Chào các bạn,

Dưới đây là bài dịch đầu tiên của Khánh Tâm. Khánh Tâm dịch bài Một người vô gia cư chúc phúc cho mình của Thu Hằng.

Khánh Tâm hiện đang theo đuổi con đường tìm kiếm niềm tin, sức khỏe, đam mê, tha thứ, ngoại ngữ, và niềm vui – KT Hoang is currently in pursuit of 6 F’s: Faith, Fitness, Fondness, Forgiveness, Foreign Languages, and Fun.

Chào mừng Khánh Tâm tới ĐCN nhé. 🙂

Cám ơn Hằng đã mang Khánh Tâm đến với ĐCN. 🙂

Chúc Khánh Tâm, Hằng và các bạn luôn vui nhé. 🙂

Thu Hương,

*****

Blessed by a homeless person

Hi everyone,

The international student association recently organized a community service activity. We were to collect the leftovers from restaurants, hotels, and supermarkets, and after that, process, prepare, and package the food for the poor and the homeless in the city.

(Given the speed of urban development in Vietnam where supermarkets will mushroom everywhere, I guess this would be a good model to support those who are in need.)

At any restaurants and supermarkets, we felt greatly appreciated as we helped them with the leftovers. The fact is that due to their busy operation and lack of staff, they need students to be a bridge between them and social organizations.

One day, we went to a social centre to prepare dinner for homeless people. I met the person in charge. While peeling the fruit, I started a conversation with him and came to know that he was of Indian origin; perhaps his parents came from Goa, an Indian city colonised by Portugal in the old days. Despite his comprehensible English, he constantly apologized for his “poor language skills” and kept saying thanks for our help.

He told me that he used to be a manager of a Hindu temple in Lisbon, the only one of that kind in Portugal. He currently worked here. As soon as he found out that I was a Vietnamese, he asked, “You have heard of Thich Nhat Hanh, haven’t you?”. “Yes, he is a teacher of mine,” I replied. “I follow Buddhist way of life,” said him, “and I would like to visit The Plum Village in France but never got a chance to.”

It came as a surprise to me; never before had I ever met a Portuguese who knew Thầy Thích Nhất Hạnh. Culturally speaking, Portugal is an interesting nation, with more than 80% of the population being Roman Catholic; however, their awareness of Buddhism and Asia is comparatively better than many other European countries because of the introduction of Asian cultures and gastronomies since the time of Portuguese Empire.

In the evening, once the food boxes were finished, we were guided to the delivery sites for the homeless. It was advised that international students like us could talk with homeless people as they would do no harm to us, but that we should not travel without the company of a local to such places. Overseas students should also bear that in mind when coming to a new land for the first time.

Among the food receivers, there were locals and immigrants, young and old, male and female, mostly males. They were making a queue, taking turns to get rice, bread, pastries, and water. I was assigned the pastry and water section at the end of the area. The folks pointed at whichever they preferred, and I gave it to them; they were not supposed to pick up the food for themselves.
Most of the people who came got the foods, put them into a bag, and said, “Thank you!”. Some showed an attitude and didn’t take bread when the pastries ran out.

Some ate their dinner on the spot, some brought their bag somewhere else to eat. They could go for a second helping if they wanted. At the end of the food delivery session, a black old man stopped by and chatted with me with a very good English accent, slow but clear and precise. Seldom had I met an immigrant worker who could speak such a fluent English. His smile was so bright that I felt very comfortable around him. Many others have such a tense face that I was afraid to talk to them.

He asked me if I had lived here for a long time. I told him that I was just studying, and after that we exchanged a few words.

When he left, he said, “Thank you for bringing the food to us. I wish you success.” “No, we should be the one who say thanks.” Then off we went on the bus home. I waved him goodbye and said, “God bless you!” “God bless you, too,” he replied. That homeless man reminded me of a movie entitled “City of Angels”. He might as well be one himself.

I have learnt from the homeless how to queue for food, thank for the food, and say “God bless you!” to those who give them food.

Another day in paradise:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NiEUBaRsXw

Thu Hằng