【前言】

      對於正在美國接受教育的小學生來說，一年到底有多少寫作練習？究竟怎樣培養文字表達？一直是我十分好奇的話題。

      從一年級到四年級，每當春秋兩季開家長會的時候，我都會面對不同的老師詢問同樣的問題。顯然，我關注的既不是人人愛好的數學計算，也不是個個厭倦的語文詞彙，而是很少能從考試成績反映出來、卻極易被大家忽視的寫作能力。

      過去四年來，我發覺班主任的教學心境，決定了適齡學童的作文水平。具體地講，年紀越大的老師往往擅長啟發孩子觀察事物的好奇心，有助於調動孩子抒發情感，進一步拓展想象力，因為她們更花精力來發掘大家的學習興趣，更有心情去放飛各自的夢想，似乎與教學經驗並無太大關係。我家童少二、三年級兩屆班主任便屬於這樣的老師。相反，年紀越輕的老師不是忙於戀愛結婚，就是疲於家務纏身，一旦自己也有2～3個小不點需要照顧，最終能夠按照教學大綱指導全班差不多廿幾口子寫作，已經算是學生們莫大的造化。兒子一年級和現在四年級的老師恰好處在這個時期。

    如果有一天你像我一樣發現，即使博覽着書刊雜誌，遊歷過名川大山，體驗了五味生活，觀察到自然景象，孩子依然漫天刷漿糊，毫無厚集薄發之舉，那麼你我都不必大驚小怪，因為寫作的門徑貴在練習，只有長期堅持，才會有話可說，才能有物可寫，才使筆下生花。

      這次出遊南美四個星期，我家童少每天花少許時間練習寫作，隨時記錄所見所聞所為所感，有話則長，無話可短，盡興而寫，隨意且止。孩子一路走、一路看、一路寫、一路成長，留下不少遊記觀感、心得體會、日記報道、隨筆散文，收穫了大量課外教育所期待的珍貴記憶。

【遊記】

      Today it was my first day to explore in South America after connecting a series of the flights more than 23 hours. As soon as I stepped off the plane on Easter Island in Pacific Ocean- the Navel of the World, I knew this would be an extremely hot trip (not including Antarctica).

      今天，在經歷23小時連續轉乘飛機之後，出遊南美的第一天終於到來了。一走進位於太平洋中號稱地球肚臍的復活節島時，我立刻意識到，如若排除南極不計，這將是一趟戰高溫斗酷暑的旅行。

     When I woke to the sound of the rooster doing its morning chorus of "COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO", I surprised that breakfast time had already started in my hotel- Explora Rapa Nui. After getting dressed and putting on our shoes, we walked to the restaurant. My mom ordered well-done fried egg and she didn't like a raw yolk at all. I had an omelet with cheese, tasty ham, and fresh mushrooms. It was an excellent meal for a king.

      清晨，屋外公雞喔喔叫個不停，把我從睡夢中吵醒，才知早餐臨近。我們梳理打扮，穿好行裝，立刻趕往“拉帕•努伊探險酒店”餐廳。媽媽要來一份炸熟的荷包蛋，她一點都不喜歡吃生蛋黃；我點了奶酪火腿蘑菇煎蛋，味道鮮美得足以供奉國王。

      As I accompanied with our morning tour guides, there were no other people with us. I really thought that the tour I was taking with my mom was popular. But oh how wrong I was. No one came to join us. So at 9:30 am, we left our hotel to see the Moai in Rapa Nui National Park which had been designated as a UNESCOUNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) heritage site.

      我緊隨上午導遊其後，發現除我們之外，沒有任何人將與我們同行。本以為要去的景點非常流行，一定會有很多遊客前往，我真看走了眼。九點半鐘，我們動身朝拉帕•努伊國家公園進發，那裡因摩艾石像而引人注目，被世界科教文組織列為《世界遺產名錄》。

      Moai mean "the Living Face" in Polynesian and are the stone statues carved and shaped like human statues. Some Moai seemed to be unique and others looked like each other. I learned that about 1,000 years ago, there were different Rapa Nui tribes lived on Easter Island. Each tribe carved its respective leader differently from the rest of the tribes. There were supposed to be 15 Moai at Ahu Tongariki, the most popular spot in the world. But when I counted, it actually had 17. One was lying down and another was apart from a group of 15 Moai standing on a platform next to each other. All had some resemblance facing inland. The one standing but apart from the others had a special name called Traveler. He had a long journey to Japan in order to raise money for Moai restoration.

      摩艾在波里尼西亞語的意思是“活人臉譜”，巨人石像刻得跟現代人形一樣，只是摩艾與摩艾之間模樣有所不同。據說大約1,000年前，復活節島有很多拉帕•努伊土著部落，每個部落都有各自敬拜的酋長首領。通伽利基祭壇有15個摩艾石像，是當今世界上最神奇的雕像群。可我仔細清點過，一共有17個才對，第16個躺在地上，最後一個名叫“旅行家”的摩艾則站在遠處。後者之所以被稱作“旅行家”，是因為它曾遠渡重洋，隻身到日本遊說募集資金，為摩艾石像修復工程做出了重大貢獻。

      Back to 1250-1500 when the Rapa Nui native people still carved the Moai statues, an earthquake hit this area severely and knocked all Moai over. Since some weighed over a ton, the Rapa Nui couldn't lift them without special help. So Traveler sailed to Japan and toured the country for monetary collection. With Japanese support, 15 Moai were able to stand up into the original position. I asked the tour guide why the one lying down was not lifted up at the same time. According to his legendary explanation, the islanders had to carry them down from Quarry to their Ahu or the platform at the seaside where the Moai stood on after Moai were made. Each Moai represented an ancestor of a new king or the current king. It was believed that every Moai had its own energy. If the stone statue fell during transportation, a new one would be sculptured and the fallen one was left right there. No one touched the hard stone for a bad luck.

    追溯到公元1250至1500年間，拉帕•努伊土著部落正熱衷打造自己的摩艾石像，地震嚴重破壞了島民生活，震塌了島上所有石像。不少石像重達一噸以上，當地人根本無法讓石像重新矗立起來。於是，“旅行家”週遊日本諸地，不僅喚起了民眾對瀕危文物的廣泛關注，同時還贏得了株式會社的經濟贊助。正由於日本企業家鼎力出資，才讓15個摩艾石像再度獲得新生。我問起為什麼沒有扶起躺在地上的那個摩艾石像？導遊根據民間傳說解釋道，當島民將刻好的石像從火山採石場運往海邊“阿胡”即祭壇的過程中，一旦石像不幸倒地，人們不能將它扶起，而只能重新打造另外一個。拉帕•努伊認為，每一個首領都有自己超自然的力量，任何人都無法改變這種神威，否則定會天誅地滅。

      On the way to the beaches, we stopped by Ahu Te Pito Kura or the navel of the world where the largest Moai ever transported. It was 10 meters long and weighed over 82 tons. I followed our guide to a magnetic rock that made for a compass. It's said that this was one of the three rocks that the first king brought to Easter Island. When they came near each other, they formed a portal in another dimension totally and became the center on earth. However, the 2nd one was lost over the centuries and the 3rd one was missed in Pacific Ocean. What the fascinating story I had just heard!

      在去海濱的路上，我們路過特•皮托•.庫拉祭壇──“世界的肚臍”，看到復活節島上最大的被運出採石場的摩艾石像。它全長10米，重量超過82噸。我跟隨導遊來到一塊用作指定方向的磁石旁，聽他講述古老傳說。復活節島首位酋長曾從家鄉帶來三塊這樣的圓形石頭，當三塊岩石拼在一起，會變成地標──地球中心。遺憾的是，這是唯一倖存的岩石，另外兩塊不是幾百年前便不知去向，就是早已葬身茫茫太平洋之中。故事聽起來多麼不可思議！

      We passed by Ovahe Beach that had no sand. In winter, the strong wave sucked out sand into the ocean. In summer, it spit the sand out from the ocean. It was too early to have sand back to the shore at the moment we visited there. Pretty odd and mysterious phenomenon if you asked me. Then we headed for Anakena, the only beach suitable for swimming on Easter Island. Once we arrived, I jumped out the car and ran into turquoise shallows without a second thought. The water seemed so cold that it set my teeth shivering. I immediately popped out as fast as my tired lags would carry me to the shore. I stood gasping for breath and heaving for air. I'd rather spend all rest of my time playing in the white sand under sunshine.

      我們路過歐瓦赫海灘，這裡的沙灘隨季節的變化而變化。冬季海浪把白沙活生生地吞嗜入海，直到夏季才把捲走的白沙退還回來。我們來得時節稍早，海浪尚未來得及把全部白沙完璧歸趙，你說大自然邪乎不邪乎？接着，我們直奔復活節島唯一可以游泳的阿娜可娜海濱。車子剛剛停穩，我便迫不及待跳入藍綠色海洋之中。天哪，海水刺骨，凍得牙齒上下不停地打架，我趕緊蹦出水面，拖着疲憊的身軀，三步並作兩步逃往沙灘。我張開大口喘着氣，好半天才緩不過勁來。說真格的，我情願待在岸邊沐浴陽光。

      For lunch, I ate at the hotel. The green vegetable salad seemed so bitter that I needed to dump salt onto my tongue and washed it down with gulps of water. Other than that, everything looked good. The roasted tuna became my great favorite. With black pepper, salt and rice, it tasted delicious!

      午餐時分，我們返回酒店下榻。綠色沙拉苦不堪言，我恨不能拿起鹽罐直接往舌頭上灑，然後再用清水漱口。除此之外，一切安好。燒烤的金槍魚味道真棒，再拌上少許黑胡椒、咸鹽和米飯，噴香誘人美不勝收！

      When the time came to meet our afternoon tour guide, I noticed a big difference about the size of our group. There were four times more tourists than the one in the morning! As arrived at Rano Raraku or Quarry, my eyes widened. In front of my eyes, an enormous crater displayed with Moai along to the sides. The tour guide, a Rapa Nui native lady must have seen the look of amaze on my face. Next moment she said to me: "Let's climb that." Before knew it, I was starring with disbelief at the large hole. "Am I supposed to climb that tall edge?" I asked myself. When my mom called for me to move, I bolted toward her and ran up the steepest slope until I was out of energy. A large stone statue showed off in front. It did not draw my attention until I was shocked to hear about one particular piece of information. This rock was a Moai! It was approximately 21 meters high. However it lied down along the hill and blended in with its surroundings, which almost fooled me early on.

      轉眼功夫就到了與下午導遊會合的時候。我立馬注意到眼前遊人驟增，大概是上午的四倍。我們驅車來到拉諾•拉拉庫採石場，眼前出現的景觀叫我目瞪口呆。偌大死火山口脊背上布滿了各式各樣的摩艾石像。導遊是當地土著，一定看到我滿臉驚喜。她趁機對我說：“讓我們一切爬上去吧。”我茫然地站在原地，不知所措。“我能行嗎？”我下意識地揣度自己，一點信心也沒有。恰在這時，媽媽鼓動前行，我箭步如飛，一口氣跑過最陡峭的山坡，累得呼哧帶喘精疲力竭。身邊出現一塊巨石，沒想到這竟是全島最大的摩艾石像，身高21米，正仰面躺在半山腰亂石叢中，讓我難辨廬山真面目。

      We trekked in a small trail that led to the top of the crater and sloped down toward the center. The view turned out absolutely spectacular! There was a clear blue lake with trees around. The ground looked like red. The red soil generated  not only a lot of dust, but also helped to elevate the temperature. Here it was brutally hot. As I descended from the crater, I tripped twice, fell once, and got scratched a half dozen times. The dirt made the steep walk very easy to fall and the sharp edges of the tree branches made me very itchy.

      我們沿着相反方向徒步走過一小段山路，很快爬上火山湖正面。湖水湛藍，山林青翠，土壤火紅，出落得自然秀美！被太陽烘焦的地面塵土飛揚，不時捲起滾滾熱浪，令人倍感酷暑難熬。下火山口的時候，我差點絆倒兩回、摔跤一次、被灌木叢刮了不止半打乎。斜坡上浮塵滑得要命，讓我很難站穩腳跟；身邊樹杈末梢又特別尖利，我不得不高度警惕，否則皮膚被刺撓得奇癢無比。

       At the end of our sightseeing, each of us enjoyed cold and sweet fruit juice that the tour guide brought from our hotel. After three long droughts, I started toward the green van. Soon I returned to the hotel in no time.

      觀光結束後，導遊給我們每人送上從酒店帶來的水果飲料，清涼爽口。久旱逢甘霖，我連喝三杯，隨即登上綠色麵包車，一溜煙跑回酒店。

(二O一二年十二月十七日)