2014-11-08

【Aiden in English】

        I never have given the future much thought and I just let it happen. Yet today, when Dad took me to the Princeton University, I began thinking about what I would become in ten years. Where will I be in my future?

        Well, Dad showed me one of the many places I can be when I grow up. Princeton Univ. seems around the corner near home at the same time. 

        Before going to Princeton, the closest thing I know is a castle is at Six Flags. But the word "castle" is basically the definition of Princeton. The hour-drive-away school, first of all, was huge. Most buildings looked old and had the medieval kind of facades. Each seemed just to resemble another. They were all smaller than I'd imagined, but spectacular nevertheless. The campus even felt like a public park at one point because many people came to stroll inside, whether for fun or to experience, I don't know for sure. As Dad and I continued to walk around, taking pictures and inspecting architecture, I began seeing modern designs too. There was a glass building near the main entrance, which stood out like a sore thumb. It's like seeing a gorilla in the Arctic. In case you didn't know, gorillas don't live in the Arctic. That's how weird it was. After hanging in around the colonial type of buildings, seeing al glass building was so alien.

        Princeton is just so full of surprises, not to mention the squirrels. They were everywhere. No matter where I turned, a squirrel was at sight, either nibbling on a nut or climbing a tree. They also looked like students here.

        To really think about it, Princeton Univ. does have a nice atmosphere. However, it sounds too far into the future to me. For now, I'll just stick to my middle school back to my hometown in PA.

【紅霞譯文】

        我從未花費心思考慮過自己的未來，不過今天跟着爸爸去普林斯頓大學轉悠時，我才開始意識到十年後所面臨的選擇，將來我在哪裡﹖

        沒錯，爸爸就是想讓我了解一下等自己長大以後可能要去的地方，況且普林斯頓大學近在眼前。
        去普林斯頓之前，我腦海里閃現出“六面旗”遊樂園的城堡，“城堡”一詞的確可以涵蓋普林斯頓校園景象。首先，離家僅有個把小時路程的大學幅員遼闊，多數建築物看上去歷久彌新，正面頗具中世紀古韻，樓與樓之間的建築風格相差無幾，雖比我想像的要小，但卻蔚為壯觀。校園又像一座公園，吸引不少遊人停留駐步，休閒也好，參觀也罷，無論怎樣都十分愜意。我們轉來轉去，拍拍相片，看看建築，同時還注意到夾雜的當代設計標記。一棟離校門不遠的玻璃樓傲然屹立，顯得稀奇古怪，如同在北極邂逅大猩猩。如果你不明白我的意思，讓我直說吧，大猩猩從不來北極生活。因此，在層出不窮的古典殖民式建築群里，冷不丁冒出一個玻璃樓外來貨，令人感覺怪兮兮的。

        當然，普林斯頓到處充滿驚喜博人眼球，且不忙夸那裡的松鼠。說起松鼠，真可謂無所不在，我走到哪都能看到它們不是嗑堅果吃，就是樹上樹下竄來竄去，松鼠儼然也是普大學生中的一員。

        仔細想一想，普林斯頓大學環境確實不錯。不過對我而言，目前考慮若干年以後的事為時尚早，不如回到賓州老家好好把握自己初中時代的大好年華。