有次,我们代表团在西安赴饺子宴,成员之一拿出了一小瓶蕃茄酱,说“this is the life saver”,我质问他从哪儿搞来的,他说是从北京渋外餐馆偷来的。后来,我发现另个成员裤袋鼓鼓的,他竟然也在北京偷了一瓶蕃茄酱:“We bet with each other to see who can swipe a bottle of the ketchup from the restaurant. Apparently he succeeded too.”
以前去过一个世界文化活动,各国侨民出示一些文物服饰等,我走呀走,看到了台湾也有个台位停下,看完摆示回头走开时,后面有个轮椅,轮椅上坐了个老头,老头正举手行军礼,也对我笑了一下,我也就回了他一个标准举手礼,老头笑着说:“I am not saluting you,I am saluting that flag of our allies in the war. We wear that flag on our jackets.”
我问他是否二战受的伤,他说不是,说他应该可以站起来行礼的,说着说着挣扎地想站起来,我说不必了,“Those more than two thousand lost Flying Tigers know we still remember them. And,thank you so much…”
高中的音乐女老师是个留美回去的,教的多是Old Black Joe那种美国民歌,考的却是钢琴的音阶,她在钢琴上咚咚两声,要我们说出是哪两个音。我跟本听不出来,补考时幸好有同学帮忙,用棒球捕手的手式,以五指当五线谱的谱线,给我打暗号,作弊下我通过了音乐考试。因为让学生们全力准备大学联考,高三没有音乐课,我终于再也不用担心被留级了。
(成长时各种考试的压力很大,大学同班顺利毕业的只有入学时的三分之一,这改变了我后来教学的观念,自己宁愿给出有启发性的题材和open book exam,学生们就是考试作弊效果也很有限,可是这样太花费精力了,连兼个小班都会累死人,我们家当老师的已经太多了,不缺我一个偶而兼差的。)
T’is the gift to be simple.
T’is the gift to be free.
T’is the gift to come down where you/we ought to be.
And when we find ourselves in the place just right.
It will be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gained.
To bow and to bend we will not be ashamed.
To turn, turn, will be our delight.
Till by turning, turning, we come round right.作者: Yongbo 时间: 2009-2-6 17:35 谢谢这篇有趣的文章,给了我一个愉快的午休。