Traveling with MY class to Beijing / 和善二在北京

這幾天看到子涵總忍不住問：你還好嗎？感性的子涵把第一次出國旅行的回憶深刻地崁入心底了，所以很容易觸景傷情。我的護照裡有超過四十枚的出入境證明，表面上好像是我在安慰著子涵，可是問她好不好的同時，我也依靠著她，安慰著我自己，這是團體旅行的療效。

These days I’ve developed a new routine—asking how Emily is doing. Emily took her first trip abroad to Beijing, so compared with us, the sentimental girl is deeply attached to numerous stories that took place along the way. I am an experienced traveler with more than 40 inked stamps in my passport. I appear to be the one that comforts Emily, but I know I am actually relying on her when I ask her if everything is fine. This is the magical therapy of group traveling.

從搭飛機的第一刻開始，我因為子涵重新溫習飛行的步驟，說著說著，也慢慢感受到被遺忘很久的新鮮感。在旅行的途中，白天我混在人群裡，晚上我過著一人生活，大家很有默契地、或者是因為搞不清楚我的房號，讓我享受靜默；寂寞的時候就排不同時段請人來吃水果。我喜歡玩些不引人注意的小遊戲，女孩們也認真地配合我。

Thanks to Emily, I reviewed every step of taking the airplane, something I’d so taken for granted. While I was explaining to her the whole process, I retrieved the long-lost thrill of flying. On the journey, I mingled with the kids in the daytime, but they left me to my silent meditation after returning to the hotel. I don’t know if we obtained a mutual understanding or it’s just because they never got my room number right, I was able to enjoy the quiet moments at night. When I felt lonely, I’d arrange different people to come to eat fruits. It’s my inveterate habit to play secret games, and girls willingly worked with me.

轉眼間我們已經走到二下了，旅行中的某天單飛到孔廟時，小于兒說，明年再和同學來這裡吧！我突然想到，明年她們就離開我了。下一次再去的北京就是一個人或兩個人，或是新的一群人，所以我要牢牢記住這次旅行的片段，和善二好好生活，在每一刻裡認真地一起旅行。

In a blink of an eye, we’ve gone more than halfway. One day when we traveled to the Temple of Confucius without girls, the tour guide Ms. Yu said, “Come here with the girls next year!” It occurred to me that they will no longer be in my life then. Next time when I travel to Beijing, it will be with myself, someone else, or a new group of students. Though I can’t keep the girls, I want to bear the memories of this trip in mind, cherish every moment with my class, and travel together with them through every minute from now on.