Ema的部落格

有天在FB上看到一則台灣同鄉會的活動訊息，既然是可以開放給非會員、新朋友參加，我急忙問Spring我們要不要去湊熱鬧，雖然我們是在此旅行，但旅行的時間也夠長，認識一下這裡的台灣同胞們，多多了解這裡的生活也是一件有趣的事。幸好Spring立刻首肯，所以我趕緊記下日期，並把地址發給Spring存檔。

活動當天我們大約10:50便從租屋處出發，雖然路程只要30分鐘，但我們怕遲到。到了會場，看到國旗掛在屋旁，立刻有了親切感。看到有人還正在屋子前割草，後來才知道原來是會長大人，會長笑說自己是校長兼撞鐘的！

直接進到後院，場地已經佈置好了，掛了布條。已有前輩在烤台式香腸，我不好意思拍那些香腸，因為用冷凍的香腸直接烤，所以容易烤得有點太焦了，我是初來乍到，又不諳場地，所以也不好意思開口說要幫忙，只是默默地在一旁觀看。

很快就有人過來聊天，大家都很自然、很熱情。先是認識一位台北來的葛先生，他夏天來半年住卡加利，冬天半年住台北，跟我們最初想要的規劃非常雷同，所以就和他聊得很起勁，請教很多問題。

接著又有不同的新朋友，有作建築裝修、有作會計、有賣茶飲等等，大家的經驗都很精彩，讓我們學習很多。談得不過癮，還互相加了連絡方式，以利未來有問題還可以繼續請教和參加他們的活動。

後來又認識前任會長，向她請教為什麼在卡加利的同鄉會有自己的會所，她解釋說早期他們因為透過Casino的社福活動志工活動，每年都存了一些前，存夠了一筆錢足夠支付首付時，買便下了這棟房子。一個社團，總是要有熱心人士的張羅和參與，今天除了看到一些前輩外，也看新一代的年輕人一起出力協助活動。

活動接近尾聲時，開始拍賣今天剩餘的物資，拍賣所得作為會費。於是Spring買下一隻Costco的烤雞，原來只向我們收8元，但Spring直接給10，就作為幫忙活動費用。

這場號稱烤肉的活動，其實也不怎麼烤肉，只有烤了香腸，主食是熱狗麵包，但吃決不是大家的重點，重點是大家的參與和聯誼，我們能有幸恭逢其盛，又認識一些新朋友，讓我們在這個舉目無親的城巿，過了一個快樂又難忘的烤肉Party。

Calgary Taiwanese Canadian Association BBQ

One day, I saw a notice on Facebook about an event organized by the Calgary Taiwanese Canadian Association. Since it was open to non-members and new friends, I quickly asked Spring if we should join in for some fun. Even though we were traveling here, our trip had been quite long, and getting to know the local Taiwanese community and understanding their way of life sounded like an interesting idea. Luckily, Spring agreed immediately, so I noted down the date and sent the address to Spring for safekeeping.

On the day of the event, we left our rental place at around 10:50. The venue was only 30 minutes away, but we wanted to make sure we wouldn't be late. When we arrived, we saw the Taiwanese flag hanging by the house, which immediately made us feel welcomed. Someone was even mowing the lawn in front of the house, and later we found out it was the association's president, who jokingly referred to themselves as the principal and bell-ringer!

We walked straight into the backyard, where a senior member was grilling Taiwanese-style sausages. I felt a bit shy about taking photos of the sausages since they were grilling frozen ones directly, which made them a bit too charred. As newcomers and not familiar with the setup, I didn't want to ask if I could help either, so I quietly observed from the side.

Soon, people came over to chat, and everyone was very natural and warm. We first got to know Mr. Ge, who came from Taipei and spent half a year living in Calgary during summer and the other half in Taipei during winter. His plans were surprisingly similar to what we had initially thought of, so we had a great time chatting and asking him lots of questions.

Then we met other new friends with different backgrounds: some was in construction and renovation, other in accounting, and some was selling bubble tea and more. Everyone had fascinating experiences, and we learned a lot from them. Since we didn't want the conversations to end, we exchanged contact information to stay in touch and continue learning from them or join their future activities.

Later, we also got to know the former president and asked her why the Calgary Taiwanese Canadian Association had its own clubhouse. She explained that in the early days, they volunteered for charity activities at the casino, and each year they saved some money from those events. When they had enough to cover the down payment, they bought the clubhouse. A community always relies on enthusiastic individuals to organize and participate, and today, we could see not only the older generation but also young people working together to make the event a success.

As the event neared its end, they started auctioning off the remaining items to collect membership fees. Spring bought a roasted chicken from Costco and was only asked for 8 dollars, but Spring gave 10 as a contribution to the event.

Although this event was billed as a BBQ, there wasn't much grilling of meat. We only had sausages, and the main dish was hot dog buns. However, the focus was not on the food but on the camaraderie and participation of everyone. We were fortunate to be part of this gathering, and we made some new friends, turning this BBQ into a joyful and unforgettable party in this city where we initially had no acquaintances.