖：紐約的洛克斐勒聖誕樹2006
4 則留言:
COMMENT:
Irene,
Just happened to run across your blog while surfing online. Your insight is well taken for immigrants from east coast having a tougher transition into American lifestyle than those in the west coast. New York living isn't too different than those in Taiwan, except there's a lot more diversity than any other cities in the US. I've been living here for over 20 years and I can't imagine being anywhere in the US. Perhaps it's familiarity and that has taught me some toughness about east coast living. What do you think?
COMMENT:
irene
不用多想了
回來台灣吧
請你嫁給我
我是認真的
我想我是愛上妳了
I LOVE YOU
COMMENT:
Dear 帥哥安,
真是感動
真是感動
真是超感動的呀~~~
can I see the ring first?
haha
Irene
COMMENT:
To Transported Taiwanese:
Yah you are right. I actually find a lot of similarities between Taipei and New York. They are both big cities, high living clost, crowded and dirty...My mom visited me once, she just feels that my life in NYC is not what she imagined an American life style should be. I was in Austin Texas before I moved to NYC. Life there is pretty Americanized compared to here, big living space, driving cars.....but I still love NYC more!
Irene
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