对我们大多数人来说,到了一定的年龄就去上学,似乎是天经地义的事。即使偶尔搬个家,学习也不会脱节。可是,当家庭无休止的迁移是一种常态的时候,上学也就成了一件难事。文中这对母子如何在这种迁徙的生活中坚持完成学业的故事也许能让你更加珍惜自己的学习生活。
美式发音 适合泛听
We’ll hear one of those stories today from Lourdes Villanueva. Her parents were migrant workers harvesting fruit throughout the South. Lourdes came with her grown son Roger to talk about what it was like going to school while her family was constantly on the move.
今天,我们来听听劳德丝·维兰纽娃的故事。她的父母曾经是农业季节务工者,在南部采收水果。劳德丝和她已成年的儿子罗杰一起聊聊她的家庭在不停的迁移中上学是怎么一回事。
Lourdes: Everywhere we went, even if we were going to be there for four weeks, six weeks, picking the crops, my mother would make sure that they enrolled us in school.
劳德丝:我们每到一处,即使我们只是在一个地方呆四个星期、六个星期采收水果,我妈妈都想办法确保我们能上学。
And Spanish was not allowed in the school systems. Even out in the playground. I mean, they used to have the little playground patrols, which were our friends that were supposed to turn you in if you were speaking Spanish out in the playground, which, of course, I was always in trouble because I was speaking Spanish.
当时,学校里是不允许讲西班牙语的,即使在操场上也不行。我指的是在操场上会有些小巡逻员,那些是我们的朋友,但他们一旦发现你在操场上讲西班牙语就会向老师报告。不用说,我常常因为讲西班牙语而惹上麻烦。
Then, of course, in the ninth grade is when you started working for credits to graduate, and we never stayed in one place long enough to get any credits. So why even bother? I thought I knew everything that I needed to know at that time and got married at 18 and had you. You pretty much grew up in the back of the pickup truck.
到了九年级,你就得为中学毕业给自己积攒学分了,但我们在一个地方待的时间向来都很短,总不足以让我获得学分。既然这样,那又何必费神呢?我当时觉得我需要学的都已经学会了。18岁的时候,我结了婚,生了你。你基本上是在小货车后面的车厢里长大的。
I was picking crops, and in my breaks, I had to change your diaper and do whatever needed to be done and continue on working. And I always thought that you need to do what I didn’t do, which is finish your education first.
那时候,我一边收水果,一边在休息的时候给你换尿片,或者做其他要做的事情,然后又继续干农活。我一直认为你必须完成我没有去做的事,也就是说你要先把书读完。
Roger: You always said that you were going to lead by example. And I remember when you got your1)GED, you were in the fields. And instead of having lunch, you would have your books and you’d be studying.
罗杰:你一直都说你要以身作则。我记得你在为获得普通教育水平文凭学习的时候,你还在地里干活。而午餐的时间里,你也在看书,在学习。
After that I remember that you said, you know, I’m going to go to the community college at night. And I remember you taking one class, and you started off like that. And then Dad was the one to take care of us, to cook for us. And we hated the beans and eggs, because that’s all he ever knew how to cook for us.
此后,我记得你说你会到社区学院去上夜校。我记得你选修了一门课,之后你就没有停下来。当时是爸爸在照顾我们,也是他给我们煮食。那个时候,我们真的对豆子和鸡蛋恨之入骨,因为他只会做这两样。
I can remember us stuffing it under the refrigerator, and then we would act like our plates were done. He used to make us eat everything because he wanted us to appreciate everything that we had, because I know that both of y’all came from basically nothing. And, I mean, I was just so proud the day that you graduated.
我记得我们把这些东西塞到冰箱下面,然后假装已经把自己盘子里的东西吃完了。他那时要我们吃完所有的食物,因为他要我们懂得珍惜我们得到的东西,我也知道,你们自己的出身几乎都是一无所有。我想说的是,你毕业那天我很为你自豪。
Lourdes: Yeah, I had to hurry up and graduate before you guys did, because I knew you guys were coming right behind me.
劳德丝:是啊,我得赶紧在你们之前毕业啊,因为我知道你们都在后面紧追呢。
Roger: Yeah, well, I really thought that was something special. If I was to have the choice to choose another mother, I would never choose anybody else but you. And when I look for my partner, I always said, if my wife can be half the woman that my mother is, I will be OK. And I know I’ve never told you that, but that’s the way I feel.
罗杰:呃,我真的觉得这件事很特别。如果我有机会重新选择一个妈妈的话,我只会挑你,而不是其他人。我在寻找自己的另一半时,我也总是在说,如果我的妻子有我妈妈的一半,我就满意了。我知道我以前从来没有跟你说过这些,可我就是这么想的。
翻译:丁一