这一周虽然繁忙,却也是缤纷多彩的。一项接一项的活动把我的时间表填的满满的 -- 在享受与友人共同参与活动的同时,我也结识了许多新的朋友。
This was a busy yet productive week. Many things happened; many people came and went. New connections were formed, and old connections were strengthened.
在忙于各项事务时,我渐渐喜欢上了走在校园中的感受。无论是从宿舍到数学教室短短的几步路,从食堂到壁球馆略显漫长的路程,还是从食堂到接收包裹的地方那近乎于一次锻炼的路途,都成为了我在瓦萨生活中不可缺少的一部分。
In the midst of all the events, walking through the campus became one of my favorites. The short walk from my dorm room to my math class, the longer one from the dinning hall to the squash courts, and the longest walk of the week -- from the dinning hall to central receiving (where some packages arrive) -- all were integrated into my life here at Vassar.
在行走的同时,我常常惦记着接下来的活动,不断在脑海中拟出具体的日程安排。有时我也会放空脑袋,专注于眼前这一片绿色与来来往往的人们。细细想来,我的零碎时间若是集合起来,大抵都是耗费在路上的 -- 既然如此,为何不享受它呢?
Here I have time to think about my own businesses, about my essay, my classes, my plan for the rest of the day, and other random things. It is always good to have sometime reserved for myself while still felling the presence of others as they are walking by me.
在课业之外,我也以义工的身份参与了Vassar Haiti Project一年一次的Art Sale。诸多出自海地艺术家之手的画作布满了场馆的四壁。而许多手工艺品也被分门别类地至于展台上。在最开始,这个房间还是一片空白;历经过四天的整理与安排,整个房间都充满了浓浓的艺术气息。当我站在房间中央,放眼望去几乎都是各式各样的画作、手工艺品。在这片艺术的海洋包围中,我甚至产生了一种隐隐的窒息感。
Besides the usual academic works, I helped out at the art sale hosted by Vassar Haiti Project. Numerous artworks and crafts created by Haitian artists were on display throughout the weekend. The setup was lots of work -- labeling the pieces with their prices, arranging canvasses, placing items on tables, and so on. It was a truly amazing to see an empty room being transformed by art. The mere experience of standing inside the room and being surrounded by the energy and creativity diffused by the volunteers and the art was overwhelming.
除了展示品以外,为这次活动所付出的人们更是重中之重 -- 从介绍到包装艺术品,都是义工们亲手操办的。除VHP成员之外,许多毕业生与周围居民都前来帮忙。从周五到周日的三天,每天在关门之后都会组织人们讨论今天的销售。大部分时间,人们都会互相鼓励,认可每个人在活动中的付出。周日下午,我们分工合作,把剩余的艺术品分类放到了储存的房间中。这份体力活让每个人都汗流满面,却在完成时感到了由衷的喜悦。
And the sense of community shared by community volunteers, alumni, and the current members of VHP was more than fulfilling. I loved the debrief sessions after each day of sale when people expressed compliments to each other and discussed what would make the sale better next year. Cleaning up the room on Sunday afternoon was tiresome yet transforming. We worked together to put things back to the storage rooms and to organize them for future uses -- we even built an assembly line to transport the piles of crafts left.
瓦萨唯一的杂技社团Barefoot Monkeys组织了周日晚的Fire Show。整场表演所用的都是真火,为了保证社员与观众的安全,还有多人举着防火毯围在四周。许多人在工作或是学习的空闲中前来观看。
The Fire Show presented by our circus group, Barefoot Monkeys, attracted many audiences. A time to relax and enjoy, many came and spared themselves from work or study.
至此,忙碌的一周划下了句号。
The fire from the show lit up the night, and after this, my busy week came to an end.