Across the Lens: Stories of You and Me Issue IV 用我的眼睛看你的世界

TABLE OF CONTENTS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF’S PREFACE CONTRIBUTORS THE STORY OF...

ALEX LEUNG EVELYN KWONG JOANNA KWOK, ZARA AND STEVEN FREDDY TRAN VOLUNTEER SHARING JOYCE LEUNG CELESTE CHEUNG NANCY FOK JOANNA KWOK EPILOGUE

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PREFACE• 序言

Joel Lam 林思雋 Editor-in-Chief

ACROSS THE LENS: STORIES OF YOU AND ME

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cross the Lens: Stories of You and Me, Issue IV, brings you inspiring stories from our community. Our youth conducted these interviews and then translated them into meaningful stories you’ll be reading. The experiences in our lives have shaped us and led us to the things that we do today. This issue features a biology major student who thought he would become a doctor, but with a few major turning points, he turned out to become a special effect animator and won an internationally recognized award in his field of work. A journalist who experienced racial discrimination in her younger life, finding it difficult to live each day. With the support and encouragement from her teacher, she found her voice and became determined to be a person who gives a voice to the voiceless while speaking the truth and advocating for her own culture. Within these two stories, resilience and perseverance are the traits that empowered them to pursue their passions. What about you? Are you 1

in the midst of pursuing your passion? Or, are you just starting to look for it? May these stories give you the courage to pursue your passion!

用我的眼睛看你的世界

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期 兩 位 故 事 主 人 翁 是「 燃 動 青 年 」的 老 朋 友，由 剛

加 入 的 成 員 主 持 採 訪 和 整 理，他 們 走 進 了 前 輩 的

過 去，看 到 了 他 們 成 長 的 足 跡，是 一 個 新 的 角 度 和 迴 響。 其 中 一 名 受 訪 者 在 大 學 時 修 讀 生 物 學，並 願 景 成 為 一 名 醫

生。經 歷 幾 個 人 生 轉 捩 點 之 後，如 今，他 從 事 電 影 製 作，是

一 名 視 覺 效 果 動 畫 師，他 的 作 品 最 近 還 獲 得 了 國 際 奬 項。 另 一 名 受 訪 者，在 少 年 時 期 因 為 自 己 的 族 裔 身 分 飽 受 欺

凌，因 而 對 華 裔 的 身 分 感 到 非 常 困 惑。幸 好，她 遇 上 一 位 明 白 她 和 幫 助 她 渡 過 困 難 時 刻 的 老 師，奠 定 了 她 今 天 投 身 記 者 行 列 的 基 礎，為 不 被 聽 見 的 聲 音 發 聲 和 讓 更 多 人 了 解

中 國 文 化。兩 個 不 同 的 故 事，一 樣 的 堅 持，以 無 比 的 毅 力 邁 向 人 生 目 標。你 正 拼 勁 追 求 自 己 的 理 想 嗎？你 正 在 蓄 勢 待 發 嗎？我 相 信 今 期 的 故 事 可 以 為 你 打 打 氣。

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CONTRIBUTORS PUBLISHER

ACROSS U-HUB

ADVISORY BOARD

NICOLE WONG, MARIA YAU

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF JOEL LAM

EDITORS GRACELYNN LAU, HOLLY DU, MELODY HO JOYCE FOK, NANCY FOK,

CREATIVE & PRODUCTION DIRECTOR JOEL LAM

LEAD DESIGNER JOANNA NG

DESIGNERS TIFFANY ORE, NICOLE WONG

GENERAL MANAGER TIFFANY ORE

MARKETING TEAM

JOEL LAM, TIFFANY ORE

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FULL TIME ANIMATOR, LIFELONG LEARNER

INTERVIEWED & WRITTEN BY Joyce Leung

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s a young child, I was always curious about how the characters and visual effects in cartoons were created. So, when I met Alex, I was excited to learn about his personal story and his experiences as an Special Effects (FX) Animator.

I began the interview with a question highlighting one of Alex’s most recent achievements: as a professional in the FX industry, he had won the Emmy award for the Netflix TV series “The Dragon Prince”.

During his undergraduate years, Alex studied biology with the goal of pursuing the field of medicine after graduation. This plan took a 180 degree turn after he joined Across U-hub as a volunteer in 2002. Alex found himself deeply resonating with the questions that reflected the organization’s core values: what is your passion and what are your dreams? Despite his biology background, these guiding questions made him realize the importance of seeking one’s passion and helped to develop his interest in seeking 4

a career within the illustration and animation industry.

However, the professional path to animation was certainly more difficult than what the public painted it out to be. For Alex, he faced three critical challenges that played an important part over the course of his journey. The first challenge came when he joined the School of Creative Arts & Animation at Seneca College after his undergraduate studies. For three consecutive years, Alex’s busy schedule consisted of many late-night work sessions, where he worked on his still-life drawings and other assignments until 3 AM and then attended his 10 AM classes the following morning.

Even after he took a summer job in Hong Kong as a lighting and texture artist, Alex was unable to find any animation-related careers when he returned to Canada. His experiences were mostly 5

limited to classical animation, which did not align with the industry’s demands at that time. As a graduate student who lacked the transferable skills that was desired by most Canadian companies, Alex was surrounded by immense feelings of frustration and uncertainty.

Despite this initial setback, Alex did not let that deter his inner flame of determination. Under his friend’s recommendation, he joined Showers of Blessing Evangelistic Ministry (SOBEM), a Chinese creative production company in Toronto, where he helped edit videos for several production projects in different countries around the world. Despite the experiences he gained in his role, Alex faced his second critical challenge at this point. Alex recalled that as he was watching Youtube videos at his desk, he suddenly started crying and asked himself, “What am I doing? Why am I here doing filming work, when I can create animations like the ones I am watching right now?”

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With lingering feelings of uncertainty, he questioned whether he was doing something he enjoyed, later realizing that the work he was doing wasn’t a genuine fit for him. “At that time, I was generally happy with my work and the relationships I held with my colleagues and the company itself. But when your innermost passion lies in something else, it’s like something that is constantly calling out to you.” Alex had now gained a bit of experience in the media industry, but it was clear that he yearned for an opportunity to learn more about another type of animation instead—3D animation that combines elements of both real life and the fantasy world.

After being in the role for six years and leaving the video production industry, Alex faced the third critical challenge: aside from navigating the lengthy job-searching process, he also feared that what he learned years ago from art school would no longer be a relevant match to the newest industry trends.

To combat this, Alex trained himself to catch up to the current industry demands by spending countless hours watching tutorials, as well as familiarizing himself with the recent design and animation software.

With all his hard work compiled into a portfolio, Alex later successfully landed a lighting artist position at a Vancouver studio. In his new role, Alex remembered that one of his mentors played an important role in helping him to overcome the complexities of learning visual effects. “In our 7

type of work, we have to learn many different types of effects all at once. This could be fire, water, meteor, or whatever the director can think of, and we would try to create them by writing out programming scripts. So, whenever I wrote any scripts that successfully worked out, my mentor taught me to record them in a notebook, so you can always go back to it for reference instead of having to memorize everything.” Not only did Alex’s mentorship experiences allow him to develop skill sets in programming and problemsolving, but he also learned to organize his newly gained knowledge using an efficient method, both of which were critical skills that have helped him succeed in the FX animation industry.

Alex’s experiences convey a very important message that is not just for students and working professionals, but also for many individuals. In a world where industry demands and expectations are constantly shifting, it is crucial that we remain adaptive to the opportunities in front of us.

Another key factor for success would be one’s ability to turn obstacles into opportunities of growth by being willing to take baby steps as a starting point. “Many challenges will continue to arise in the course of our professional paths, but it’s important that we embrace our failures and weaknesses, and use this opportunity to learn humbly from them by reflecting on our personal shortcomings, and identify ways where you can 8

integrate this transferable knowledge in the process.” As a Chinese Canadian, husband, FX artist and animator—no matter which identity he holds - Alex’s continued word of advice is to always “learn to keep learning.”

Before publishing his story, Alex sent us the good news that he was promoted to FX Lead in the next show.

Joyce Leung As I look back at Alex’s experiences, I realized that following our passions can start with taking baby steps to explore our interests and not be afraid to keep learning, regardless of the many frustrations and challenges we may face along the way—that is what makes us grow as a person in our everyday lives.

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AN UNFORGOTTEN VOICE: A REFLECTION OF OUR CHINESE CANADIAN IDENTITY

INTERVIEWED BY Fiona & Kathryn Wang WRITTEN BY Celeste Cheung

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rowing up as a Chinese youth, we are often told to stay quiet and to just conform to the environment we are living in. The guest interviewed today provides us with a different perspective.

Evelyn Kwong is a editor and journalist at the Toronto Star, as well as the co-host of the Made In podcast. She tells us of her story growing up and her personal struggles during her teenage years as a Chinese-Canadian in a non-Asian community and emphasizes the importance of having a voice, which we can all find very inspiring.

Evelyn started off by talking about her background growing up in a Cantonese single parent family in a predominantly white area. Ever since kindergarten, she had gone through many painful struggles. She was constantly bullied by her peers, and she was harassed to the point where she always felt the need to throw away her 10

homecooked Chinese lunches. Despite trying really hard to fit in at school and living in total denial of her Asian identity, she knew she was different, and went through a mental crisis including having feelings of depression. All this continued throughout her teenage years until she met her history teacher who helped her open up her mind and accept her identity. To this day, Evelyn is grateful to have met her teacher as she made a huge impact to her life.

Evelyn had a lot to prove for herself and her single parent family as she wanted to counter the views of others who looked down on them based on her brother’s academic grades. Although she was not outspoken at school, she felt that she was blessed to have the talent to excel in English class.

This was where she was able to practise her critical thinking skills which only came because of her circumstances growing up. Shortly, she developed a passion for wanting to present and talk to people about her experiences.

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Moving on to university, Evelyn enrolled in the prestigious Radio and Television Arts program at Ryerson. At that time she was one of a few Chinese students. Evelyn landed an internship at the Toronto Star in her 4th year of the program as a student reporter. After seeing the bias in how the lives of Asians were portrayed in the eyes of the predominantly white media versus her own experiences growing up, she saw that this was an opportunity for her to make a difference.

Over the years, Evelyn has developed a strong sense of initiative and learned that she needs to be proactive because opportunities would not just come to her. She encourages Chinese youth who are typically raised to be more reserved, to recognize that there is a bigger world beyond us by not just staying within our own comfortable bubble.

We should pay more attention to current events and understand what is going on in the world around us. One of the examples is recognizing the importance of initiatives such as Black Lives Matter and Stop Asian Hate and that we need to essentially work together to fight racism. Evelyn despises the fact that there is a “model minority myth” that has been developed in our system as it applies to Chinese Canadians. This is a term that portrays us as the “model” of all minorities.

“It helped the system in white culture to pull groups of people down and create a fake sense of hierarchy…and made it seem like a competition,” she said. With this also came the stereotype of our ethnic group being seen as “smart and 12

quiet,” whereas in reality we have many different perspectives and personalities. Evelyn said, “If you want people to see your individuality, the chance to shine at work, or a promotion, people need to reunderstand what Asian people are and not to see us as all the same.”

She further stated that our textbooks have significantly downplayed the Chinese-Canadians’ contribution to our Canadian history. Despite many Chinese Canadians overcoming obstacles when building the CP Railway or fighting overseas in the world wars, the coverage of their contributions is so limited. Evelyn encourages us to learn more about these histories that are not in our curriculum and to be proud of our identity, which is something she didn’t know about while growing up. She said, “None of us would be here today if it wasn’t for the other Chinese-Canadians who stood up and were not quiet, and who gave us the right to vote.”

Evelyn encouraged young people to speak out against injustices, but to do so carefully and on

Photographer: Shih-I Liu

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the right platforms. We should start by speaking to our own family and friends, then research the topic and see if others are talking about it before taking it to social media as people there will take extreme sides, which can be dangerous. Forming a narrative first would always be helpful and most importantly we need to be informed of the varying perspectives of different groups, and be confident in our views. Today, Evelyn finds pride in using her news and podcast platforms to showcase the stories of resilient Asian people and she wishes that more people can serve as an advocate of our own culture and to be proud of our roots.

Celeste Cheung Evelyn’s inspiring story carries a powerful message that we should be proud of our identity and that we could use our voice to make positive change.

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TEAM OF THREE DIFFERENT TRACKS, SAME GOAL INTERVIEWED BY Joel Lam & Tiffany Ore WRITTEN BY Natalie Ore TRANSLATED BY Karman Ho

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he outbreak of COVID-19 made 2020 a difficult year, and we were forced to put on hold many plans such as travelling, holding graduation ceremonies, and more. We made many adjustments by doing things “differently”, which became our “new normal”.

Last year, the annual Toronto Waterfront Marathon was successfully held under a “different” format. Participants could run daily throughout October to complete the race accumulatively, with the option to sign up for various distances as an individual or as a team, using an exercise app to record their running time and distance. Because the race requirements were eased, it attracted many beginner runners to participate in this sports event.

To reduce the risk of being infected with COVID-19, Joanna, who was in the early stages of her pregnancy, rarely ventured out and had worked 15

2nd from the left: Steven; 1st & 2nd from the right: Joanna & Zara

from home for over 6 months by then. During this time, she worried about her baby’s health and suffered a significant amount of stress. She was particularly nervous every time she went for a check-up. Additionally, because of public health measures, her parents were unable to come over frequently to help, and she worried that she would not be able to handle it on her own.

Joanna wanted to participate in the marathon in order to exercise more and relieve stress. Two years ago, when Joanna served as a mentor in Across’ Leadership Training Camp, she met two SHARP* students from her group, Zara and Steven.

Afterwards, the three of them participated in 2019’s 5k race together, and they planned to participate again last year. With the unexpected pandemic, they thought the race was cancelled. Luckily, the race format changed, and when Joanna shared with Zara and Steven about her wish to join, they responded eagerly right away. The three of them 16

decided to form a team and signed up to take on the challenge of this different marathon together.

Although they ran separately, they met virtually each day to share their running plans and to encourage one another. Over the month, running became their common topic, and eventually they all successfully achieved their individual targets.

Joanna felt that this different marathon format was very relaxed. Gone was the pressure of running a long distance in one occasion; instead, it was replaced by the care of her teammates. It greatly relieved her stress and helped her prepare for the birth of her baby.

Online learning was also a “new normal” under the pandemic, presenting a new challenge for highschool student Zara. When studying online, teachers were unable to simultaneously pay attention to every student’s response. Students became more passive and classes less spirited.

Lacking interaction with her classmates, Zara felt as if she was studying alone. She would often worry that she was misunderstanding the lessons and making mistakes in her homework, impacting her grades. She recognized that self-learning was especially important; without in-person classes, she took more initiative and studied harder than before.

Steven was a grade 12 highschool student during this time. Usually, after school he worked parttime in a restaurant, but because of the pandemic, 17

the restaurant stopped operating. Steven said part-time work gave him the opportunity to earn some spending money and gain work experience.

Seeing how many people faced significant financial pressure due to this pandemic, including his family, he was reminded to appreciate what he owns and to manage his finances responsibly.

During the pandemic, both Zara and Steven had limited social interactions. They often experienced a sense of loneliness, which impacted them emotionally, but they felt that compared to many others, they were the least affected. As a result, they were uncomfortable with sharing their struggles openly and found it difficult to find someone to confide in.

Zara and Steven were very thankful for their mentor Joanna’s invitation. This different marathon gave them a new experience. Even though they met online, it did not lessen the connection they shared.

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Afterwards, they learned that over 60 Across members from around the world participated in this event and successfully achieved a common goal.

They felt very excited and said this was their most memorable experience since the pandemic started.

The three individuals highlighted in this interview are among those often overlooked in this pandemic. Although they claimed that they had not been impacted significantly by the COVID-19 pandemic; in reality, they were each silently fighting a sense of loneliness and had been impacted emotionally. I believe many of us would resonate with their story. Let us be reminded to care for our loved ones and to encourage one another. *SHARP is an extracurricular program of Across U-hub. It provides a variety of activities including games, creative activities, community participation, leadership training, and more. Its goal is to help immigrant highschool students and international students to build up their self-confidence and sense of belonging, and to build a healthy support network under the guidance of mentors who walk alongside with them.

Natalie Ore I not only learned a lot from the people I have written about, but also reflect on the ways how I manage my challenge during the process of writing.

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行動，活出真我; 聯繫，保持友情 INTERVIEWED BY Joel Lam & Tiffany Ore WRITTEN BY Nancy Fok TRANSLATED BY Tiffany Jiang

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後 的 陽 光 由 窗 櫺 透 入，流 金 溢 彩，温 暖 一 室。 坐 在 AcrossU-hub一 個 舒 適 的 角 落 裏 接 受 採

訪，Freddy 第 一 句 話 就 是 ﹕「 Across 經 驗 使 我 的 處 事 能 力 和 性 格 方 面 起 了 極 大 變 化！」

無 限 回 憶 湧 上 心 頭，2 3 歲 的 FreddyTran 參 加 Across

U-hub 活 動 已 經 六 年 多 了，六 年 裏 他 學 曉 了 策 劃、後 勤 和 營 銷 活 動 等 實 用 技 能，獲 得 了 寶 貴 的 人 生 經 驗。此 外，他

還 結 識 了 許 多 對 生 命 充 滿 熱 情 的 朋 友，從 他 們 的 故 事 中 得 到 鼓 勵 和 啟 迪，建 立 了 美 好 的 友 誼，讓 他 覺 得 自 己 從 孤 立 的 網 絡 世 界 重 返 與 人 連 結 的 實 體 世 界。

新 冠 肺 炎 襲 來，學 校 和 社 交 生 活 都 轉 移 到 網 上，Freddy

發 現 自 己 每 天 在 線 上 花 了 很 多 時 間，連 參 加 A c ro s s 的

活 動 都 被 迫 停 止。他 一 方 面 感 到 失 落，另 一 方 面 又 擔 心

Across 的 運 作 和 營 運 經 費。往 年 秋 天 是 Across 舉 辦 籌 款 活 動 的 季 節，Freddy 是 學 生，經 濟 上 的 支 持 非 常 有 限， 因 此，他 年 年 都 積 極 參 加 一 年 一 度 馬 拉 松 比 賽 籌 款 支 持

Across。

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Freddy 對加拿大豐業銀行多倫多湖濱馬拉松(Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon — STWM）並 不 陌 生，他 已 經 完 成 了 幾 次 半 馬 賽 和 全 馬 賽。因 疫 情 的 原 故，2 0 2 0 年 度馬拉松從為期一天的實體活動轉變成整整一個月的在 線 活 動。Freddy 認 為 這 是 一 個 大 好 機 會，他 決 定 參 跑。

Freddy有 兩 個 目 的 ﹕ 首 先，由 於 社 交 隔 離 措 施，他 需 要 運 動 鍛 鍊 身 體，保 持 身

心 健 康。正 當 Freddy 覺 得 用 一 個 月 的 時 間 跑 全 馬 沒 有 難

度，他 發 現 主 辦 機 構 增 設 一 個 新 項 目，名 為“ TheWhole

Shebang ”類 別，將 4 2 公 里（全 馬） 、2 1 公 里（半 馬） 、1 0 公 里 和 5 公 里 組 合 起 來，合 共 7 8 公 里 的 長 跑，Freddy 二 話 不 說，立 刻 報 名 參 加 這 個 類 別 的 挑 戰，他 是 第 一 個 Across

成 員 報 名 參 加，沒 想 到 竟 然 吸 引 了 1 5 名 成 員 跟 隨 報 名，形 成 了 一 股 團 隊 的 熱 誠，讓 Freddy 興 奮 不 已。

另 一 個 目 標 就 是 為 Across 籌 款，呼 籲 朋 友 贊 助 他 參 賽，

以 支 持 Across U-hub。

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許多人向朋友甚至家人尋求贊助都感到難於啟

齒，Freddy 也 不 例 外。他 決 定 突 破 自 己，他 先 寫 了 一 篇 短 文，仔 細 描 述 他 為 甚 麼 要 跑，為 甚 麼 支 持 Across。然 後，他 花 了 兩 週 時 間，把 短 文 發 送 給 朋 友 及 家 人，並 附 加 體 貼 的

關 懷 語，用 真 情 感 動 對 方 願 意 以 金 錢 贊 助 他 跑 步。結 果 今

年 收 到 的 贊 助 遠 遠 超 過 了 往 年 的 成 績。Freddy 還 意 外 地 從 Facebook 收 到 回 覆，令 他 好 高 興。

Freddy 從 9 月 展 開 訓 練，為 1 0 月 的 馬 拉 松 做 準 備。除 了

製 定 時 間 表 以 確 保 能 完 成 整 個 賽 程，他 還 利 用 這 個 機 會， 通 過 追 踪 自 己 的 時 間 和 每 天 跑 同 一 路 線，提 升 自 己 的 跑

步 技 術，逐 步 提 高 自 己 的 跑 步 量。在 家 隔 離 了 好 幾 個 月， 這 次 他 有 規 律 地 出 外 跑 步，發 現 新 冠 瘟 疫 對 社 區 造 成 巨 大 影 響，他 路 過 很 多 商 舖 都 關 門 了，孩 子 們 在 遊 樂 區 跑 來

跑 去 的 喧 鬧 聲，鄰 居 在 後 園 同 朋 友 聚 會 的 笑 聲 全 消 失 了， 四 圍 靜 悄 悄 的。

Freddy 和 數位Across 的 參 賽 者 花 時 間 研 究 和 交 流 跑 步

須 知，包 括 營 養 食 品、熱 身 運 動、呼 吸 節 奏、步 速 協 調 等 有

關 話 題，並 建 立 了“ Running Support Facebook”在 線 項 目，每 週 六 早 上 1 0 點 彼 此 分 享 跑 步 經 驗 和 知 識。這 是

Freddy 第 一 次 在 線 主 持 分 享，他 認 為 這 是 非 常 難 得 的 經 驗。

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踏 入 1 0 月，Freddy 心 裏 有 一 個 強 烈 的 信 念 就 是「我 知 道

我 能 做 到！」 團 隊 的 士 氣 一 天 比 一 天 高，月 底 之 前，團 隊 便

已 經 共 跑 了 3 , 3 4 0 公 里。Freddy 亦 順 利 完 成 The Whole

S h e b a n g，他 感 到 很 滿 足。不 料 有 支 持 者 自 發 提 議，若

參 賽 者 願 意 多 跑，每 跑 一 公 里，就 慷 慨 捐 出 相 應 金 額。於 是，Freddy 再 多 跑 了 2 0 公 里，他 非 常 興 奮， 「我不知道我 還 能 做 到 更 多」 ，他 說。

賽 事 結 束 之 後，Freddy 寫 信 感 謝 每 一 位 支 持 者。這 次 經

驗 他 不 僅 贏 得 了 朋 友 的 支 持，也 藉 此 機 會 打 開 話 匣 子，與 多 年 的 老 朋 友 重 新 聯 繫，他 亦 學 會 了 欣 然 接 受 被 人 拒 絕。

Freddy 鼓 勵 羞 於 向 朋 友 募 捐 的 年 輕 人 將 重 點 放 在 與 朋

友 建 立 真 誠 關 係 上，體 驗 將 會 不 一 樣。 「不要急於求籌款 結 果，專 注 於 建 立 友 誼，尊 重 他 們 的 決 定，並 保 持 良 好 的 關 係，未 來 會 有 更 多 機 會 與 他 們 分 享 跑 步，和 介 紹 Across 的 機 會。」Freddy 說。

Freddy 一 心 想 支 持 一 個 對 他 有 深 遠 影 響 的 機 構，儘 管

他 的 經 濟 能 力 有 限，但 他 內 心 的 感 動 變 成 了 行 動，正 如 他

的 口 號： 「我知道我能做到」 ，他 決 心 勇 敢 實 現 他 能 力 所 23

及，能 夠 做 到 的，不 僅 自 己 感 到 滿 足，更 鼓 舞 了 他 人，大 家 團 結 起 來，眾 志 成 城，完 成 比 個 人 目 標 更 遠 大 的 共 同 目 標。

今 年 的 馬 拉 松 賽 是 一 次 非 常 令 人 滿 足 的 經 驗，也 將 是 一

段 難 忘 的 回 憶。

Nancy Fok I feel like I was given another medium to reflect on my own experiences and feelings through other people’s writings and stories.

Joanna Kwok I recognize that soliciting for donations is out of the comfort zone for many, especially young participants, but I like the positive attitude that Freddy takes. He focuses on the relationship and the message and is not afraid of rejections.

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JOYCE LEUNG VOLUNTEER SHARING

H

ard work and perseverance—for many of us, these two values are often considered as some of the key factors for success. After interviewing Alex, I learned that it is even more important to make the hard work count by persevering with a clear direction. For example, when Alex feared that his lack of knowledge in the recent design and illustration trends would prevent him from landing a job within the animation industry, he conducted extra research and practiced with several softwares to ensure that he can properly catch up, instead of continuing to apply for jobs endlessly. This process helps ensure that we can work towards our individual goals in a meaningful way, and encourages us to overcome the initial challenges with positivity and a determined heart.

While writing about Alex’s interview, I was able to relate to him about feeling uncertain of my genuine passions and how to proceed with them. However, as I look back at Alex’s experience, I realized that following our passions can start with taking baby 25

steps to explore our interests and not be afraid to keep learning, regardless of the many frustrations and challenges we may face along the way—that is what makes us grow as a person in our everyday lives.

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CELESTE CHEUNG VOLUNTEER SHARING

I

t was a pleasure to contribute to this project through writing and translating some articles in the e-publication. I’ve got to say that this was a unique opportunity where I learned a lot.

When I heard that there was help needed in translating articles, I thought to myself I’d take on this challenge and give it a try despite never officially translating written Chinese before. This role has allowed me to get a good understanding of the stories, and appreciate the perseverance that the older generation have demonstrated in coping with not only their own challenges, but in giving back to the community as well. In the translation process, I’ve also come across certain Chinese words and phrases that are relatively more difficult to find an English equivalent for. I always find these interesting as it’s sometimes reflective of what’s important in our culture. In addition, learning and writing about Evelyn’s experiences allowed me to empathize with the struggles that some Asian youth face when growing up. Her inspiring story carries a powerful message that we should be proud of our identity and that we could use our voice to make positive change.

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Overall, it was great to be involved in this meaningful project. During these challenging times, we should all stay resilient and know that every little bit helps to spread love and care to those around us.

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NANCY FOK VOLUNTEER SHARING

B

eing involved in writing an article about Freddy’s marathon experience in 2020 was enlightening. I was given the chance to step into a college-student’s shoes, which is something that is new for me. It was challenging to try to express some emotion through written words and write in narrative form. Much of my writing is business in nature, which means that it is concise and lacking in emotion. Actually, it’s important for me not to convey emotions in my writing because that could be seen as “unprofessional” or misunderstood by the reader. Secondly, a lot of the books I read are also functional and scientific. I used to read more narratives, but in the past few years, I haven’t made time to enjoy these books. I didn’t realize what I was missing until I started writing and reading others’ editorial samples. I was able to explore another genre of writing that is more expressive and nuanced in describing the human experience. I feel like I have been given another medium to reflect on my own experiences and feelings through others’ writings and stories.

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JOANNA KWOK VOLUNTEER SHARING

I

have enjoyed transcribing Freddy’s interview for the “Across the Lens” e-book. I have known Freddy since the first year he joined Across U-hub, and have seen him grow so much over the years. Since the COVID lock-down, it’s been challenging to stay in touch with everyone, and so I appreciate the opportunity to hear his marathon journey, and learn from his perspective as I have also participated in the same events, including this year’s virtual race. What I remember most from Freddy’s story is how he approaches potential donors. I recognize that soliciting for donations is out of the comfort zone for many, especially young participants. I like the positive attitude he takes.

He focuses on the relationship, the message, and is not afraid of rejections. I hope our young readers can be inspired and adopt this same attitude from his story.

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POSTSCRIPT• 後記

Nicole Wong 黃鳳玲 Across U-hub Executive Director

I

have been anticipating to witness the brilliance of our immigrants’ offspring.

They were born into a country, a community, and a culture distinct from their parents’, They may not have the resilience of their parents to uproot and rebuild, They may not have to face adversity like their parents, yet They grew up in what we saw as a privileged world, and somehow their roads are rugged.

The paths they walk are intricate and winding, Far from anything we had imagined.

The two young people interviewed in this issue are my old friends.

Watching them walking through life’s journey with strength and vigour, Each with his and her unique passage— Their life experiences, their stories, and their passions.

Talking about the secrets along their path, they both said: “Embrace your ethnicity and don’t be shy to speak up and ask questions.”

Whether you know them or not, Their stories are worth savouring over and over.

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我，

一 直 期 待 著 移 民 的 後 代 煥 發 光 芒。

生 於 一 個 與 父 母 截 然 不 同 的 國 家、社 會、文 化， 或 許，沒 有 父 母 白 手 興 家 和 離 鄉 別 井 逆 境 自 強 的 靱 力，但 是 他們

在 我 們 看 來 是 風 平 浪 靜 的 平 路 中， 翻 騰 成 長，

行 走 的 是 一 條 實 實 在 在，彎 曲 蜿 蜒 的 道 路， 一 切 不 是 我 們 所 想 的 理 所 當 然。

本 期 採 訪 的 兩 位 年 輕 主 角 是 我 的 老 朋 友， 熱 眼 旁 觀 這 兩 位 有 血 有 肉 的 人 一 路 走 來， 有著

他和她

的獨特劇本── 有 身 世， 有 故 事， 有 情 感。

談 到 披 荊 斬 棘，一 路 走 來 的 秘 訣， 他 們 都 說：

「擁 抱 你 的 種 族 背 景，不 要 羞 怯 於 發 聲 和 發 問。」 你與我

莫 論 與 他 們 相 識 與 否，

都 值 得 細 細 欣 賞，再 三 回 味 他 們 的 故 事。

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