〝永遠沒有不可能,永遠不會沒時間,這個世界一直都在眼前,只要去嘗試、去碰觸、去體會,每分每秒都將充滿各種樂趣與生命力!〞

 

“Nothing is impossible. There’s no such thing as having no time. The whole world is always in front of us, and if you are willing to take a break to try and to explore, every single second will be filled with life and joy.”

 

-Janet Hsieh

 


 

Janet Hsieh 謝怡芬,是 Discovery 頻道「瘋台灣」的知名旅遊主持人。在美國德州出生長大的 Janet 自認是 ABT (American Born Taiwanese),美國出生的台灣人。Janet 在麻省理工學院雙主修西班牙文與生物,原本準備從醫的她,大學畢業後第一次來到台灣旅遊,想要藉此多了解台灣的文化和自己的背景。原本以為只是一個短期的實習,卻因此愛上了台灣這塊土地。Janet 形容自己是『專業的旅人,世界永遠的學生』,她帶著一直放在身上的『瓦力』小吊飾走過世界四十多個國家。對 Janet 來說工作,生活和旅行密不可分,旅行是生活的一部份,也是她親近一切的方式。

 

Janet Hsieh is the well-known travel host of the Fun Taiwan series on Discovery Travel and Living Channel. Born and raised in Houston, Janet thinks of herself as an "ABT", "American Born Taiwanese" - represented on the “I AM TAIWANESE AMERICAN” T-shirt she wore at her TEDxTaipei talk.  Janet double majored in biology and Spanish at MIT. Originally hoping to go to medical school and to become a doctor, she traveled to Taiwan for the first time after graduating from college, hoping to explore her roots. However, Janet’s short-term internship would turn out to be a long-term stay in Taiwan. Her enthusiasm, curiosity, and unique way of introducing places and people have been well received by audiences across Taiwan. Described as a “professional traveler and a lifelong student of the world,” Janet has brought her stuffed animal Wally with her on trips to more than forty different nations. To her - life, career, and travel are closely connected to each other. Travel is an important part of her life and is her telescope to the world.

 

 

旅行,讓我們與人更親近

 

踏過無數個國家的 Janet 也把自己的旅遊冒險經歷寫在兩本書中『 Janet 帶100支牙刷去旅行』與『愛上旅行的理由』。對於 Janet 來說,每一趟旅行的發生都會有各種不同的原因,有時是為了要休息,有時是為了要逃離,大部份時候……是獲得很多「心的能量」。

 

Travel Brings Us Closer

 

Janet wrote down her experiences and adventures in two memoirs: Traveling with 100 Toothbrushes published in 2010 and Backpack to The Future published in 2011. “Every trip happens for a different reason. Sometimes you travel to rest, sometimes you travel to escape, and most of the time… it just happens naturally. I instinctively want to seek ‘change’, and I often find ‘energy for the soul’ within the changes,” said Janet.

 

 


 

 

在『愛上旅行的理由』書中,Janet 分享了她第一次踏上南非的種種遭遇與心境。在印度洋與大西洋的交界處,Janet 試圖尋找生活的真實面,與當地人一起生活。無論是親眼目睹海豹、非洲獅子、象等野生動物,或是登上桌山看見大自然的美景,Janet 讓我們看見,世界就是一個巨大無比的教室。

 

In her book Backpack To The Future, Janet shares her first time experiences of stepping onto the African continent. At Cape Town, South Africa, where the Atlantic meets the Indian Ocean, Janet tries to find the “reality” of living life and lives with the locals. Whether it was encountering sea lions, elephants, and other wildlife animals, or climbing up the sugary slopes of Table Mountain to see the majestic view of the sea, Janet reminds us that the world truly is a huge classroom.

 

Janet 不僅分享她在旅途中的樂趣,更讓我們明白,旅行中最重要的事情就是『人』—『 我一直相信,在旅行中最大的收穫,就是「人」,只有他們,才能帶我走得更遠。』

 

Not only does she share her experiences of the trip, she also helps us understand the most important thing on any journey is the “people.” The biggest achievement during traveling is adapting to the local life and getting closer to the people living in this world – for people are the ones who bring you further on life’s long journey.

 

 

用牙刷改變世界

 

節目中總是活力十足的 Janet,在她的書『Janet 帶100支牙刷去旅行 』中分享了旅行對她的影響。十六歲時 Janet 利用暑假到了南美洲厄瓜多的小村落 Chone 當志工。在那裡她一天花兩塊美金過生活,三件衣服穿兩個月。因為當時她所在的地區爆發大規模的狂犬病,為了控制疫情,Janet 與團隊須幫當地的貓狗注射疫苗。她每天在大太陽底下工作得滿身大汗,甚至冒著有可能在注射時被咬的危險。但是村民們對他們的信任讓 Janet 很感動,更享受於這樣看似辛苦卻充實愉快的日子。

 

Chaning Lives with Toothbrushes

 

Always energetic on the screen, Janet shares how travel influences her in the book Traveling with 100 Toothbrushes. At the age of sixteen, she spent her summer volunteering as a relief worker in the small village of Chone in Ecuador – living on only two US dollars a day while switching between three sets of clothing in her two months in the village. Because there was a rabies outbreak in the area, her team had to vaccinate local cats and dogs in order to help control the spread of the disease. Even though Janet had to risk her life due to the real possibility of being bitten while conducting vaccinations, the trust and faith the villagers had in her team deeply moved her and gave her a sense of fulfillment in life.

 

在那裡,她和同伴們發現厄瓜多的小孩並不知道『刷牙』這件事情。於是她和同伴進行了公共衛生教育,刷牙教學。這樣一個舉動,不僅影響了小朋友的衛生習慣,更影響了整個村落。『牙刷事件』也讓當時十六歲的 Janet 深刻地了解到我們對週遭環境的影響力,遠超過我們的想像!

 

After finding out that the children in village did not know about the health benefits of brushing teeth, Janet and her teammates launched a public health campaign about the importance of dental hygiene. This bold move not only influenced the children, it inspired the entire village to participate in tooth brushing. This “toothbrush milestone” also taught Janet that our impact on our surroundings often exceeds our imagination.

 

 


『千萬不要覺得自己渺小或能力不夠,因而怯懦退縮,只管放手去做,之後的結果,或許會大大超出你的預期之外。』一支牙刷,其實就能改變世界!

“Never think that you are incapable or afraid of doing something, just take action and the result could be beyond your expectations.”

 

 

旅行,就是給自己轉變的機會

 

『旅行還有另一個非常迷人的地方,就是靠近生活:他人的生活與自己的生活。』在 Janet 對旅行及生活的態度中,我們也看到了她對待生命的智慧。面對生活中種種挑戰,她覺得那就像一個個『轉變』,而『轉變』本身對她而言,總是帶來了能量。

 

Travel: An Opportunity to Change

 

Travel is appealing because it allows us to be closer to our lives and the lives of others. We see Janet’s wisdom for life through her attitude towards traveling. She thinks of the challenges in life as “changes”, and change often brings her energy.

 

 

 

 

Janet 更說,『轉變』的過程就像『打嗝』一樣,『有時候一口氣順不過來,卡在喉嚨,然後突然又順了。不管是旅行還是人生,總是會有遇到轉變的『打嗝』時刻……因為我明白自己只是正在遭遇一個困境,或者是能量低落的時候。此時我的做法是告訴自己:這只是『打嗝』而已!給自己轉換思考的角度,轉換身處的空間,轉換平日太熟悉的一切,就會過去了。旅行一部份的意義,就是給自己轉變的機會。』

 

She believes the process of change is similar to that of having a hiccup: “sometimes you just can’t breath properly as if you have something stuck in your throat, and all of the suddenly it is smooth again. Whether it is traveling or going about ordinary business in life, there will be times when we encounter ‘hiccups’. If I understand that I’m only going through a difficult time, I would tell myself that this is just a hiccup. When I change my thoughts, change the space I am in, or change the things I’m so familiar with, everything will be fine. Part of the meaning of traveling is to allow myself to change.”

 

 

 

 

生活,就是一場旅行

 

Janet 時而讓我們大笑,讓我們感動。她熱情,率直,永遠對世界充滿好奇。Janet 每一天都活得很用力,堅持活出自己想要的人生。當她被問即如果可以再活一次會改變甚麼時,她說自己不會改變任何事情,因為無論是好或壞的經歷,過去的每一刻讓她成為現在的自己。選擇了就不後悔。

 

Life is Like a Journey

 

With her spunky attitude, adventurous personality, and commitment to live her life according to her beliefs, Janet makes us laugh and moves us. “If I could live life again, I would not change a thing,” says Janet. “Good or bad—even during my really low moments. In a way, those moments have made me who I am today.

 

從來沒有想過可以在一個地方停留超過一年的 Janet,卻真正的愛上了台灣並定居下來。因為旅行,讓她認識自己也認識台灣這塊孕育她父母的土地,更加珍惜朔造出我們身份與價值的文化。她說父母給她對待生命最好的建議:認真,做好自己,珍惜並感激身邊的人。

 

Even though she never thought that she could stay at the same place for more than a year, she fell in love with Taiwan and has settled here on the island. The best advice she has ever received was from her parents: “work hard, be yourself, cherish as well as be thankful to the people around you. Don’t be worried and don’t be afraid, just focus on the things you love to do at the moment because life keep us on the right path!”

 

Janet 始終覺得,生活跟旅行並不是相違背的兩件事。因為旅人在旅程中融入當地文化的過程就是慢慢學會生活,而在那學習的過程裡,又再衍生出另一段旅行。她也說我們不一定要會當地語言才能擁有很棒的旅行經驗。旅行,不一定是遠行。旅行的驚奇不會因為走過的距離太短而減少,只要轉換心情,在生活場景中,也可以是旅行!

 

Janet’s mantra is that life and travel do not contradict each other. The process of a traveler adjusting to local life is the process of learning how to live life. “You do not need to know the language to have a great experience,” says Janet. “Travel doesn’t have to be far, and the wonders of traveling do not decrease even when the distance is short. If we could change our mind, traveling could happen in our daily life!

 

 

 

 

旅行讓我們用新的角度看生活,不同地方的東西有不同的價值。在台灣,木瓜是大家常享用的水果。可是在厄瓜多,一個小女孩為了表達謝意,必須走兩小時的山路,就為了把家中最豐盛的食物—木瓜,送給 Janet。旅行,讓我們重新思考現在的生活。原來一些不起眼的事物,卻擁有不同的價值。我們怎麼能夠用數字來衡量一個小女孩送的木瓜呢?事物的價值並不是由本身價錢而定,而是來自於我們願意花多少心思,投注多少感情。

 

Travel also allows us to learn new ways of looking at life. Some of the most insignificant things are actually very valuable. We cannot put a price on everything, nor can we calculate the value of a papaya, brought by a little girl who spent two hours walking just to bring Janet her household’s most treasured food. The value of things does not depend on monetary value but on our willingness to put time and effort into it. If we are willing to let go of our prejudices and stereotypes, life will teach us so much more. The story Janet shares helps us understand the meaning of life through the act of simple living.

 

Janet 讓我們看到了更多台灣的美、世界的美、跟用力活出自己的美!我們看到了她對生命的熱愛和勇敢,我們明白了,生命,真的可以很燦爛。只要我們願意,整個世界都是我們的遊樂場!

 

As an empowering and inspirational role model, Janet has not only revealed to us the beauty of Taiwan and the world, she has also introduced Taiwan to the rest of the globe. Through her work, we see her courage, her willingness to try new things, and her love for life. Janet’s experiences remind us that life can be splendid – that if we are willing to be bold and brave, the world can be our playground and a window on self-discovery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

另外兩個 Janet 的訪談:

Two other interviews with Janet by TaiwaneseAmerican.org:

Connecting with Janet Hsieh, Host of Fun Taiwan

A Day in the Life of Janet Hsieh, Host of Fun Taiwan

 

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〉〉更多【TEDxTaipei @ Womany】

 

 

本文作者:womany 編輯部 / 藍巧紋 ChiaoWen Lan

影片來源:TEDx Taipei

圖片來源:來源來源來源

Kao, Wen-In. 聚焦360度 Janet

Tsai, Ho Chie.Connecting with Janet Hsieh, Host of Discovery's Fun Taiwan!

 

更多 TEDx Taipei 相關內容請見:http://tedxtaipei.com/