2016-06-22

【Aiden in English】

        When vacations begin, it's so exciting, thrilling, and most of all, anticipated. Not to sound spoiled, but a month-long trip to Northern Europe doesn't appeal as much as it should. Maybe the enormity of stress has played the cause in the effort or the simple fact of how every trip starts the same way. This is why I was not excited to travel. 

        JFK Intl. The airport is located in Brooklyn of New York City, which requires a long drive from the Greater Philadelphia Area. Not only does the driver need endurance, but he also has unique expertise to navigate the twists and turns of a highly populated metropolis. Mom, as you know, has nearly no self-esteem to her driving skills. Her driving in crowded streets sounds like the end of our lives, which may just be the case if she actually drove us to NYC. If I were the president, the first law I would pass would be to ban all bad drivers from the streets. Although drunk driving is a large cause, if a bunch of drivers with my mom's skill was driving around, it would be disastrous and nobody would want to drive a car again. Therefore, to finish my rent, mom, grandma, and I car-pooled with a friend. To be fair, their family had the relatives to pick up as well. So they were fine with the extra five-hundred pounds (humans and luggage). 

        Surprisingly, our first touristic attraction was far from Europe. Flushing in Queensboro would be the first stop. There, we refilled on energy. In a small corner restaurant called Happy Food at the interception of Main St. and 40th Ave., we gorged on traditional Chinese food like fried breadsticks, beef chop suey, pig ears, and etc. Since we were with my friend's family, the destination in the town was to their choosing. This section of Flushing was considered as the second Chinatown in NYC. It certainly was a town, as the culture of China bloomed in this square mile. Some necessities, such as tech and wireless carriers, were missing. But supermarkets, restaurants, offices, parking lots, and malls all were within the range of Chinatown. Comparing it to the outskirts of Beijing, it isn't all too different. The shops and noises were similar, as well as the people. That was a major highlight since the population of the Chinese was so high, and the ratio between Asians and any other country was unbelievably unbalanced. Like Beijing, the streets sounded like an elementary school's recess. Once one person starts to shout, another needs to shout over to be heard, followed by more and more. Before you know it, the entire mile of Chinatown is screaming. Yet the most significant similarity is none of the previously named ones. And it isn't positive, either. Back in Beijing, the delicious smell of food from stands and restaurants would make my mouth water. On the flip side, the number of people produced many undeserved scents. The smoke came from the factories and cars, the trash from the ... garbage. Simply standing in a round produces the smell of sweat and claustrophobia. It seemed as if someone took a snapshot of Beijing and plopped it in the middle of Flushing. From the Chinese stores to the Chinese bulletin boards, to the beloved Chinese phrases, a full picture was formed, capturing the full experience of being in China. 

        Flushing is a great start if you can't afford to go to China. It captures the Chinese culture to the near fullness. Deep down for me, I recapture how much I want to travel, and set my sights across the Atlantic Ocean.

【红霞译文】

        每当假期来临，人们往往兴奋不已，其中最为开心的莫过于一种说不清道不明的憧憬。咱不算烧包，即使拿出一个月时间出游北欧仍觉不够过瘾，或许因为平常所受压力所致，或许归咎于每次出行都以相同的套路拉开序幕，难怪这回暑假出游并未让我喜形于色。

        肯尼迪国际机场地处纽约布鲁克林区，从我家所在的大费城地区开过去距离相当可观，期间不仅考量驾驶员克服疲倦的毅力，同时还检验司机能否在人口高度集中的繁华都市行驶自如。众所周知，妈妈除了望洋兴叹别无办法。话说回来，一旦劳她大驾亲自出征纽约，恐怕我们全家性命危在旦夕。假如我当总统，首先实施的法规便是禁止任何车技拙劣的司机上路，酒驾固然可怕，但像妈妈半吊子驾驶水平的车手同样危险重重，想必人们情愿囚在家里闭门不出。这下可好，我和外婆及妈妈只能搭乘朋友的顺风车，幸亏哥们一家要去机场迎接亲人，因此毫不介意再驮上五百磅（人和行李）。

        出人意料的是，我们出游欧洲的第一个景点竟然远离欧洲，位于皇后区的法拉盛反倒成为整个路线的起点，大家到此驻足无非为了补充能源以便保持精力旺盛。在缅街与四十大道交口处有一家小饭店名叫“大口福”，我们随手买些诸如油条、牛杂碎、猪耳朵等传统中餐食品饱餐一顿，此次我们随朋友出行，该目的地完全由朋友定夺。这一地段号称纽约第二个中国城，小城气氛浓郁，方圆一里地内外到处洋溢着中国气息，经销高科技无线电产品的商贾不多，但超市、餐馆、办公楼、停车场和购物中心比比皆是。与北京郊区相比，彼此不分上下；就店铺摆设嘈杂程度人物形象而言两地也无区别。因为华人云集，华人与亚裔及其他族裔的人口比例相差悬殊，彰显当地特色。如同北京一样，法拉盛街道人头涌动，很像美国小学课间休息时出现的热闹景象，但凡有一人呐喊，另外一人准保呼应，最后迸发出一股宏大的气势，没容你脑袋瓜彻底转过弯来，整条唐人街传出阵阵尖叫。其实最夺人眼目的相似之处既不是前面提到的各项元素，也不是什么好听的东西。回顾北京往事，一方面橱柜上餐厅里小吃的香味馋得我直流口水，另一方面不得不说人多味杂，来自工厂汽车的烟雾外加被称之为垃圾的赃物，而人被围困在一起，难免释放各种怪味怪味甚至形成幽闭恐惧症。若将北京街头拍摄的快照摆放到法拉盛中来，从中国商店、中国布告栏到中国乡音，一幅完整反映中国人现代生活的画面就这样被勾勒出来。

        倘若你去不了中国，那么法拉盛就是了解中国的绝好起点，它毫无保留地再现中国文化。以本人亲身经验而论，正是法拉盛才重新唤起我对旅游的向往，激发我将目光移至大西洋彼岸。