Self Fulfilling Prophecies
Well, I've done it again! I anticipated the worst and was handed it on a silver platter.
After only two days of working efficiently and not blogging much or goofing off I was handed a new large project in addition to my normal workload.
In addition, this whole shul project has me quite disturbed. We had a meeting with shul members to get input into this new project which turned into a two hour complain-a-thon.
Apparently nothing our shul does is any good and every other shul is vastly superior according to the do-nothings that attended this meeting. I tried very hard not to be offended after all my years of work for the shul was ripped to shreds by a couple of ungrateful yentas, but it was hard to take.
I've also become the new best friend (apparently) of the board member who resigned when I was assigned to head his department's project. He calls me nightly to give me advice and pump me for information. It's hard to take.
Lastly, my in-laws are coming for shabbos and that always gets me pretty wound- the less said about THAT situation the better.
OK I'm done complaining and now it's your turn.
Send your gripes, questions, comments, or observations along to shifraq@gmail.com and we can talk about your problems instead of mine!
posted by Shifra @ 9:10 AM
7 Comments:
Here is the Chinese story about Yiddish with a translation below. For more info, go to www.jta.org and look under Features for the Yiddish story from Taiwan. Capish?
做別人沒有做過的事 張守慧精研猶太語言學
2005-05-19 15:09∕中央社記者梁君棣台北十九日電
新世紀女性勇敢追夢系列專題報導二十「不想走傳統研究路線，想做別人沒有做過的東西」「多學一種語言，就是打開世界另一扇門」，這是目前台灣唯一的猶太語言學者、文藻外語學院德國語文系助理教授兼系主任張守慧致力研究冷僻學門的動力。她說，唸書一點都不苦，就看自己要學到多少。
就在目前已有人倡導除了英語外應該學習第二外國語之際，在張守慧個人網站上卻記載著她專精德國文學、德國語言學、猶太文學、猶太歷史和意第緒語文學，讓人感到再「高深」不過 。
事實上，一如德國人給人的刻板印象─一板一眼，對照張守慧在治學上，頗有相似之處。自文藻德文系畢業後，她考取輔仁大學德國語文學系研究所，研二時，就考上公費留學，但仍讀完碩士學位後才出國，在德國唸了六年，拿到德國特里爾大學德國語文學系博士，並曾任特里爾大學德國文學及語言學系助教、德國特里爾市天主教團契「猶太文化與德國」研究小組組長，最後回到母校文藻貢獻所學。
五年級生、台灣麻豆人的張守慧，默默研究德國、猶太語文學，當別人把視為「難」的冷門科目避之為恐不及的時候，她卻執著地要將它「搞懂」，從唸德國文學，進而再研究猶太歷史，學習希伯來文中的流亡語文（意第緒語文學），她告訴中央社記者，做自己喜歡做的事，感覺很好。
個子嬌小、喜歡歷史的張守慧，自認很「膽小」、「保守」，但也坦承，只是因為不喜歡當「跟屁蟲」，想做別人沒有做過的東西，所以，才會想從德國文學中研究猶太歷史，卻自此踏上這條別人眼中的冷僻學門研究之路。
她回憶在學習意第緒語文學時，由於它包含了百分之八十五的德文語素、百分之十的斯拉夫語素及百分之五的希伯來語素，開始時花了不少時間閱讀、研究，但愈唸愈有趣，最後還要「解碼」，就好像時下暢銷書「聖經密碼」一樣，張守慧以「非常好玩」來形容。
因為目標明確，張守慧一步一腳印的完成心中的夢想，儘管在德國有不少研究猶太史和猶太語言學的專家，但她卻是至今華人學術圈中，首位研究猶太語言學的學者。
張守慧表示，在德國求學過程中，德國人對居然有東方人有興趣研究猶太歷史，感到不可思議，因此，也很熱心協助她的研究，而這也驗證她「多學一種語言，就是打開世界另一扇門」的想法。
治學嚴謹、自我要求也高是張守慧友人對她的一致評語，但張守慧了解，語言是溝通的橋樑，而每名學生的資質都不同，要對德語有興趣學習，並靈活運用在日常生活中，教學上就要有方法。
因此，對於既是學生、又是「學弟妹」的文藻人，她融合東西方教學方式，在課堂上採用「互動式」教學和同學們共同研究討論，希望能夠拉進彼此距離，增進學習效果，私底下，也和學生打成一片，隨時幫學生解決學習問題。
她在教學上的努力，可以從文藻德文系學生形容張守慧是露德樓（德文系辦公室）的「開心果」看到成果，就連農經專家、文藻外語學院校長李文瑞也對張守慧的教學和研究成果給予高度肯定。
雖然有人說，德語是世界上最難學習的語言之一，但張守慧以過來人的經驗說，如果大家都能以誠心、自動自發的態度學習，把它當成自己的朋友，主動接觸、關心，這樣，德語也會是個很簡單的學科。
張守慧還認為，如果立定志向要在學術界發展，就不要怕辛苦，有了目標，要勇敢去追夢，而女性若能發揮吃苦耐勞、細心的特質，成功的機會更大。
「讓世界看到台灣」，張守慧當初在德國求學，讓西方人看到了台灣學生努力研究學問的過程，現在，她在校園築起語言學的樂園，也希望在系主任任內，能帶領同學跨出文藻大門，並踏上德語系國家土地，展現台灣學生學習的實力。
Professor S H Chang is Yiddish specialist in Taiwan. Who knew?
2005-05-19
Central News Agency (CNA)
by CNA Reporter Mr. Liang
The new century female bravely pursues the dream series topic to report 20 "do not want to walk the traditional research route, wants to make the others has not done the thing" "many study one language, is turns on the world another leafed door", this is the present Taiwan only Judea language scholar, the literary embellishment institute of foreign languages Germany language is assistant professor concurrently 系主任 Zhang Shouhui devotes to study the deserted study gate the power. She said that, studies 1. all not painstakingly, looked oneself must learn how many. On has initiated in present some people besides English to be supposed to study when the second foreign language, individual website actually records her in Zhang Shouhui in to be expert in the German literature, the German linguistics, the Judea literature, the Judea history and 意第緒語 the literature, lets the person feel again "profound" only. In fact, a like German - follows a prescribed pattern in speech for person's mechanical impression, compares Zhang Shouhui on doing scholarly research, quite has similarly place. Since the literary embellishment German is the graduation, she is admitted to a school the Furen University Germany language department research institute, grinds two o'clock, tests the government expense to study abroad, after but still read the master's degree only then to go abroad, read for six years in Germany, attained German Trier University Germany language department doctor, and once was appointed the Trier University Germany literature and the language department teaching assistant, German Trier Catholicism 團契 "the Judea culture and Germany" research team group leader, finally returned to the alma mater literary embellishment contribution to study. Five grades live, Taiwan hemp bean person's Zhang Shouhui, silently studies German, the Judea philology, when the others regard as "is difficult" the skill that receives little attention subject to evade it for fears, she actually rigid must "master" it, from reads the German literature, then studies the Judea history again, in the study 希伯 communications goes into exile the language (意第緒語 literature), she tells Central News Agency reporter, makes the matter which oneself likes doing, the feeling is very good. The stature petite, will like the history Zhang Shouhui, confessed "timid", "is very conservative", but also Tanzania receives, only is because does not like working as "with the fart insect", wants to make the others has not done the thing, therefore, only then the meeting wants to study the Judea history from the German literature, actually from now on will tread in this others eye road of the deserted study gate research. She recollects when the study 意第緒語 literature, because it has contained 85% German language element, 10% Slavic language element and 5% hebrew element, starts when has spend many time reading, the research, but reads interesting, finally also wants "the decoding", looks like the present bestseller "the Holy Bible password" to be same, Zhang Shouhui by "is extremely amusing" described. Because the goal is clear about, Zhang Shouhui a step of footprint intentionally center dream, although has many research in Germany still Taishi and the Judea linguistics expert, but she actually is until now in the Chinese people academic circle, the first place studies the Judea linguistics scholar. Zhang Shouhui indicated, studies in the process in Germany, the German to unexpectedly has the Oriental to have the interest to study the Judea history, feels inconceivable, therefore, also very warm-heartedly assists her research, but this also confirms her "many study one language, is turns on the world another leafed door" the idea. Does scholarly research rigorously, the self- request also high is Zhang Shouhui the friend to her consistent evaluation, but Zhang Shouhui understood, the language is the communication bridge, but each student's intelligence is all different, must have the interest study to German, and the nimble utilization in the daily life, in the teaching must have the method. Therefore, regarding not only is the student, also is "study the sister-in-law" the literary embellishment person, she fuses the East and West teaching way, uses "the interaction type" in the classroom the teaching and the schoolmates studies the discussion together, hoped can 夠 pull each other distance, promotes the study effect, in secret, also becomes integrated with with the student, helps the student to solve the study problem as necessary. She in the teaching endeavor, may from the literary embellishment German be the student described Zhang Shouhui is the dew Germany building (the German is office)"the happy fruit" saw the achievement, the agriculture after the expert, literary embellishment institute of foreign languages Principal Li Wenjui also gives the high affirmation to Zhang Shouhui teaching and the research results. Although some people said, German is one of languages which in the world is most difficult to study, but Zhang Shouhui said by somebody who has been through passerby's experience, if everybody can by be sincere, the automatic spontaneous manner study, regards as it own friend, the initiative contact, the care, like this, German also can be a very simple discipline. Zhang Shouhui also believed, if decides the ambition to have to develop in the academic circles, do not have to fear laboriously, had the goal, bravely wants to pursue the dream, but female if can display bears hardships and stands hard work, the careful special characteristic, the success opportunity is bigger. "Lets the world see Taiwan", Zhang Shouhui initially studied in Germany, lets the western person see the Taiwan student has diligently studied the knowledge the process, now, she builds the linguistics in the campus the paradise, also hoped in 系主任 the duration of term, could lead the schoolmate to step the literary embellishment front door, and trod 上德 the language family country land, unfolds strength which the Taiwan student studied.
That was long, off topic, and didn't make any sense to me.
Care to explain?
My meeting also went until 10:30. As we were getting started a man who had just come from the gemarah shuir upstairs popped his head into the room where we were meeting and said "It's been three hours since my last meeting...Can I sit in?! I'll talk about anything you want as long as I can have an opinion!" It was very funny!
blessings on your shul project! (so sorry, cannot give these in chinese or yiddish1)
shul committee meetings have two huge flaws.
Too many people think they are at the meeting to get together and catch up.
Too few people think it is important to show up on time.
Air Time-
I have the same experience at work meetings!
yeah, but at a work meeting you're getting paid. At the committee meeting you are giving up your time.
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