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學典雅風範 在美國奮鬥融入主流

     一棟百年老宅, 莊重富麗。拾階而上,步入老宅,猶如走進了一幅藝術和歷史的畫卷。7月26日,第一批學員在這里上正式餐宴與禮儀課,學生從12歲到50多歲,大家都從不同的角度學到與體驗了他們喜歡的禮儀。

這里提供其中一位17歲的學生Michael Tsou的感受:

     The day before my mom was talking to me about this special event that would happen tomorrow. We had to dress up for the dinner. To tell you the truth, I was entering this dinner with a negative attitude. I didn't want to spend my time at some stranger's house for three hours talking about edicate and eating multiple courses. And of course who wants to be with their mom on a Saturday night. Soon though my perspective was altered. On the car ride there, a good friend of my mom's, Ying Pu, described how amazing this woman was and how amazing and historical she and her house was. According to her, entering this house could just make the time fly by. This made me interested to see if these compliments were true. When we were greeted by Cynthia, I was caught offguard. She was extremely kind and made you feel welcomed instantly. She gave us a simple tour of her historical collection and from there I was hooked. I am a huge fan of history and of course she had a small collection of Winston Churchill items. We hit it off after talking about the The Battle of Britain. After all the guests arrived, we sat down, and I was definitely ready for dinner. Instead, Cynthia turned on her computer and gave us a half hour long speech on edicate. Contrary to what you're thinking, it was very educational and interesting. She linked the present day to the past and kept the lesson fun and entertaining. Then the favorite part of the night were the dishes. From the first course to the last course, my taste buds were continually on high alert, ready to experience the next flavor. Overall I did not regret a single minute that I spent at Cynthia's beautiful home. She was able to keep me intrigued and attracted that the three hours flew by like it was nothing. I would not hesitate to chat or visit her again.

Michael Tsou

2年前,一個偶然的機會我認識了Cynthia 女士,她的典雅善良讓我們開始有了平凡的交往,每次到她家里總讓人有一份寧靜感,好像時間停留在那個百年屋子里。第一次我在她家里獃了2個小時,仿彿就像在她家里座談20分鐘,在她家里我心靈得到休息,我得到一份時間停留的享受,我要把這份感受和大家一起分享。去年伊利華報在那里舉辦了慶祝母親節活動,現在我想給和我一樣忙緑的人,提供一個能讓心靈純凈、大家可以互相認識認知的休閑地方。
     Cynthia 粗看她,會感到她已經不象我們這個時代的人,穿衣打扮以及講話都比我慢半拍,她每一次見我第一句話就是“放鬆”,因爲今天的人都個個顯得忙緑,幾乎大街小巷也看不到即使去遛狗,還戴着帽子穿着整齊的人,用她的話説這是尊重人的一個舉止。

     一個人想要美麗要花大量的時間與金錢,而且也要學會選購自己喜歡並合適自己顔色的衣服鞋子,還有化妝等等。常常可以聽到愛美是要花代價的,同時外在的美麗只是吸引擦肩人的眼球,一個人眞正的美麗是衣着之外的事情,是讓人能見證你的修身養心,善良與美德,也就是説一個人的修煉和優良的品格,領悟到美麗的本質是身心靈和諧,成爲最好的自己和別人喜歡的人。
     Cynthia 女士給我的感受就是這樣一個人,她有2段婚姻,她聰明善良能幹,並有着一顆關懷他人的心。雖然她自己沒有孩子,但她無微不至照顧她先生的小孩,提供他們的大學費用,她幫助她的先生在事業上獲得成就。她在過去的幾十年幫助社區提供義務敎育與講課,在她身上我看到一個自己刻苦的品質,她很喜歡對我説:我這一生就是憑着我的雙手創造財富,她做帽子,還有在2012年她申請到她自己做娃娃專利。

這是辛西婭講課的體會：
     Do you long for a quiet, unhurried moment in the company of friends? Just such a time was provided to the attendees of the program "The Joys of the Formal Dinner and The Art of Conversation." The Erie Chinese Journal and Cynthia’s Castle Treasures were delighted to receive a note afterwards from a young gentleman attendee, Michael Tsou, a student at Hawken school who has earned recognition in the National History Day Contest. He wrote that he was initially skeptical about the evening but that soon his perspective was altered. He noted that the atmosphere made him feel welcomed instantly, that the program was educational and interesting, and from first course to last, his taste buds were continually on high alert, ready to receive each new dish. He ended his note saying "Overall I did not regret a single minute that I spend at Cynthia’s beautiful home."
     This is the very reason that Cynthia and Ying Pu have teamed up: to create moments of peace and respite where guests can recharge their personal batteries in the company of both new and old friends, while exchanging thoughts and learning from each other. Cynthia and Ying Pu are especially pleased when such events are intergenerational as it helps to broaden the scope of conversation.
      The topic of the program included a discussion of etiquette, which may seem to be a quaint concept of yesteryear, but is in fact the conductor which facilitates harmonious human relations on the great circuit board of life. The dinner was presented in a tradition which was handed down to America from Europe. The purpose of the tradition is to create a slower pace in an atmosphere of beauty so that the guests do not feel rushed and may relax and enjoy each other’s company. This tradition also recognizes that beauty is food for the soul and that art need not be reserved only to be hung on a wall, but can be incorporated in to everyday objects that we can touch and use, such as decorative tableware. In other words, at a formal dinner party, the beautiful place settings and food act as an inspiration and back drop to the real stars, the guests, who provide the magic ingredient of sparkling conversation to a joyful event.
Recognizing that life is fleeting, Ying Pu and Cynthia work to create programs which blend time honored traditions with our modern sensibilities to nuture our well being, inside and out. As President George Washington said "Good humor makes one dish of meat a feast."