留学生活记趣 （7）

送走了老婆，我终于又回到学校了。史丹教授一看到我，说我胖了。不胖那就太对不起我们的老板及师傅了。每天我会建议大师傅做啥。我能想到的几乎都可以吃到。 甚至还教他们做一些俺山东老家的面食。每天吃得不亦乐乎。史丹教授也发现我的英文会话也有了十足的进步。还觉得我挺幽默的。这都是哪一个暑假，跟美国客人，为了小费，使劲周旋而来的。我的大胆开口，加上手足舞蹈的表达，也结识了好多的客人。这些客人后来一进门，就要坐我的抬子。显然很快的我也成了餐馆的名角了。

 

记得最清楚的就是那年美国总统尼克松访问中国大陆了。从电视现场转播他到达北京首都机场的实况，可以看出当年中共当局是把老美耍的一愣一愣的。当飞机预备着陆时，记者从飞机上很惊讶的报道着没有看到欢迎的人潮。他们一致认为这是对美国总统一种接近侮辱的行为。同时，这位记者强调在他记忆里随总统出访这么多次，这还是第一次飞机快降落了，还没有看到欢迎的人潮。就在这个时候，飞机着陆了。霎那间，一个小小解放军的仪队也出现了。这时候记者才打圆场的说因为两国没有外交关系，所以迎接的场面很小。不多久，也看到周恩来趋前欢迎美国总统。

 

美国总统的访问大陆，的确给华人打了一针兴奋剂。多年来在美国的华人，一下子觉得自己走路都有风了。每天电视都可以看到有关大陆的介绍。我们同学，朋友之间，大家都谈论着大陆的情形。一下子，国民党对我们的教育，似乎是彻底的瓦解了。虽然我们看到的是一个比台湾贫穷的大陆，但是似乎也没有国民党所说的那样水深火热。在我打工的餐馆里，有位威特尔就是上海的学生，文革时跑到香港。我曾经不止一次的问他，大陆有没有自由。他很奇怪的看着我，同时告诉我，他们读中学时的情形。他说他们每年有春游，还有同学结伴到处走走。绝对是有自由的。那时，我还觉得他在吹大牛。慢慢的才摆脱了多年来国民党教育所产生的思想桎梏。

 

这是我来美国的第二年，告诉自己一定要把硕士念完。我的论文实验也开始了。我做实验的技巧是有的。似乎这是我的天分。别人不通的实验，我一接手似乎就过了。后来，念博士直到工业界就业，都一一证明我在这方面还是有点天分的。开学没有多久，附近机场有个很高级的中国餐馆老板打电话找我。他是从陈老板哪儿拿到我的电话的。他问我有没有兴趣利用周末到他的馆子里打威特尔。我的第一个反应是没兴趣。但是，一想人家是好心好意，找到门上，总不能不够厚道的拒人于千里之外。再说，反正利用周末。也可以享受到几顿好的中餐，又可钻点美金。我马上改口答应去面试。机场不近，我又没车。只有硬着头皮打的，反正手上还存有两个子儿。

 

一进入餐馆，就知道这是一家非常高级的馆子。见了谢老板，他看我一表人才，立刻要我尽快上班。我随即到百货店去买了一件像样的白衬衣及黑色的西裤。又买了一双黑皮鞋。投资近百元。从此我就利用周五晚，周六一天，重操就业，干起我的威特尔了。 没有车，我只有打的上工。星期五下工后，住老板给伙计们准备的宿舍。星期六下了工，揣着满口袋的现款小费再打的回府。

[yijibang]

I appreciate your comments. As matter of fact, your comment on time frame is questionable. After Mao took over China, there was about 7 years that people lived a good life and enjoyed the new China they had fought for. After 1956, they started a series of movements one after another. I believe most of the oversea Chinese went back to China prior to the first movement. What I mean to say is during 1970’s, especially after President Nixon’s visiting China, the mentality had subtle change among oversea Chinese. The change was due to a sudden recognition of China from US irrespective of their political purpose. You could hear a lot of things about China from public broadcasting. People started to be curious about China. We certainly got a lot of attention at that time. The attention we got certainly made us exciting. You may think we were naïve and ignorant, but it is a true reflection of the situation at that time. I always think the worse treatment to a human being is to “ignore” him. At least, after Nixon’s visit, we indeed got a lot attention from American public. Hope I have made myself clear. Thank you again for your response.

[yijibang]

Thank you very much for your comments.

[HCC]

And you are welcome for your response, although I am acutely aware of the time frame you are referring to: the same time frame when the Diaoyutai issue triggered a sensitive nerve, and when ROC lost her seat in the UN to the PRC. That was also the same era when the leftists and self-proclaimed liberals occupied schools and called Mao Tze-dong the savior of the Chinese people. Numerous leftist students dreaming of a better China left the US and went to the mainland. They had the chance to see the mainland in their own eyes, and then? Many of them will eventually realize the fallacies in the lies told by the CCP. They will also learn of the great starvation, the unspeakable tragedies during the cultural revolution, along with thought control in every corner of the mainland. They will then realize the danger in blindly entrusting a government with excess power.

I could only thank god that period has long gone, and that the following generations have come to realize the great foul that could occur as a result of blind faith and ultranationalism. It is sad to see that some others have not yet had the chance to wake from that passionate but tragic period of time, and learn that the grass is not necessarily greener on the other side.

[yijibang]

Thank you very much for your comments. I am afraid you have to roll back to 1972 time frame and live in this country at that time to appreciate what I am talking about.

[HCC]

>>>美国总统的访问大陆，的确给华人打了一针兴奋剂

I wasn't excited about Nixon's visit. He wanted to turn one communist country against two others, and he was successful. The US didn't have anything against China either. They had problems with the communist party that has been imprisoning and starving its own people in the false name of progress.

And, if you have waken from the propagandas of the KMT, how come you haven't had the good sense to wake from the propagandas of the CCP? Do you honestly believe that the CCP are lesser liars, or are you completely unaware of the greater atrocities it conducted?

[yijibang]

http://news.xinhuanet.com/ziliao/2004-01/12/content_1271195.htm

Please check the above website on President Nixon China trip in 1972.

[龙鸟]

打的干waiter，真不多见