作者：Amy?Vemon
翻譯：潘澤彬
校對：Zuzana、Joanne
?My name is Amy Vernon and I am from the U.S., although I was born overseas. I have been working as an English and kindergarten teacher for two years, but my degree is in Social Work and French. I have lived in China for two and a half years, always in Pudong, Shanghai.
我叫 Amy Vernon，是美國人，但不在美國出生。我已經(jīng)做了兩年的幼兒園英語老師，但我的專業(yè)是社會工作和法語。我在中國生活了兩年半，一直住在上海浦東。
How does a place become home? How did Shanghai become a friend to me, instead of a stranger? For me it is in the scents and the seasons of this place, in the songs of karaoke in the park and birds in the trees, and most of all in the people and in the flowers whose familiar faces radiate the vibrancy of life.
如何在一個地方找到家的感覺？上海如何成為我的朋友，而不是別人的朋友？答案就在于上海的芬芳和四季變換中，在于公園卡拉 OK 的歌聲中，在于樹上的鳥兒中，最重要的是，在于這里的人們和鮮花中，他們熟悉的面孔散發(fā)著生命的活力。
It is amazing to me that in this bustling metropolis it is the parks and the trees, the birds and the bees, and strangers doing tai qi in parks, that have transformed this beautiful city into a familiar friend. In autumn in Shanghai the osmanthus flowers burst out like tiny little golden stars and grandmothers gather their radiant sweetness to turn into teas. In winter violet and yellow pansies are planted throughout the city – waving gently by metro stations, malls, and more. In spring the plum blossoms spell the coming end of winter and the pure sweetness of pink, white, red, and green blossoms pierce through the lingering cold, calling forth the “people mountain, people sea” to gaze at their beauty. In March the magnolias shine brilliantly pink and white, each tree an entire constellation of unfolding stars – the flower of Shanghai blazing bright. In April and May the peonies are spreading joy, even making it into group buys during lockdown, the national flower of China sharing its beauty with all.
雖然上海這座大都市熙熙攘攘，但是公園和樹木，鳥兒和蜜蜂，還有在公園里打太極的陌生人，這一切讓這座美麗的城市變成了我的老熟人。上海的秋天，綻放的桂花像小小的金星，奶奶們把清香的桂花采擷成茶。冬天，紫羅蘭和黃色的三色堇遍布整座城市——在地鐵站、商場等地方輕輕搖曳。春天，梅花預(yù)示著冬末，粉的、白的、紅的、綠的花朵穿透了纏綿的寒冷，召喚著“人山人?！眮硇蕾p它們的美。三月里，白玉蘭閃耀著粉色和白色的光影，每棵樹都是一簇光芒四射的星星——上海市花奪目亮眼。四五月，牡丹花為人們帶來歡樂，封控期間甚至有人團(tuán)購牡丹花，與大家共賞國花的美。
In China I have encountered a deeper knowledge and awareness of plants, even in the heart of the concrete jungle that is Shanghai. Mugwort and calamus are hung outside doors during Dragon Boat Festival to help keep insects away, small children are taught that willow trees putting out leaves help mark the beginning of spring, in summer bayberries are gathered from trees that line the sidewalk – treasured for their juicy sweetness. I have been taught that soapberries can be gathered to help wash clothes, that red date and ginger tea will soothe stomach cramps, and that fruits are always a good gift to grace someone with.?
即便我身處上海這個鋼筋混凝土叢林，也對植物有了更深刻的認(rèn)識。端午節(jié)，門上會掛艾蒿和菖蒲，以防蚊蟲；孩子們從小就知道，柳樹抽新芽，標(biāo)志著春天的到來；夏天人們采摘人行道兩旁的楊梅——甜蜜多汁，如獲至寶。我學(xué)會了許多“生活小竅門”，比如可以采集無患子用來洗衣服，紅棗和姜茶可以緩解胃痙攣，探望時送水果總是一個很好的選擇。
When I think of China I think of roasting sweet potatoes on cold days, when the leaves of the London Plane trees that line the French Concession have fallen to the ground. I think of green tea leaves swimming in hot water, carried around by every taxi driver and bao an I’ve ever met, not to mention the old grandmothers dancing to Michael Jackson and sporting matching outfits in the park. I think of the giant blooms of Southern Magnolia that unfurl in summer and watching a grandpa, with his shirt rolled up to show his belly, meandering over to inhale the fragrance of summer. I think of strawberry picking in greenhouses, of people snacking on tomatoes like they are apples, and of how one of the first words I learned in Chinese was 金魚草 – “goldfish grass,” aka snapdragons.
提到中國，我會想起寒風(fēng)中熱氣騰騰的烤紅薯，想起法租界兩旁滿地的法國梧桐落葉；我會想起在熱水中翻滾游動的綠茶，我遇到的每一位出租車司機和保安，還有公園里穿著運動服，跟著邁克爾·杰克遜跳舞的老奶奶；我會想起夏天盛開的廣玉蘭，看著爺爺卷起襯衫露出肚皮，悠閑漫步，呼吸著夏天的芬芳；我會想到在大棚采摘草莓，人們把西紅柿當(dāng)蘋果吃，想到我學(xué)會的第一個中文詞語是“金魚草”。
All of this condenses into one place in my mind – Century Park. When I first visited China years ago I loved Century Park, and over these two years in Shanghai it has become a haunt of mine. ?I have soaked up the sweetness of plum blossoms in a sea of strangers, celebrated my birthday among the magnolias, collected golden ginkgo leaves for my students to turn into crafts, and basked in the beauty of each season. I have marveled at cultural differences – such as when I saw a lady pluck one of the ducks right out of the reeds or when I learned that people bring full suitcases of clothing and cats on leashes to do amateur photoshoots in the park. I have connected with people – chatting with local photographers about the plum blossoms, laughing with my own dear friends as we sit on the rocks or on a bench together, or sitting alone among the trees at night and listening to the cicadas sing their hearts out on a warm summer evening. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Shanghai will evolve, that people will come and go, and that new skyscrapers will pierce the sky. I trust that throughout the change, however, that blackbirds will still scallop the soft blue spring sky and lotus flowers will still float under the summer sun, so that the home I’ve found in Shanghai will always be here.
上海的每一個片段都在我腦海中匯聚成一個地方——世紀(jì)公園。幾年前我第一次來中國的時候，就愛上了世紀(jì)公園。在上海的兩年里，我經(jīng)常去世紀(jì)公園。在陌生的人海中，我沉浸于梅花的芬芳，在木蘭叢中，我慶祝了自己的生日，收集了金色的銀杏葉，讓學(xué)生們做成藝術(shù)品，享受著每一個季節(jié)的美麗。我曾訝異于文化差異——比如，我看到一個女人在蘆葦叢中給一只鴨子拔毛，還有人帶著裝滿衣服的行李箱，拉著貓在公園里做業(yè)余攝影。我也會和這里的人們打交道——和當(dāng)?shù)氐臄z影師聊梅花，和好朋友一起坐在石頭或長椅上大笑，或者在一個溫暖的夏夜獨自坐在樹下，聽著蟬的心曲。毫無疑問，上海會不斷發(fā)展，人來人往，熙熙攘攘，新建的摩天大樓將高聳入云。但我相信，在巨變中，畫眉依然會扇動春天的蔚藍(lán)天空，荷花依然會在夏日的陽光下?lián)u曳生姿。上海，我在中國的家，也會永遠(yuǎn)存在。
Thank you Shanghai for welcoming me. Thank you to all the Chinese friends I have made here for bringing me fruit when I had surgery, for teaching me about Dragon Boat Festival, for buying me peonies, and for gifting me with your presence. Thank you to each person in my life in Shanghai for filling this season with your own sweet fragrance of personality. Thank you to the birds, the trees, the flowers, and the seasons of Shanghai for sharing your gifts with me. To quote one of my favorite books: “Dear old world, you are very lovely, and I am glad to be alive in you.”
感謝上海敞開懷抱歡迎我。感謝我在這里結(jié)交的所有中國朋友，感謝你們在我做手術(shù)住院時送我水果，感謝你們給我講端午節(jié)的知識，感謝你們送給我的牡丹，感謝你們進(jìn)入我的生活。感謝我在上海生活中遇到的每一個人，讓這個季節(jié)充滿了人性的甜蜜芬芳。感謝上海的花草樹木、鳥獸和四季，感謝你們饋贈給我的一切。就像我最喜歡的一本書上所說：“世界啊，我的老朋友，你真的很可愛，我很高興與你共存?！?/strong>
I’ve lived in many places, but I still consider my hometown to be Fort Collins, Colorado, in the U.S. It is a university town and as such is full of international and domestic students. It is known for bike paths, Horsetooth reservoir, an overly abundant goose population, breweries, blue skies, and great hiking. My university in Fort Collins?is known for its strong agriculture program, its flower gardens, and for a place called The Oval?which is full of shady trees. Colorado is famous for skiing, hiking, Olympic training centers, golden aspen trees, and the Rocky Mountains.
我住過許多地方，但仍然認(rèn)為我的家鄉(xiāng)是美國科羅拉多州的柯林斯堡。這是一個大學(xué)城，擠滿了國內(nèi)外的學(xué)生。那里擁有著名的自行車道、馬齒水庫、龐大的鵝群、啤酒廠、藍(lán)天和徒步旅行圣地。我就讀的科羅拉多州立大學(xué)以優(yōu)秀的農(nóng)業(yè)項目、花園和一個被稱為“The Oval”的地方而聞名，綠樹成蔭。科羅拉多以滑雪運動、徒步旅行、奧林匹克訓(xùn)練中心、金色的白楊樹和落基山脈而聞名遐邇。
轉(zhuǎn)載請注明：《我在中國的家》
