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.

【红霞译文】

        本年度以来气候忽冷忽热。追溯到二月份，我们先是饱尝几近10^oF／-12^oC严寒的考验，后又沐浴着65oF／18oC和煦的阳光；时值三、四月间初春季节，蓄势待发的柔枝嫩叶重又披上银装素裹，大自然变幻无常，令人无所适从，宾州光华中文学校想在这个节骨眼上举行运动会，对不？

        今日天公作美，非但没有下雪，相反却烈日当头，可遇不可求哟。久远的事情不扯，且拿上个礼拜为例，咱棉猴裹皮袄里三层外三层，恨不能武装到牙齿。时下大地回暖，气温冷不丁狂飙至75oF／24oC，真可谓捉弄人没商量，酷毙了。多数情况下，“阳春白日风花香”之际，紫外线威力无穷，花粉过敏更是甚嚣尘上。

        幸运的是我有先见之明，来时随身带上了一个网球，否则交换赛场所耗费的漫长等待肯定会把我们活活急死。运动会项目“全部”由民间游戏组成，诸如拔河、障碍接力、绑腿跑以及袋鼠跳。比赛在各个年级之间进行，我们班每次都赢，因此大家发挥好坏并不影响最终结果。今天主要焦点也是唯一焦点集中在拔河场地，多数美国孩子饮食过度，但眼前与我们交锋的对手却个个枯瘦如柴，过去一年中没准忍饥挨饿蛋白质摄取匮乏，所以特别引起我高度质疑，我敢说彼此之间的较量堪称天底下最为快捷的拔河，每轮比赛充其量不超过四秒钟。毋庸置疑，我的存在实属多余，因为攥在手中的绳子未经捂热就得放下。

        除此之外，我们班同学一起嬉戏打闹，扔我的网球玩别人的飞盘，忙得不亦乐乎。我们因为比赛获胜而赢得少许奖票，用这些奖票可以兑换好吃好喝的东西，真叫人开心至极。一边跟朋友来回投掷网球，一边豪饮“佳得乐”狂吃点心狠嚼薯片，日子过得像神仙一般，直到运动会过后一天，我才幡然醒悟今天竟是紫外灼伤最严重的一天。

        每隔一年，运动会日或许成为光华中文学校学生缺勤最多的一天，我本来也不想参加，但回过头来重新品味，自己反倒更加向往它所带来的快乐时光，不由得期待下一届到来，只是千万别再被晒剥皮。谈及下一届运动会，想必自己会来参加……何况以志愿者身份出现。