Ｆｉｒｓｔ Ｙｅａｒ ｉｎ Ｃｏｌｌｅｇｅ

【學生簡介】

何林同學是湖南省長沙市雅禮中學的2005屆畢業生，從小學開始學習計算機編程，初一便進入了NOI湖南省隊，曾榮獲NOI金牌4塊，銀牌1塊，4次進入國家集訓隊，2003年在美國舉行的第15屆IOI上榮獲金牌，2004年在全國信息學奧林匹克競賽中榮獲全國一等獎，2005年榮獲美國耶魯大學全額獎學金?，F在在耶魯大學就讀。

【學生手札】

下面是何林同學在耶魯大學就讀一年后寫的一篇隨筆。你從他的字里行間看出些什么了呢？除了他那美麗的英文文筆，是否還能讀出一個睿智的靈魂？

I am sure we are different in many ways. You may enjoy having classes while I keep falling asleep in lectures all the time. You may love cracking a mathematical problem on a Sunday afternoon while I prefer listening to trashy pop songs and dreaming up unrealistic wonders. You may be happily breathing the fresh air in China while I am trying to catch the snowflakes falling from the American sky.

Mr. Bush’s favorite phrase is“free world”. Although he is full of crap， he is right in this remark. I was very amazed by how free my college life seemed to be. I was free to choose my roommates and classes and free to wander around after midnight without worrying being locked out of my dorm. I was even free to kick out my roommate if I needed some private time with my significant other; however， unfortunately I have never used that privilege. The very freedom was one of the main reasons I decided to come to the US. However， as I deliriously embraced it， a crushing pressure began to take shape in my mind. The moment I signed on my course schedule my hands were slightly trembling. I knew that I would do the same thing for three more times in college， and combined these choices might well decide my future. I could take Art History， but I should not complain when I couldn’t find a well-paid job after graduation. I could take Mathematics， but I should have no gripes when I had to crack drab numbers for days. For the first time in my life， I was responsible for some significant decisions. No parents， nor teachers. As I was so used to taking uniform courses in high school and doing well in an unchangeable way in tests， the weight of responsibility and independence bore down on my shoulders， or， to put it more accurately， on my ass. Life went on and I moved on. I found many more decisions awaiting me. Which club to join， which interns to apply， and who to befriend with， I have to decide. If anything went wrong， I had nobody to complain or blame but myself. In retrospect， I am ashamed to realize how many big decisions I evaded in the past， which I simply left to the hands of parents. If I have learned anything significant in college so far at all， it would be independence and responsibility. No excuse. Go your own way and swallow what your decisions entail.

I always thought I was a considerate nice guy until one day a conflict between my roommate and I totally turned my mind around. He asked me for information on a program， and I told him to go to a specific place on a website. He thanked me and started looking in his computer. I caught a glimpse of his screen， and found that he was far astray from where I told him to go. So I blurted out that he should do such and such. His face turned a little green and ignored my instructions; so I repeated my words more emphatically thinking that he didn’t hear me. All of a sudden he jerked around his head and angrily shouted at me“stop telling me what to do!”I was first shocked and then grew a little sullen. I said firmly，“Don’t be stupid. I was only trying to help!”He cried out even more outrageously，“Do you think I am too stupid to figure it out on my own? When I am not asking for help， keep your mouth shut!”It was mind-blowing at the moment. I fell completely silent at his words “when I am not asking for help.”My parents used to tell me to do or not to do every single little thing， which I hated to death. I swore that I will never befriend with anyone who keeps telling others what to do unbidden. But I was being such a drag to my roommate! If I only put myself in his shoes for a second， I would have held myself back from giving stupid orders. Later， I talked to some people who never bothered to twitch a single slice of muscle on their faces， and felt so frustrating after making efforts to detect any reciprocation from them. As I cursed them secretly in my heart， I suddenly realized that I oftentimes gave an inscrutable face to my friends. Some of their frustrated facial expressions all rushed through my mind， and I was ashamed. From that moment on， I started smiling and letting emotions take over. More importantly， I learned always to put myself in the other person’s shoes. If I am not already a considerate nice guy， I am heading in that direction.

There are many other surprises. The person sitting next to you in a lecture could be a gay; your best friend could turn out to be a pothead; and if your door is shut， you better not storm into it because your roommate could be having a good time， of course， privately. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that a girl was half-Jamaican and half-Korean; Jews talking about Nazi holocaust are all over the place. There are always people praying in the basement， although I am never sure exactly whether they are Christians， Muslims or Buddhist.

I apologize if you were looking for something“American”in my essay， but somehow ended up listening to my personal mumbles. Many of my experiences may happen to you in college life， either Chinese or American. With hindsight， I would suggest you: gear yourself up for all the challenges， and make your everyday life a joyful and educational one， if you are not already doing so.

編輯/孫櫟櫟