2016-04-18

【Aiden in English】

        The temperature has been quite up and down this year. In February, we’ve experienced near ten-degree weather, then a sudden rise to the mid-sixties, but it all comes crashing back down in March and April along with a flutter of snow. The window is small, but Field Day for Guanghua Chinese School this year has to be done sometime, right?

        The day was perfect. Not only did it not snow, but there was sunshine. This really was surprising since just a week ago, parkas and jackets were still being zipped up to the nose. In fact, the temperature at one point broke 75^oF, which was awesome and “uncool”. Mostly, it was the sun, beating down powerful UV rays of doom. In addition, allergies made the day miserable.

        Luckily, I was smart enough to bring a tennis ball, or else we would’ve killed ourselves from waiting from one sport to another. Field Day is a program of “totally” original games put together, such as Tug of War, Steeplechase Relay, Three-Legged Race, and Gunny Sacks Race. It is a competition between grades. We kind of win every time, so it really doesn’t matter all that much. The main highlight, and only highlight, of the day, came at the Tug of War station. Most American kids have enough food to eat, but I highly doubt that the other team’s parents didn’t give them any food or protein for the past year. I guess I was a part of the world’s quickest Tug of War, winning each round within four seconds. Needless to say, my help wasn’t needed. There was no good reason to get rope-burn over something that was already in hand.

        Other than that, the kids of our class frolicked around, chucking my tennis ball, throwing another kid’s Frisbee. The games won us some tickets which could be handed in food and drinks, and it actually was pretty fun. I mean, lobbing a ball back and forth between friends, sipping Gatorade and eating cookies and chips. It can’t be beaten. As a matter of fact, it can, as a day later I finally realize that I received a serious case of sunburn.

        Every other year, Field Day might be the very day that most kids in Guanghua Chinese School don’t really look forward to. I didn’t look forward to this day either, but when it passed, I tinged of longing for the fun remained, wishing for another. Just without the sunburn. Yet instead of wishing to repeat the day, I feel a sense of wanting to come back next time…since I‘ll be a volunteer.

【紅霞譯文】

        本年度以來氣候忽冷忽熱。追溯到二月份，我們先是飽嘗幾近10^oF／-12^oC嚴寒的考驗，後又沐浴着65oF／18oC和煦的陽光；時值三、四月間初春季節，蓄勢待發的柔枝嫩葉重又披上銀裝素裹，大自然變幻無常，令人無所適從，賓州光華中文學校想在這個節骨眼上舉行運動會，對不？

        今日天公作美，非但沒有下雪，相反卻烈日當頭，可遇不可求喲。久遠的事情不扯，且拿上個禮拜為例，咱棉猴裹皮襖里三層外三層，恨不能武裝到牙齒。時下大地回暖，氣溫冷不丁狂飆至75oF／24oC，真可謂捉弄人沒商量，酷斃了。多數情況下，“陽春白日風花香”之際，紫外線威力無窮，花粉過敏更是甚囂塵上。

        幸運的是我有先見之明，來時隨身帶上了一個網球，否則交換賽場所耗費的漫長等待肯定會把我們活活急死。運動會項目“全部”由民間遊戲組成，諸如拔河、障礙接力、綁腿跑以及袋鼠跳。比賽在各個年級之間進行，我們班每次都贏，因此大家發揮好壞並不影響最終結果。今天主要焦點也是唯一焦點集中在拔河場地，多數美國孩子飲食過度，但眼前與我們交鋒的對手卻個個枯瘦如柴，過去一年中沒準忍飢挨餓蛋白質攝取匱乏，所以特別引起我高度質疑，我敢說彼此之間的較量堪稱天底下最為快捷的拔河，每輪比賽充其量不超過四秒鐘。毋庸置疑，我的存在實屬多餘，因為攥在手中的繩子未經捂熱就得放下。

        除此之外，我們班同學一起嬉戲打鬧，扔我的網球玩別人的飛盤，忙得不亦樂乎。我們因為比賽獲勝而贏得少許獎票，用這些獎票可以兌換好吃好喝的東西，真叫人開心至極。一邊跟朋友來回投擲網球，一邊豪飲“佳得樂”狂吃點心狠嚼薯片，日子過得像神仙一般，直到運動會過後一天，我才幡然醒悟今天竟是紫外灼傷最嚴重的一天。

        每隔一年，運動會日或許成為光華中文學校學生缺勤最多的一天，我本來也不想參加，但回過頭來重新品味，自己反倒更加嚮往它所帶來的快樂時光，不由得期待下一屆到來，只是千萬別再被曬剝皮。談及下一屆運動會，想必自己會來參加……何況以志願者身份出現。