荷蘭來的禮物 A Dutch Gift

一份意外的包裹，從荷蘭飄洋過海到跨過美國大陸又從南加輾轉北上到灣區的信箱，這是收到第二份郵寄抵達的結婚禮物。第一份讓我們沉迷，每晚像是中毒一樣玩了半年。而今這份很幸運的由南加以退租的房東幫我們redirect到新的地址，要不就要完全錯過了。

打開包裹的時候我激動的近乎有點顫抖，從包裹上的字跡我就猜著是他寄來的。楊靜靜的看著我沒有插手幫我開禮物，只是看著我雀躍不已的很努力的讀著馬克一向只有自己看得懂得筆跡。儘管偶爾還會通信，然收到一封信與一個包裹的感覺還是完全不一樣的。他在信中說送胡椒與鹽巴罐組是荷蘭人的傳統，緊接著就開始跟我分享他初為人父的喜悅，叨叨絮絮他兒子如何在一個月內早產的狀態下長到正常嬰兒的體重了。喜悅之情可見一般。

包裹中除了一對荷蘭有名的--小男孩＆小女孩的胡椒與鹽巴罐組，還有岱爾夫特Delft Blue -Delftware瓷器花樣的對杯與杯墊，真是ㄧ份荷蘭味十足的禮物；壓箱的則是馬克的博士論文，很高興我終於收到了！

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I got a parcel in the mail box after returning from the night walk with my husband on Sunday. Caught me by surprised, as I have not been ordering anything online and oddly we have just moved here so not much people would know our address. Among all, the handwriting on the parcel looks very familiar but I can't believe I would be receiving something from him.

Ran home, pick up a scissor, I carefully open it. I couldn't care less for what the gift was, and immediately pick up the letter, wrote in a working notebook. I knew it the moment when seeing the letters, it was from M, the writing which took me years and still have difficulty reading. Luckily he didn't make it too difficult for me this time, so that I didn't have to be embarrassed having trouble reading the note out in sharing with my husband.

-- Received on 2014.8.3 --

M, my bff from the low land knew my sentiment for the Netherlands and send me this full of Dutch taste --"pepper and salt set" as wedding gift. He said he meant to sent it months ago, but was caught up by his D-day and early baby surprise. In the following paragraphs, he quickly reveal his new identity as a new dad, and can't stop telling me about him. I can't imaging what it would be like if we were still working together and sharing coffee break together as we had never had the chance to have such baby talk back then. But perhaps he would talks about him just like he did when he talk about this bam STATA codes and more than a thousand words figures. When he explains his research findings to you, you can't help but being excited like he does. I felt truly blessed to have a friend like him, and especially one that accompany me through the course of research master study as well as the PhD, when passion was more important than talent.

A day after the Chinese Valentine's Day, I received my belated wedding gift from M, feeling glad that I have a friend like him.