想當年．昂山素姬的一席話

 

英國以往容許碩士或博士畢業生，可以申請為期兩年的Post-Study Visa，讓他們在可以英國找工作，但保守黨政府取消了這項政策，好讓就業機會留給英國人。

當年認識的倫敦書友當中，除了因為男／女朋友在香港那些，大部分人都想留在倫敦生活，不太想回香港，總是因為一些夢想、一些理想希望實現，你才會山長水遠、花數十萬元去英國流學。我們太愛倫敦的生活了，全世界最美的建築、最精明的腦筋、最好的博物館、最濃的文化氣息都在這裡，住在這裡一段時間，再無知的人也會沾染點學養。

我忘記我有沒有寫過這些了。曾幾何時，我也很希望在英國找到工作，留在英國生活，可惜英國不太需要我的技能，最多只找到一些臨時工、散工找到，例如醫院做中文翻譯、去牛津大學做監考、幫City of London政府接待內地記者，更新中文網站。

City of London（中文叫倫敦金融城）的總部Guildhall，位於倫敦的Bank，我從未打過中環的工，但倒有機會越級升呢，穿西裝與倫敦金融界的人逼地鐵去Bank、去Guildhall上班，感覺還是相當不錯。City of London是世界的經濟中心，競爭來自全世界，在這裡返工也算一項成就，儘管只是一分臨時工。

後來收到中文大學通知，請我回去做兼職教師後，我知道我下半生，恐怕也不會再有機會在英國工作、在英國長時間生活了，但總算是找到新出路，始終人生有不同的階段。

認識在倫敦讀書的朋友當中，礙於運氣、礙於機會，十居其八都難逃回家的「宿命」，總有些少不甘心，他們都有一點才能，一點勇氣，押了時間、花了金錢，但始終無法改變下半生的命運，闗係、際遇比能力更重。友人P去年在英國修讀MA畢業，今年初趕上了尾班車申請了最後一屆的Post Study Visa，他也無法突破「宿命」，試了半年後還是決定放棄在倫敦發展，年底回香港。

可以留下的大多是專業人士、商管人材，因為他們去到那裡都吃香，一般人要逃離「宿命」，的確要鋼一般的意志及破釜沈舟、永遠不要回香港的決心。

例如從事文化工作的朋友Q，先是申請一年working holiday，然後有請獎學金讀書，再加兩年post study visa，用盡所有方法留在英國，她幾乎所有工也做過，劇團、翻譯、唐人街士多收銀．．．努力賺錢吊命交租。Q去年抽中綠卡，得到美國的居留權，去年底已搬到美國洛杉磯。

我認識的人之中，經常說要移民的人不少，但坐言起身入表抽綠卡的只有Q，她成功是應該的。

留不下，也不必太傷感，可以在英國讀書和生活已經很幸福了，夢想或許實現不了，但我們也不是空手而回，帶走的是點滴回憶，令我們回味一生。今年六月底，昂山素姬回牛津大學取榮譽學位，只有在英國讀書和生活的我們，才會更明白昂山說的是甚麼：

Today, many strands of my life have come together. The years that I spent as a student at St Hugh’s; the years I spent in Park Town as a wife and mother; the years I spent under house arrest - when my university, the University of Oxford, stood up and spoke up for me.

During the most difficult years I was upheld by memories of Oxford. These were among the most important inner resources that helped me to cope with all the challenges I had to face.

The memories were in fact very simple ones. Some are days like these, when I went on the Cherwell with friends in a punt, or sat reading on the lawn at St Hugh’s, or in the library - not looking at a book, but out of the windows.

But these were very precious memories – because I had lived a happy life. And this made me understand so much better the young people of Burma – who wanted to live a happy life and who had never been given an opportunity to lead one.

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The most important thing for me about Oxford was not what I learnt there in terms of set texts and set books we had to read, but in terms of a respect for the best in human civilisation.

And the best in human civilisation comes from all parts of the world. It is not limited to Oxford; it is not limited to Burma; it is not limited to any other country. But the fact that in Oxford I had learned to respect all that is the best in human civilisation helped me to cope with what was not quite the best.