When I was about to go out at 8:30 am, the sun had risen high in the sky. Yet again, silence reigned Brooke Hall. I felt like being in the early morning of Taipei. Well, all of you should know what a blessing it is to be a student here because courses start pretty late. Jazel and I fought to make it to the animation workshop this morning, so we had to be the early birds. However, the lecturer today was a young man, and it looked as if he hadn't gone to bed last night. He didn't arrive until almost 10 am though the class was supposed to start about then. He is different from the lecturers of the previous two days, who were full of love. Jazel said that foreigners have more passion than the Brits. For example, Barbara is Italian. I think her words make sense since I am also a foreigner here, but full of passion.
難得今天看到比較多男孩，和電腦有關的課會吸引多一些男學生。講師佛立安是動畫設計師，但其實他做的東西涵蓋所有視覺美術，他說要在三小時之內把一年才教得完的課程濃縮，只能讓我們牛刀小試，可是坐在我們身旁的小男生都還蠻興奮的。
It was unusual for us to see more boys today. We figured that courses related to computer technology attract them. The lecturer Florian is an animator, but what he does includes almost all fields of visual art. He said that it's mission impossible to compress courses that span a whole year into three hours, so he could only give us a taste of the 3d software Autodesk. But I could tell the boys that sat next to us were rather excited.
我不是對電腦很有興趣的人，可是在這裡老師不會逼學生，所以如果我自己不積極點，我的基本功可能上不了檯面，而我不想就這樣回去。老師一邊示範，有些時候我跟不上，我想就是他說中文，我可能還是會落掉，但如果我沒來上課，我就不會自我強迫要學新東西，有不會的，我就問旁邊的年輕人。我的右邊坐了拉斐爾，他主修大學部插畫，我們週一一起上了印刷課，他也是一副滿腹野心，就是要來表現的樣子，老師讓大家用動畫軟體設計一個藝廊，拉斐爾很高興地設計起房間，裡面有床和枕頭等等，我們繼續學新東西時，他畫了一個人體，然後轉過頭來問我：剛才老師在教什麼？
I am not that into computer, but here teachers don't push students. If I do not take the initiatives, I won't be able to make progress in basic techniques. And I don't want to go home with nothing learned. When Florian demonstrated for us, sometimes I couldn't follow. In fact, I guess I would have fallen behind if the teacher had taught in mandarin. However, I was glad that I went no matter what. If I hadn't been there, I wouldn't have forced myself to learn new things. When I had questions, I turned to the young people sitting next to me. The boy on my right side was Raphael majoring in BA illustration. We were in the printing workshop on Monday. He gave me the impression of being very ambitious with a lot to show to the world. Florian had everyone design a gallery with the 3d software, but Raphael was happy designing a room with a bed and a pillow. When we carried on with more new lessons, he drew a human skeleton, and after he was done, he turned to me asking, "So what did the teacher say?"
同時嘉蕊喊肚子餓，希望老師早點放大家下課，好讓我們去吃今天很特別的午餐。
Meanwhile Jazel said her stomach was singing, so she prayed that Florian would let us go for our very special lunch today.
開學之後我們都得帶午餐上學，所以這個星期是試驗期，今天的三明治是我負責的，是番茄生菜燻牛肉火腿佐培根蛋美乃滋。這兩天倫敦秋老虎來訪，我們就坐在豔陽下，一邊想著如何可以改進口感，還有什麼新的菜色可以嘗試，我連飯糰都放進週六校外教學的菜單，雖然得早起準備午餐，但學生的生活就是如此，也沒什麼好抱怨的。
After the term starts, we have to bring lunch to school, so this week serves as the experimental period. I was responsible for the sandwiches today--salami with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber slices and mayo of bacon and egg flavor. These two days we've experienced Indian summer in London, so at noon we sat under the sun thinking how to improve the sandwiches and designing new menu items. I even considered making rice balls for our coming trip this Saturday. Though I have to get up earlier to prepare lunch, there's nothing to complain about the lifestyle of students.
嘉蕊負責生菜部份，雖然我不是很喜歡吃紅蘿蔔，但不能辜負小女生的愛心。
Jazel was responsible for the salad. Though I am not particularly into carrots, I knew better than to break a young girl's heart.
飲食這件事可以考驗一個人的適應力，我很喜歡亞洲的外食文化，不過在這裡餐廳的食物不便宜，也不一定好吃，如果不做點調適，就沒辦法過得好。
Eating can test a person's adaptability. Much as I enjoy the dining-out culture in Asia, restaurant food here, for one thing, is pricey, and it isn't necessarily scrumptious. If we do not manage to make some change, we won't lead a good life.
下午搶不到攝影課，我們就去參加免費的英式下午茶派對，一定是上帝聽到我昨天呼喊愛的感覺，送給我們一群宣傳上帝之愛的使者，從來沒有白人這麼想要和我們講話，看起來陽光到沒有陰影的愛丁堡妞蘿西不停地和我們說：改天我們一定要一起喝杯茶！身旁還有另一個用華語傳教的大陸妞，最後我們還是聊到烹飪，真的很有家庭主婦的fu。
Since the photography lesson in the afternoon was totally packed, we opted for going to a free British afternoon tea party. God must have heard my calling for love yesterday, so he sent our way a team of ambassadors of love. Over the past three weeks, no British people have wanted so much to talk to us. Rosie from Edinburgh gave me the impression of being so sunny that I couldn't see any shadow behind her. She kept saying to us, "We have to get together to have a cup of tea some day!" There was another Chinese girl next to us promoting sermons given in mandarin every weekend. Well, our topics revolved around cooking still. In every way I felt so much like a housewife.
在這裡捨不得買書，要閱讀就拿學校砸大錢印的紙品，離開之前我又抱了一袋回家。今天讀到山繆爾強森的一段話：如果一個人厭倦了倫敦，他就是厭倦了人生，因為倫敦有一切人生能給的美好。
Here I don't have extra budgets for buying books, so if I feel like reading, I can bring home a handful from school. Before I left, I found a bag of readings. Today I came across a quote by Samuel Johnson: When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.
1 comment:
Wow!妳們的午餐看起來真是健康，很棒呢！這樣才不會發胖.(ps.以前都是受到Kay的照顧,我那時胖的很勒~ :p)
全身充滿了幹勁、認真努力學習的Wanda,我們會持續為妳加油的！ :)
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