Tzu Chi University Freshmen Kindly Welcomed by Current Students

Text by Chia-Yi Lee
Translation: Steve J. Lin

The new semester has arrived, and freshmen brought bags of their belongings to Hualien. They and their parents were lovingly welcomed by TCU’s Goodwill Ambassadors at the of University housing entrance. “Welcome to come to Tzu Chi University, let us help you to move your personal belongings to the carts!”

慈濟大學新生開學了！一袋一袋家裡扛來的生活用品，新生家長們和新生帶著期待的心情搬進慈大宿舍，而讓他們最驚喜的是站在宿舍前整齊有禮貌的親善大使們和宿舍幹部熱情的迎接：「歡迎加入慈濟大學，我來幫你推車吧！」

Ninety-two percent of the freshmen are from outside Hualien. Except for a few local freshmen, most of the 831 freshmen chose to live in University housing. To help freshmen move into their new homes in Hualien, many parents traveled from Taichung, Pingtong, Taipei, and even Malaysia with the new freshmen to Hualien. Right after seeing the freshmen arrive at the housing entrance, the Goodwill Ambassadors pushed carts over and helped in unloading freshmen’s clothes, computers, comforters, etc. Mrs. Tien from Pingtong was impressed by our current students’ enthusiasm and Tzu Chi University’s warmness. This was the first time for her child to live away from home, and she expected her child to be independent, and believed that her child would be well taken care of in Tzu Chi University.

慈大新生831位除了少數幾位花蓮人外，全部住宿，而慈大學生中有九成二以上都是外地生，因此，今天新生報到，可以看到遠從台中、屏東、台北、甚至馬來西亞的家人，親自送新生搬進宿舍。衣服，電腦，棉被等等，能扛的都從家裏運過來了，在宿舍幹部的指揮下，車子一停好，親善大使就趕緊將推車推到後車廂，來自屏東的田媽媽開心的表示，學長姐很熱情，感覺到慈大校園的溫馨，孩子是第一次離家，需要獨立，相信在慈濟會被照顧得很好。

There were over 130 staffs and students who took part in welcoming the freshmen. They greeted freshmen at Hualien Railway Station, guided them to take the shuttle bus, aided them to unload and move personal belongings into University housing, and assisted with checking-in and other matters. These staffs and students borrowed 150 carts from local department stores, and assisted freshmen and their families from 9:00 a. m. till 4:00 p. m. One Goodwill Ambassador, Kai-Yun You, was very happy to assist freshmen, and she recollected the tenderness she received when she was a freshman. This day, she learned how to adjust to others’ needs through serving freshmen.

為了迎接各地的新生，慈大學務處包括親善大使、宿舍幹部、各系輔導人員超過130位工作人員，從火車站指引、專車接送、宿舍區的協助搬運、報到、注意事項叮嚀等等，同時向大賣場借了150輛推車，從早上九點到下午四點輪班服務新生和家長。親善大使游凱芸表示，可以幫助學弟妹們，覺得蠻開心的，當初也是這樣進來的，在服務的過程中，自己也可以學習到如何幫助別人。
With mom’s encouragement, a local freshman elected to stay in University housing, which is only several kilometers away from home. Chen said: “I want to learn to be independent, and try living with my peers.” Mrs. Hsu lives in Taipei and came to Hualien by car. She took photos all along the way for her child. Mrs. Hsu mentioned that her eldest child attended the University of Taipei, which is located in Taipei, and thus she didn’t need to go far. This time was different. Her child would live so far away, and she needed to learn how to let go. She also felt that TCU has a well-off campus, and she was happy that her child would study in this fine environment.

家住花蓮的陳同學，在媽媽的鼓勵下，搬進離家只有幾公里的宿舍，「要學習獨立，想要試試看自己在外面生活。」陳同學說。還有從台北開車過來的許媽媽一路拍照記錄孩子上大學的過程，許媽媽開心的表示，老大念市北師，所以沒有送孩子離家的感覺，這是第一個孩子到外地讀書，自己也在學習慢慢放手，慈大校園很舒服，很開心孩子在這樣的環境學習。

Tien is a student of Communication Studies and he is from Malaysia. Tien said, “This is my first time to live in school housing, and I am very excited.” His parents came to Taiwan with him. Malaysia is far away from Taiwan, and the next family reunion might be 2017, during Chinese New Year. His parents were asked whether they would worry about their son. His father, Mr. Tien replied with certainty, “Tzu Chi Foundation provides relief work around the world, and thus I believe in Tzu Chi’s education.”

從馬來西亞到慈大就讀傳播系田同學說：「第一次住宿，很開心。」而父母也特地陪他從馬來西亞報到，因為路程遙遠，下次見面可能就是過年，會不會擔心孩子的學校狀況，田爸爸很篤定的表示：「慈濟是在救人的，我相信慈濟的教育。」

A standard University dorm suite accommodates four students, and lights of common areas are turned off at 12 midnight. It is a good opportunity for freshmen living in University housing to learn time management and interaction with others. A Nursing sophomore Gui-Hong Ceng said that she went to bed early, and thus the lights off policy was good for her. During the lights off period, her roommates were very considerate of her. They would use desk lamps to continue their studying, or try to lower their conversation volume. She was happy for her roommates’ considerations.

慈濟大學宿舍四人套房，晚上十二點以後熄大燈，對同學來說要學習如何管理自己的時間和學習與他人相處。護理系二年級曾桂虹表示，因為自己是一個很早睡的人，因此像是12點熄大燈這樣的規定，對他很有幫助，想要看書的室友可以繼續用桌燈讀書，大家會壓低聲量不影響到想睡覺的人，室友間彼此互相體貼對方，形成一種默契，是宿舍生活最可貴的地方。