She's an assistant to a congressman

 　　The new immigrant looked down when

　　

　　flying over Toronto, Canada, and there was a big "eye" staring straight at the sky in the "sand table" of urban divisions. The two "slices" of thin, meniscus-shaped buildings slowly split open from east to west like eyelids. This unconventional landmark building is the heart of the city, with the city government in the two eyelids and the city council in the eyeballs. Torontonians are willing to accept the argument that our elected government is always under the scrutiny of our taxpayers, whether those departments are splitting, fighting, urging and holding each other back.

　　Democracy and openness have narrowed the distance between rights and power. The very "complex" truth is expressed in form, that is, you can visit and browse in the buildings where centralized figures and centralized departments are concentrated, and you can experience face-to-face with the members of the city council. You can say "NO" to the mayors and city councillors you may encounter at any time, and you can complain to them about troubles in front of and behind the house, inside and outside the door... The distance between you and them is so close, It's so close that it's almost a step away, so close that you can step over it and become one of them.

　　Someone has already crossed over. Guo Danqing, a new immigrant from China who immigrated to Canada, stepped into Big Eyes, joined forces with powerful figures, and became an administrative assistant to City Councillor Paula Fletcher. Of course, there are preconditions for this leap: if you have the conditions, put your energy into it, and seize the opportunity. She did it.

　　

　　Starting from "Returning to Sad Place"

　　

　　A few years ago, Guo Danqing immigrated to Toronto with her husband and son.

　　Guo Danqing stepped into the volunteer circle. She worked as a volunteer in the principal's office of her son's school. One was to enter the society, and the other was to let her six-and-a-half-year-old son, who had just come to Canada for more than a month, be in an unfamiliar environment and among the children because "my mother is here" "And feel more at ease.

　　Volunteering, she does not volunteer, as a new immigrant, she needs to earn money to support her family. When she saw a community service agency recruiting staff, she excitedly went, and it turned out to be a volunteer. The other party saw her hesitation and said to her: "If you do well, we will give you a chance." The opportunity appeared immediately - the other party suddenly noticed her wonderful background and experience: Department of Foreign Languages, Sun Yat-sen University Graduated, majored in English and French, proficient in Cantonese and Mandarin, worked as foreign affairs public relations and protocol translator for local municipal governments in Guangdong Province for 10 years, worked as an exchange program in Hartford, a sister city in the United States, and visited many government delegations A North American city... The person in charge of the interview was excited: "To tell you frankly, we have a professional job vacancy, it seems that you are in good condition. Go back and prepare, and come back for the interview in 3 days."

　　But she failed the interview. The recruited position is assistant in the volunteer service department, she does not understand volunteer responsibilities, conduct, management methods, coordination between the volunteer department and other departments...: Sorry, this is a brand new field for me. She speaks the truth. People appreciate her frankness, but they don't appreciate the blankness of her volunteer work. Opportunities flashed in a flash, and then flashed away twice, it was too teasing, like a mouse playing with a cat. The interview supervisor sent her out, patted her on the shoulder and said, "We will discuss your situation again. No matter if the interview is successful or not, we still welcome you to be a volunteer." Volunteer again, she is upset!

　　She came back and volunteered, serving as an English teacher in this community, teaching the old overseas Chinese to learn English. The old overseas Chinese liked this cheerful and smiling child, and brought her an apple today and a cake tomorrow. In the following months, opportunities came one after another. She served as the coordinator of the goodwill interview project, assistant to the director of the fundraising public relations department, and full time from part time. She had the opportunity to exchange and try in many departments within the organization, and she gained a lot, but it also made her unbearable: it was too unreasonable to change jobs as soon as she arrived in a department. I learned that I would repay the favor, so I can't always It's jumping from here to there. The friends laughed: "It's too traditional, here, you should go if you can!" She followed her friend's "cruel" advice.

　　

　　"Please consider and be my assistant."

　　

　　November 10th of that year was Toronto's election day, and the mayor, councillors and education committees were all elected on this day. The community center where Guo Danqing works is Toronto's 30th district, where 8 candidates are running for city council.

　　Because of his work, his personality, and his ability to "convert" fluently in multiple languages, Guo Danqing met people from all walks of life in that district, including Paula Fletcher, who is running for city council. The process of campaigning is too difficult, and the results of the campaign can be brutal at times. In order to avoid the once difficult and cruel situation, the candidates invested "hard work". They dare not ignore a single voter, and they cannot lose a single vote from all ethnic groups. So does Paula.

　　Chinatown in the East District belongs to this constituency. There are many Chinese here and a long history. It is a treasure trove of votes. Guo Danqing and Chinatown are more emotionally invested because of their "blood" relationship. She maintains close contact with the Chinese associations, overseas Chinese leaders and representatives in the district, acts as the emcee of ceremonies in various activities held by them, acts as a translator, and makes frequent appearances. When the candidate Paula came to Chinatown, she naturally needed a character like her who could "transform" randomly with her language and intelligence. The Eastern District Chinese Chamber of Commerce, which has many members and prestige, supports Paula and hopes that Guo Danqing can stand up to help Paula in the election. Paula also appreciates her very much, and has called her many times: "Would you like to join my Chinese election committee?" "Election campaign, I have no experience!" She hesitated. But the kindness is hard to resist. Besides, among the many candidates, Paula is the most popular, so she joined the "election campaign" for the first time in her life.

　　In the following two months, Guo Danqing's spare time was all planning, activities, flyers, speeches, and canvassing votes. Sometimes it was lively, sometimes deserted, and voters sometimes greeted people with smiles and sometimes hurt people... Democracy in the West It was vividly performed by the candidates and voters in the campaign.

　　The day has finally come to reveal the votes. That night, hundreds of people gathered in Paula's campaign office, staring at the screen, counting the ebb and flow of votes, their hearts beating like a plane flying through the air, bumping up and down, left and right. Paula behaved calmly than others, and repeatedly said to everyone: "No matter what the outcome is, I will thank you all from the bottom of my heart."

　　Numbers are really a wonderful thing. Simple addition and subtraction determine the universe. Paula has the most votes. In the hall, people screamed, hugged, patted their chests, beat their backs, and there were waving flags and arms everywhere. At the celebration, Paula reported a long list of names she would like to thank in the congratulations, and "Cathy (Guo Danqing's English name)" was also among them.

　　The Chinese media asked Paula, who was newly elected to the city council, in person: "How are you going to serve the many Chinese in the district?" Paula said with a smile, everyone is welcome to call her office, and you will definitely hear someone in their native Chinese language to help you out. She was hinting that there would be a Chinese assistant in her office. Who is it? Maybe Paula has a choice in mind, but no one knows.

　　The fierce election is over, Guo Danqing is still doing his own thing, however, things are happening quietly.

　　A week later, Paula threw a small gathering of brains, confidants, and personal acquaintances. Guo Danqing also received a call from Paula: "I hope you can come!" She went. That day, apparently in a shrinking circle, she was the only Chinese. Guo Danqing thanked Paula for her trust in her, and secretly realized that the newly elected city councilor might give him a chance.

　　Sure enough, Paula asked Guo Danqing to meet and made his decision: "Cathy, please think about it, can you be my assistant?" Although there were some signs, it still felt that the opportunity came so suddenly. Can such a challenge be up to the task? The fundraising and public relations work of the community service center that has just started is over? Give up the opportunity? Reluctant, after all, this is a new level, don’t you always shout about going up the stairs? Unreasonable?! Immigrants, Chinese immigrants, how many people can have such an opportunity?! There should be no hesitation. Two weeks later, Paula called again: "Are you ready?" "Yes." Guo Dan Qing answered the city councilor in the affirmative.

　　

　　As an assistant, 44 Toronto city councillors sit in 44 offices on the second floor of the

　　

　　Parliament Building.

represent their respective constituencies. After the election is the busiest time there. Those who have been re-elected are smiling and continue to plan the next step; those who are newly appointed are ambitious and busy planning with great ambitions; The operation of a democratic system turned out to be so simple and practical.

　　Paula's four assistants are senior assistants (executive assistants), administrative assistants, voter case assistants and community assistants, all of whom happen to be women, so some people jokingly call this small team "Angels" ("Paula's angels").

　　As an administrative assistant, Guo Danqing's main tasks include: arranging council affairs, resolving voter cases, and taking charge of Chinese community affairs. Councillors spend 90% of the year in various meetings, the most important of which is the city council once a month for 3 consecutive days. Arranging council affairs for councillors is quite cumbersome but extremely important, and it also directly affects the work content and political image of city councillors. Rescheduling often occurs. Meetings with companies, institutions, communities, and individuals must be taken into account. Large and small events should be attended as much as possible. Media interviews and appointments should not be delayed. The scheduling work alone keeps the administrative assistants busy. exhausted.

　　"The most difficult thing is to deal with individual cases and to appease those voters who are furious." Guo Danqing said.

　　Voters in the West will not share anything for the government like the Chinese people in the past. They are used to criticizing the "leaders" with confidence: why no one collects garbage, why there is no place to park, what should I do if the ticket is unreasonable, and the rent cannot be paid? , I am about to have a baby but have no place to live, why do I need the consent of the forestry department to cut down the trees in my backyard, and the dirty and messy neighbors affect me... They all say that Canadians are gentle and tolerant, but she didn't know it until she became a parliamentary assistant. There are a lot of people who are not so friendly because they are taxpayers and they are fighting for their post-tax rights.

　　Voters don’t know the management boundaries between departments. Guo Danqing must be clear about these boundaries. She has to classify all complaints and calls. She directly submits those involving the overall planning of the city to the councillors; Call one by one, ask about the situation, wait for the process, and receive feedback.

　　One voter called in angrily and said: "There is a bench in the park behind my house facing my window, and there are prostitutes and drug addicts sitting there, and I always see things I shouldn't see, and they too. I can see my home and violate my privacy. I feel very uncomfortable. Why don't you remove that bench?!" Guo Danqing immediately called the park management department, and the other party replied a day later, "The bench can be completely removed. She asked, "When?" "Tomorrow afternoon. . Called to thank him: "Thank you, I will never see those dirty things again." It's

　　natural for everyone to be happy, but what about those who can't be happy? They will definitely be "scolded", Guo Danqing was once "scolded" by voters.

　　"Those homeless people are urinating and urinating everywhere in the parks and green spaces of our community, why don't you care? Normal people will be fined by the police for doing so, why can they get away with it? What is the city councillor doing, she/he Should we take immediate action..." The roar on the other end of the phone could even be heard by the colleague next to him.

　　Everyone knows that in Toronto, homelessness is a "messy group". The mayor and city councillors have also tried their best, but with little success. Just as Li Ruihuan, who was the mayor of Tianjin at the time, once said to the director of public utilities at the office meeting: "Who cares about the messy reasons why the gas supply is insufficient, the common people know one reason, as soon as the gas is turned on, there will be flames. Son!" This remark won the whole house, and the problem of "Huo Miao'er"'s lack of firepower only had to be thought of by the chief public officer himself.

　　In such a situation where a direct answer is not easy, the only thing the assistant can do is to exercise the "right of interpretation", but also to be patient and pleasant. Guo Danqing said: "At first, I was annoyed at being scolded, but I got used to it gradually and knew how to deal with it. It's not easy for city councillors. In fact, these voters are just venting, not targeting anyone in particular, and don't have to personalize it."

　　The only Chinese in the office who have the most contact is naturally Chinese affairs. She said: "The scope of Chinese affairs is wider. Those old overseas Chinese who do not understand English know that there is a Chinese assistant in the city councillor's office, and they all feel very kind. There is no language barrier when reporting problems, and there are more things to ask for help, and it is my duty to help them solve their problems." Guo Danqing said.

　　After becoming an assistant, Guo Danqing was so busy every day that even on the way home from get off work, her cell phone kept ringing and her conversations with her were interrupted from time to time. "This job is really very busy, and I gave up many of my hobbies because of it." The

　　city councillor is elected every three years. Does she think about three years later? "I don't want to go that far for now," she said. "I am a very liberal arts person, and I pay more attention to the perception and participation of social culture. As an assistant to a city councillor, there are so many things that can be learned, and more importantly, don't you want to understand Canada? This road, recently ."

　　Guo Danqing loves to laugh, "giggling" when he laughs, it sounds very good, and it is very infectious. She speaks fast and is very talkative, showing initiative and sincerity in her speech. Such a straightforward and cheerful woman, no wonder Paula chose her.