上個星期給學生出的報告裡，問了學生他們的故鄉在哪裡？十六歲的少女們紛紛回答台灣。I gave students a question about their hometowns in a paper last week. These sixteen-year-old girls had no doubts that their their hometown is the little island we dwell in.
前幾天我們家裡的二寶寶出生了，大人手腳慌亂，儘管大家知道注意力要公平地分在老大和老二身上，但是有時候總是會心有餘而力不足，懂事的小方則努力地撐了三天，第一次沒有和爸爸媽媽同睡的日子，那種考驗很像我小時參加夏令營，心因為想念有點瘀傷，甚至會按奈不住想哭的感覺，但總覺得，撐過去以後，人生會變得無限寬闊。身為鄰居加親戚，我們很盡力地擔任加油的應援團，我忘了弟弟出生時我是不是也有失寵的感覺，結果我居然從這個三歲的小孩身上體驗到失落。
The second baby in our family finally came a few days ago. It couldn't be more hectic in the household. Though the adults were so aware that attention has to be equally spent between the first-born and the new baby, it wasn't always a piece of cake. Von, the understanding big brother, managed to make it through for three days without his parents around. His experience reminded me of my summer camp days in childhood. My heart'd become bruised because I missed my parents so much. Sometimes I couldn't even repress the desire to cry, but for unknown reasons, I'd always believe that if I make it, life ahead would be so much broader. As neighbors and relatives, we cheerled Von with zest and showered him with compliments and encouragement. I forgot how it felt when my younger brothers were born, and it turned out that I lived through the same thing from this three-year-old.
就像努力的馬拉松跑者，小方在這三天裡，起床之後帶著微笑和我們道早安，之後便努力地玩耍，不去想爸爸媽媽暫時不在的事實，驚訝的是我們，這個小孩有著超級老成的靈魂，雖然我們並不是第一天認識他，但每天每天還是無法停止對他的成熟感到訝異。
Like a committed marathon runner, Von greeted us with heartfelt smiles when he got up during these three days. Then he made efforts to play so to forget the fact that his parents were away for the time being. He surprised us. This kid has a super old soul, which we have known for a long time. Still, we can't stop feeling amazed by his maturity.
也許在某個太陽下山的傍晚，他開始有一點想哭，他說他想媽咪，哭完之後擦掉眼淚，又開心地前進。只有在深夜時，我看著他在沙發上排排停的車輛，才感覺他心裡是有些寂寞。他和那些車車想穿越高山大海，找到爸爸媽媽。
Maybe on an evening after the sun set, he became kind of mushy. He said he missed mom. After shedding some tears, he moved on. Only late at nights, when I looked at the cars he had parked on the sofa, I could feel his loneliness. He and they wanted to conquer all the mountains and sea to reach his parents.
故鄉對小方來說，是爸爸媽媽。而小方，是我的故鄉。
HOME for Von, is his parents. And Von for me, is my HOME.
