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Written by ori
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, 12 2006 |
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It had all begun in one of the classes held by Lin, the university's Chinese teacher. It had been autumn 2001 in the first-year Chinese course, comprised of students who came to the Hebrew University in Jerusalem to study East Asian studies. The class was relatively small, 30 students or so, but Lin had immediately sensed the positive energies of the young students sitting in front of her. After making fun together of the language's awkward tones, and after an hour of studying Chinese characters, the teacher did the same thing she had done in every first-year Chinese class since 1988 (the year she had begun teaching): teach the students a Chinese song called "The Moon Represents my Love". Like all the students before them, the students instantly fell in love with the song and after hearing half of it they already began singing along with the Chinese singer and along with their teacher, whos heart was moved by her adorable students. There was a short, blissful silence after the song had ended, as if everybody needed a moment to pull their soaring minds back down and get back to studying. The teacher whispered to herself: "Perhaps I'll email you the song? But the file is too large...". A student, sitting in the back row, gently said; "We can put the song on the Internet!". The name of that student was Amotz Weiss, now a good friend of Lin!
Three or four days after the lesson Amotz sent Lin a website he had created named "The Chinese Garden". Since then, Amotz spent hours and hours with Lin, showing her a new world she had never known existed. Amotz, who was not a person of many words, often taught Lin "without speaking". Through his silence and inner peace Lin had learned from Amotz (the best teacher she had ever had) about the Internet, computer programming and website building. Every time they encountered a problem they worked long and hard, and when the problem was resolved Lin would leap with joy. Amotz, on the other hand, would remain calm, or at most would say a couple of words: "Ok, good", which would make Lin burst in laughter every time. Lin doesn't remember how many times the Garden was "down". No matter what, Amotz was always there for her throughout four years and the Garden, which had initially contained only stale exercises by Lin, had begun to bloom: among the flowers were forums, chats, personal messages, movie clips, music... Amotz, who was a brilliant student, had studied Law in addition to East Asian Studies. He was Lin's student, but from him Lin had learnt that you can teach and be taught "without words", one of the most magnificent gifts Lin could ever wish for. In 2004 Amotz completed his studies and entered another phase of his life. Without many words, he knows that Lin blesses him, whereever he is, and Lin knows he'll still be there for her when she'd need his help.
Lin had done her best to take care of the Garden without busying Amotz. When Lin had built her first site alone (in English) she had felt she had gotten the most glorious gift when Amotz said to her: "way to go!".
Right after Amotz left the university Heaven had sent another gift to Lin, a very intelligent student named Yossi Na'ar. Yossi found a better place on the Internet and they had tranferred the Garden to there. Like Amotz, he had sent Lin a complete new Garden, which was a very moving surprise. Yossi gave Lin many wonderful ideas, one of them being encouraging students to write in Chinese on the Internet. After several language lessons Yossi left, but he was there for Lin whenever she had needed his assistance.
On October 2005, when Lin had returned from her long summer break, she was devastated to find out that the Chinese Garden has bee ruined. What's worse, she forgot to back up all the stories which her former students had sent her. Lin was very sad, she felt bad for not listening to Amotz's advice, but fortunately, because of his concern, he had saved most of Lin's student's files and clips. For several days Lin was glued on to the computer. Nearing the end of her work, Lin encountered a technical problem which prevented her from returning the Garden to the Internet. Amotz was in a phase in his life in which Lin did not permit herself to disturb him, with Yossi she hasn't been in touch for half a year and didn't even know where he was. Nonetheless, Lin sent a hopeful message to Yossi which was answered immediately. In the very same day Yossi had solved the problem and the Garden was once again running. Amotz sent her the following words after seeing the new Garden: "Good makeover, way to go". Had he seen Lin leaping with joy, he probably would have said in his quiet voice: Ok, good".
Why is the site named "The Chinese Garden"? The reason for this is very simple. In Lin's eyes every student is a rare flower. Flowers grant their beauty and fragrance to whoever passes by, without asking "do you want it or not?". In their last class with her, Lin used to say to her students words which were without logic, as they come from the heart: "I'll keep loving you like I did during the three years we have spent together. Perhaps in a different way, but I will keep loving you". One of Lin's ways to love the students who have completed their studies is loving the new students - in this way Lin "keeps in touch" with all the wonderful people who had been with her in the University. Perhaps there really isn't a need to stay in touch? At least not in the ordinary sense? Do you need to keep in touch with the mysterious beauty of the moon? With the sun's heavenly light? With the flowers' generous fragrance? There connection is there whether you "keep" it or not. The Garden came about from a song of love, and as such is everybody's garden.
Love,
Lin.
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Written by ori
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, 12 2006 |
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By 2005, the Chinese Garden has already been active for five years. Hand in hand with the new academic year a new spirit came along, a spirit which turned the Israeli Chinese studies site into a place of giving, creation poetry, Chinese-related discussions, friend-making and heart-to-heart conversations. This spirit is the combined spirit of the Chinese Garden Loved Ones. The person who maintained the Garden, guarded it day and night, spent hours and hours of hard work on it, brought it back online again and again after hacking attempts, built the new Garden and passed it on to the best care before leaving for a long trip – this person’s name is Ori Maoz, and he is the Light of the Garden (the Hebrew meaning of the word "Ori" is "my light"). Ori and I met in the beginning of 2005. In his quiet and gentle voice he introduced himself to me: “My name is Ori Maoz. I’m not a formal student of the East Asian Studies department, I study sciences…” and so I began an amazing voyage of discovery, the discovery of a noble and beautiful soul. It pains me that I feel the need to mention this here, but this is the truth: our entire relation was, in fact, founded on the knowledge that we do not need anything from each other. After the first hack attempt and defecation of the Chinese Garden, on summer 2005, I had rebuilt the Garden based on very limited knowledge, resulting in an unprofessional and insecure system. I had dreams and hopes for the garden, but no means to realize them; the Garden barely managed to serve its simple purpose of handing out schoolwork. One day, Ori suggested to me a way of improving the Garden. The moment I looked into his eyes I knew, without doubt, that I can give him my unconditional trust. The very same day I had already added him to the Garden’s administrators list. Since then every day, or every few days, the Garden seemed a bit different: small changes, quietly done, without attracting my or anyone else’s attention. Ori gradually brought the Garden to a high level, both visually and in content. At the end of the first semester I had to go to China, and we had known that the Garden could not be accessed from China because of the Chinese website filters. Ori knew that the first-year students were in dire need of my assistance in preparing for their first Chinese exam. A few days before my trip, Ori explained to me that he had already done all that was necessary (paperwork, talking with the IT people, preparing the site for moving, etc’) and that we are ready to move the garden a university web hosting so I could access it when I’m from China. This was my first encounter with the way Ori worked – with a noble spirit, without telling me anything in advance. When he approached me, everything was already prepared and done. Such was when he had helped organize the annual event of the East Asian Studies department, an event consisting of hundreds of people. Such was when he moved the Garden again and again after hacking attempts, such was when he had quickly built a temporary site for the sake of students studying for their exams, such was when he had searched for a new system under which the new Garden could be built, such was when he had transferred the Garden into new hands – he always gave me a “ready-made” product, so that I could not even stop and feel bad about the Garden taking up so much of his time. How could I thank such a pure heart?! How could I hold my tears when it is my heart, not me, who is writing this account? Our journey of mutual discovery was a journal of merely several months. We had worked together on the Chinese Garden, and on events of East Asian Studies department – a department which didn’t even have Ori’s name listed in its books, as he was not an official student of the department. I had the opportunity of getting to know his noble soul and was given a friendship which I will cherish for the rest of my life. There were many times in which we did not agree with each other. Each time this happened he explained to me, in his gentle but firm voice, his opinion; an opinion which had often made me feel uncomfortable at the time but very grateful later on. Of all the things I had learned from him, the one most dear to me was what we called “loving like the sun”: appreciating each and every soul, loving each and every person, and giving everybody fair treatment. I can still hear his voice, as clear as the sun in a spotless sky: “Lin, whenever you grow close to someone, you naturally grow further away from others”. He asked of me, gently, “Lin, give your attention to everyone, not just to Ori”. As he demonstrated to me time and time again, his true happiness was based on that nobody would know his contribution to the Garden and his help to everyone. In this journey of discovery I had won a true friend, a friend for life. Whenever I was over-swamped with work he was always there for me, giving me his full support so that I could help as many people as possible. “Ori, there’s a problem”, I would say to him time and time again. “Lin, I’m here, I’ll help you”, was his reply each and every time. Ori has a crazy sense of humor. “Ori, you’ve no limits!”, I used to laugh at him, and “I have no limits!” was his reply. Despite his brilliant and logical mind, he is in as sensitive as they come. He reminded me, again and again, not to hurt other people’s feelings – not by words and not even by thoughts. I had even erased some messages which I had posted on the Garden after he had expressed his concern that my message might be “misunderstood” by some people. Ori is the person who realized my dreams of the Chinese Garden – a place without ownership, independent, a place based on freedom and love, a place for everyone. It’s not right to try and keep this brilliant light to ourselves, and for this reason we will never lose him either. I intend loving every soul “like the sun”; I believe this is the right way of thanking Ori who had, with a noble spirit and a pure heart, built us all this beautiful Garden. My dear Ori, everyone’s dear Ori, I thank you. We all thank the Light of the Garden. Lin.
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