文/圖 蘇彩菁
初抵紐約，非常震撼和好奇，紐約種族、文化、語言的多元化。渴望探索不同的文化特色，但又覺得有些茫然，不知如何溶入這種族大溶爐。這時朋友推薦了皇后美術館（皇后博物館的前身）新紐約客課程。驚訝課程範圍很廣，有繪畫、攝影、網路設計、電腦、藝術等等…並以不同語言授課。剛開始有些害怕，就先報名了以中文教學的課程，環境較熟悉後，亦加入英文授課課程，認識來自世界各地，不同文化的同學，有南美州秘魯、有中美的墨西哥、波多黎各、也有東方的孟買加等。課堂上大家分享著自己家鄉的故事、食物。進而瞭解及欣賞其他文化的差異。新紐約客課程，正如一扇門，引領我暸解進而欣賞其他種族、文化。使我的世界多彩多姿。
其中對我影響最深的是紀實攝影課程。老師教導我們如何用鏡頭來敍述故事。我嘗試拍攝了我所住社區的故事，發掘了其中的樂趣，進而走上了攝影的路程。接著我們幾個學員組織了攝影班，每隔週上課，繼續接受老師的指導。一路走來，已有六年。其間我拍攝了三位患有第一型糖尿病的小朋友，前後四年，記錄他們如何與疾病奮戰的過程。更希望喚起大眾對他們暸解及公平對待。我亦用我的鏡頭，來記錄紐約的節慶活動，如冬泳，地鐵無褲日，同志大遊行，波多黎各遊行，反映紐約的多元化，及其迷人之處。
我從初抵紐約時的文化震撼，茫然不知所措，到如今享受著紐約的文化大熔爐的多彩多姿。我自詡是紐約客。今後我期望用我的鏡頭，更深入紐約，走向不同族裔，來展示紐約豐富多彩多姿的多元文化。也希望用鏡頭為弱勢族群團體發聲，使我們的社區更美好。
Essey /pictures by Tsae Jiaug Su
As a new arrival in New York, it was very shocking and curious. New York race, culture, language diversity. I was eager to explore different cultural characteristics, but I felt a little dazed, I did not know where to start. At that time, a friend recommended the New New Yorkers program at the Queens Art Museum (the former Queens Museum). Surprisingly, courses ranging from painting, photography, web design, computers, art, etc., are taught in different languages. At first, I was afraid of it. I first enrolled in a Chinese-speaking course. After I was familiar with the environment, I also joined the English language course. I learned about students from all over the world and from different cultures. There is Peru in South America, Mexico in Central America, Puerto Rico, and Bengal from Asia and so on. In the class, everyone shared the story of their hometown and food. We learned and appreciated the differences in other cultures. The New New Yorkers program, just like a door, led me to understand and appreciate other races and cultures. It makes my world colorful.
The most influential to me is the documentary photography course. The teacher taught us how to use the lens to tell the story. I tried to take a picture of the community I lived in, explored the fun and embarked on the journey of photography. After the course, several of our students organized a photography club and continued to receive the guidance of the teacher. It has been six years along the way. During that time, I photographed three children with type 1 diabetes and recorded the process of how they dealing with the disease for four years. I hope to arouse the public to understand and treat them fairly. I also use my lens to record New York festivals, such as subway no pants day, gay parade, Puerto Rico parade, to reflect the diversity of New York and its fascination.
I was overwhelmed by the shock of the culture when I first arrived in New York and now I enjoy the colorfulness of New York’s cultural melting pot. Today, I am even more satisfied with New Yorkers. In the future, I hope to use my lens to go deeper into New York and move towards different ethnic groups to showcase New York’s rich and diverse multiculturalism. I also hope to use the lens for a vulnerable group and group to make our community better.
