伸出援手，就是現在

by Maria Zapetis

翻譯：Cass

伸出援手，就是現在

by Maria Zapetis

翻譯：Cass

Track 9

如果你正享受著物質充裕的城市生活，是否會相信這世界上有的人連活著都很困難？倘若遇到需要幫助的人，你會去幫助他嗎？雖然我們無法幫助到每個人，但我們的一個小善舉總能讓某些人受益。

Last year, my beliefs changed.

Until last summer, I had a very comfortable life: winter vacations skiing and summer cruises. My parents spent a lot of money on a private prep school, so they could get me into a competitive middle school, followed by the1)uber-expensive high school. Everything was about tomorrow, next year, my graduation. We never had to worry about today.

Before last summer, I never thought much about the people in the world who live day to day every day, whose lives are controlled by poverty and hunger. Then I2)enrolled in a two-week intensive program3)sponsored by Heifer International注1. We lived in a“4)tribal village,” in a hot, dry open grassland in Arkansas注2. I know it was only a5)simulation, that I could go back to my regular life, but the experience gave birth to a belief in helping others. Today.

I am a tribal member in Mozambique注3. Every meal, I make the fire for my family, and feel the flames6)lick up my7)nostrils as I blow to keep the fuel alive. I cook8)mush with the vegetables. This is all my family is ever given.

注1：國際小母牛組織（Heifer International），美國的一家非盈利性慈善機構，致力于救助貧困與饑餓人群，向全球范圍內的貧困家庭提供家畜、農作物，以及可持續農業教育等。

注2：阿肯色州（Arkansas），美國南部的一個州。

注3：莫桑比克共和國（Mozambique），非洲南部國家。

1) uber-expensive 超級昂貴的

2) enroll [?n'r??l] v. 參加

3) sponsor ['sp?ns?] v. 贊助，主辦

4) tribal ['tra?bl] adj. 部落的

5) simulation [?s?mj?'le???n] n. 模擬

6) lick up（火焰）卷過，吞噬

7) nostril ['n?str?l] n. 鼻孔

8) mush [m??] n. 糊狀物

I feed the hen and three rabbits their dinner. I9)grow attached to the rabbits, even though I know I shouldn’t. I name them.

We are living in a house that feels like an oven, with no air conditioning like I am used to, and even though water is available, everyone is too hot and tired to move. I go to the kitchen—an area of dirt floor—to make the fire for breakfast. Again, I10)stir and eat the same unfulfilling mush. It’s a bad dream, over and over and over again. My lungs fill up with smoke, ash blocks my vision, and I can almost see through the eyes of people who really live like this every single day with no hope for change.

I’m not getting enough to eat; it’s time to decide whether or not to kill the rabbits. I feel pain but it’s a11)privileged child’s pain, because I know I will soon be eating again. That’s not true for a lot of other children around the world.

Growing up comfortably in the U.S., I’ve never had to worry about my dinner, and even though this whole process was only a simulation, it changed my life. Now I believe in doing whatever I can to help find practical ways to defeat hunger.

So I’ve become president of Roots and Shoots注4, a group working to improve local environments for people and animals. I’m also working to create a program at my high school called the “Safe Passage” trip, to help young people in the Guatemala City注5dump. And I’ve got plans to do more.

If I ever feel12)lethargic, I remember laboring in the hot sun and think of the millions who still do. Now, I try to live for today and stop worrying so much about the future. When I eat or feel full, I am grateful for this fortunate life and want to extend the same feeling to others.

I believe in offering help to those who need it. Right now.

9) grow attached to 逐漸喜愛

10) stir [st??] v. 攪拌，攪動

11) privileged ['pr?v?l?d?d] adj. 享有特權的

12) lethargic [l?'θɑ?d??k] adj. 沒精打采的，懶洋洋的

注4：根與芽（Roots and Shoots），一個國際性的環保組織，鼓勵大家以實際行動關懷環境、社區及動物。

注5：危地馬拉城（Guatemala City），危地馬拉的首都和第一大城市。

參考譯文

去年，我的信念改變了。

去年夏天以前，我一直過著非常舒適的生活：寒假滑雪，暑假則海上航游。我父母在一所私立預科學?；瞬簧馘X，為的是可以把我送進一所相對有競爭力的中學，然后再上學費十分昂貴的高中。所有的事情都關乎明天、明年、畢業。我們從不需要擔心今天。

去年夏天以前，我從未關心過這世界上那些活一天算一天的人們，他們的生活一直被貧窮和饑餓左右著。那時，我報名參加了由“國際小母牛”組織主辦的強化項目，為期兩周。我們住在一個“部落小村”里，這個小村坐落于阿肯色州一片干燥且悶熱的草地上。我知道這僅僅是模擬生活，我終究會回到我的日常生活中，然而這段經歷讓我萌生了一個信念—幫助他人，從今天開始。

我是莫桑比克的一名部落成員。每頓飯我都要為家人生火煮食，而在吹氣讓火燒旺起來的時候，我感到火焰正燎過我的鼻孔。我用蔬菜來煮糊狀物—這就是我們一家人的全部食材。

我會給一只母雞和三只兔子喂食。我還對兔子們漸漸產生了感情，雖然知道這并不應該，但我還是給它們起了名字。

我們住的房屋就像是一個烤箱，沒有空調，這跟以前不一樣。雖然有水，但所有人都因燥熱、疲累而不想動。我來到了廚房—其實就是一塊泥土地區域—生火做早餐。又一次地，我攪拌著并吃掉了那依舊不能填飽肚子的糊狀物。那簡直是一個不斷重復上演的噩夢。我的肺里充滿煙塵，灰燼阻擋了我的視線，我幾乎看到了那些就是這么生活著的人們的雙眼，日復一日，生活沒有改善的希望。

我沒有足夠的食物，于是便到了決定是否該殺掉兔子的時刻。我感到痛苦，但這是一個生活優越的孩子的痛苦，因為我知道自己很快又會有吃的了。但對于世界上很多其他的小孩來說，并非如此。

我在美國舒適地長大，從未擔心過自己的糧食問題。而即使整個過程都是模擬的，它仍改變了我的生活。現在，我認為要盡可能去尋找實用的方法去幫助人們戰勝饑餓。

于是，我成為了“根與芽”組織的主席。這是一個致力于改善人類和動物居住環境的組織。同時，我在學校創建了“安全通道”之旅這個項目，去幫助那些以危地馬拉城垃圾場為家的年輕人。而且，我還有計劃去做更多類似的事。

每當打不起精神的時候，我就會回想起在烈日下勞作的情景，會想到還有千千萬萬的人過著這樣的生活?，F在，我嘗試活在當下，不再為未來感到擔憂。當我有東西吃，或者吃飽了的時候，我會感激這富足的生活，并想要把這種感覺傳遞給其他人。

我認為我們應該要幫助那些需要幫助的人。從現在開始做起。

The Time to Help Is Now