 "Home,
Sweet Home" is a song that I have known since I was
a student learning
English 40 years ago.
But we never had a home, much less a sweet home, until after
my
graduate studies at age 40. Our
home on the campus
of Xiamen University was primitive, without plumbing and
bathroom, but it was a home, though on rent.
In 1988, I came to the States, as
a visiting scholar at Willamette University. Two
years later, my wife joined me. Then our younger son Wei
in 1991, and our elder son Hong in 1992, just a few days
before his 21st birthday.
We bought our own home in 1993, on mortgage, yes, but our home,
sweet home it has been. (By
the way, we paid off the mortgage in 2005.)
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每到水仙花盛开的时候，家乡(福建龙海)的大街小巷，就出现了从九湖来的花农，捧着大把大把的初剪的水仙花，二三十枝花束，也就卖一毛钱。
在厦门大学读研究生的时候，我如回龙海，或有人来，总会带一二塑料袋的花来分送。有一次，当我送花到厦大建在海滨的宿舍楼，天突然昏暗了下来，一个个窗户突然亮起了灯光。我于是深深地思念起还寄住在龙海一中校舍的妻儿，也多么希望，我也将有一个属于自己的家，和温馨的灯光
......
研究生毕业留校后，我们果然有了自己的家，是在芙蓉三的两个筒房，虽然简陋，却出入方便。在人气旺的时候，我们两间房曾住了七个人。
1988年，我来美进修，在威拉姆特大学。两年后妻子来了，再过两年，两个孩子也都来了。1993年，我们搬进了自己的房子。分期贷款是三十年，但这是自己的家，真正的家园。(房屋贷款也终于提早在2005年付清。)
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