回到美国：我的临时居所

By+Aaron+A.Vessup

昨天我親身经历了一场停车场火灾，交通堵塞了几个小时；今天早上，我又被各种汽笛声叫醒，好像发生了什么紧急事件；这里的公共交通方便实惠，但到处张贴着“逃票”违法的标语，公交车上都安有摄像头，广播也不断提醒乘客注意可疑人员；我居住的社区大多是行动缓慢的老年人，大街小巷到处都是超重的胖子；让人触目惊心的违规驾驶者、长期患有精神疾病的临时室友……回到自己的国家，我反而不适应了……

I hear loud horns and sirens blaring intermittently throughout the day.1 Morning calm is shattered2. The interruptions of natures peaceful reverie announce mans emergencies far off creeping closer.3 Possible accidents are not from people being unable to find food or places to eat. Yesterday a car was burning， plumes of black smoke choked the parking lot air of Marylands Motor Vehicle station where I had ventured.4 Motors were stalled5 for almost two hours. Traffic jams are a common sight at certain hours of the day.

I am surprised that public transportation is so efficient. The Silver Springs area where I now live， supports the needs of several posh resort looking retirement and assisted living communities.6 Boarding a METRA7 bus， I swipe my card-pass only once （$1.75）， no need to swipe when exiting. However， posted signs warn that “fare evasion8” is a criminal offense. City buses are monitored by internal police surveillance cameras9. In addition， an audio recorded voice reminds passengers to report any odd or suspicious behavior. The warning voice says， “If you see anything strange， report it immediately！”

My new community is composed mostly of seniors. They are noticeably slow， steadily walking down long quiet carpeted hallways. They sit alone watching hour after hour of televised programming. Or， gather in the large community room waiting for something or someone to pass by with words of contact. Several are car owners and shuffle hesitantly once a week， or on alternate days， to their parked vehicles before departing from this self-imposed incarceration.10 Perhaps some have part-time jobs or volunteer interests elsewhere. I have noticed there are a few regulars who pace around the outside garden and park areas surrounding the compound.11 Some even stubbornly push their walkers12 and wheelchairs on the smooth paved sidewalks to catch real fresh air and sunshine. Others， like my roommate， hibernate13 in the apartment.

Most people in this community， as well as， pedestrians14 moving about in the city are overweight. This striking fact is hard to overlook.15 In almost every direction I look， random figures of all cultures， colors， and girth， seem like obese misplaced buffalo roaming the concrete plains， in the shadows of asphalt spaces and box-like buildings instead of shrubbery.16endprint

However， this scene clearly contrasts with the thick forest area with curving17， hilly roads， I have walked along for 20 minutes in order to reach Y-2， Y-7， and Y-8 bus station with routes taking me directly into the city.

“Good afternoon！ How are you today？”

“Be careful！ There might be snakes in that tall grass！”

The small， walnut-colored woman， with short-cropped gray hair， has answered my greetings on two afternoons in a row with a similar response.18 She seems genuinely afraid that slimy vipers will slither out of the tall grass along this quiet road to make unprovoked attacks.19 I call her the snake woman. Earlier that morning I spied at least seven large black birds， vultures， feasting on the carcass of what looked like the skeletal remains of a mid-sized deer.20 Drivers and pedestrians alike， must be on the alert for the unexpected in this area.

Food variety in the region is basically an international mix of cultures. Bars and cafes dot the area ranging from Irish， Vietnamese， Mexican， Ethiopian， Indian， Chinese， Jamaican，21 Thai， and The Big Greek food place. Temptation for me to sample and eat even more， is nursed by the Dunkin Donut， Subway， and Taco Bell shops everywhere.22 McDonalds and various competing chicken franchises also clog virtually every long street or strip mall.23 I worry that sooner or later， I will become an automatic member of the American FAT SQUAD， another number added to the obese army of hypnotized citizens， waddling between Television， couch， fridge， and fast food outlets.24

Our driving teacher lectures and shows short videos of drivers violating Maryland state laws. Drivers texting carelessly on mobile phones， reading messages， or speeding in traffic pose25 immediate dangers. I am clearly the older， senior citizen， in this groups of young people ranging from 18—27 years of age. Our teacher， an attractive， dark skinned woman from the Dominican Republic26， is humorous and dynamic. Her husband is a light skinned Puerto Rican27 from New York City， and they have two sons in mid-twenties. This is a family-run business. The Silver Spring Driving School has been in operation since 2005， providing excellent preparation for people intent on passing rigorous written and behind-thewheel state mandated driving tests.28 The teacher has a great sense of cultural anxieties held by foreign students， so none are bored by stories she shares. Most of these students hail from29 other countries， or are of mixed cultural heritages. It is comforting to hear our teacher talk about her own personal frustrations dealing with the American culture. She empathizes with first-timers unfamiliar with rules of the road and cultural customs.30 Our teacher is emphatic that students understand the serious responsibilities attached to the privilege of driving on U.S. highway system.31 Careless， distracted drivers， risk losing the privilege of sharing the roads with civic-minded32 citizens.endprint

The absence of feeling safe on the public roads is also reflected in the fact that today， many American people are increasingly ill-at-ease interacting with other culture group representatives.33 News of escalating violence between White and other racial individuals， the rise in negative policecommunity relations， and the frequent abrasive rhetoric and policies espoused by the new American administration， contributes to the climate that seems dread-laden.34 The lack of positive energy or tension， does not stop at stiff smiles， stern expressions or evasive masks of stares.35 Even saying “Good Mornings” entering ， or “Thank Yous” when exiting public transits vehicles， are friendly salutations often not reciprocated even by Black male or female drivers to Black male or female passengers.36 Generally， unless a visitor， people noticeably seem to have turned off their feelings of grace and social acceptance.37

Hence， yesterday， I was surprised by a White male car driver who offered me a ride while walking the long country stretch38 in the rain toward home from the bus stop. I declined because I sorely need to exercise and compensate for so much eating.39 While I appreciate the strangers gesture of what I assume to be good will， in the back of my mind I am still leery40. I have heard many stories of misdeeds in the USA cloaked in the guise of “Goodwill”.41

My current living arrangement is also problematic. My new roommate， a childhood acquaintance of 60 years ago， is proving to harbor42 personal problems that exceed my patience and coping abilities. She is two years older than I， but behaves as if much older. Strangely， her voice still has that unforgettable pig-squeal43 quality when she becomes emotional. However， now she is hard of hearing， a terribly dangerous driver suggesting failing vision， overweight， and prone to lash out verbal assaults laden with paranoia and accusations.44 She rarely leaves the apartment. Her daily routines involve eating， watching television， sleeping， talking on the telephone， and watching more television. She has not hid her irritation45 at my needing to buy weekend newspapers. Her squeaky sounding voice grates my ears.46

“There you go with that newspaper again. You should know that the world has not changed. All I need is to read my Bible and the same things happening today have happened long ago. I dont need to read current news to know what man has done or will do.”endprint

I hold my tongue. I know that nothing I can say to this person who admits to “hating” High School， and never studying， will make an impact. But for me， reading The Washington Post and USA Today， are juicy47 mental treats to enjoy after days of traffic classes and evenings of computer apartment searching. This ritual is predictable like a mechanical clock. Any variance48 disturbing long-held habits causes her great stress. The residential gym down the hallway is only a few steps from her door， but she confesses to have not ever used it. And taking daily walks is simply not on her list of priorities. This could be a micro reflection of Americans in general.

Although this living arrangement is a temporary fix until my belongings from overseas arrive， I am likely to be experiencing more cultural shock in the days and weeks to come. I am holding my breath while yearning to be settling down in Las Vegas， a long held dream. Despite the green forest that nestles my current residence， or the prevalence of English being spoken everywhere， it is an understatement to say that I miss being in China.49 I just hope that passing the drivers tests will not be a problem. After all， this is a nation of independence and mobility.

1. horn：（汽車等的）喇叭；siren： 警报器，汽笛；blare： 发出响亮刺耳的声音；intermittently： 间歇地，断续地。

2. shatter： 打碎。

3. 大自然宁静的梦想被打破，意味着有紧急情况发生，危机正从远处慢慢靠近。reverie：幻想，白日梦；creep： 渐渐蔓延，悄无声息地缓慢移动。

4. 昨天，一辆汽车着火了，一股股黑烟充斥着整个马里兰州机动车停车场，我亲身经历了这场险事。plume： 一缕（烟雾、尘土等）；choke： 塞满，堵塞；venture： 冒着……的危险。

5. stall：（发动机）熄火。

6. 我目前居住的银泉地区有几家豪华度假村般的养老院和辅助生活社区，满足了一定的社会需求。Silver Springs：银泉，美国马里兰州蒙哥马利县的重要城市之一；posh： 豪华的。

7. METRA： 马里兰州当地的一个交通运输公司。

8. fare evasion： 逃票。

9. surveillance camera： 监控摄像头。

10. 几个有车的老人，每周或者每隔一天会拖着慢吞吞的脚步挪到自己的车前，开车暂离这个自我“封闭圈”。shuffle： 拖着脚走；incarceration：/

/ 监禁。

11. regular： 常客；compound： 有特定用途的围地。

12. walker： 助行架。

13. hibernate：（动物）冬眠。

14. pedestrian： 行人。

15. striking： 显著的；overlook： 忽视。

16. 放眼望去，满眼都是不同文化、肤色、腰围的人，他们像是被错放到混凝土路上的大胖水牛，在柏油路和方形建筑间的阴影里游荡，而不是在灌木丛中。girth： 腰围；obese：（过度）肥胖的；buffalo： 水牛；roam： 漫步；concrete： 混凝土的；asphalt： // 用柏油铺成的；shrubbery： 灌木丛。

17. curving： 弯曲的。

18. walnut： 胡桃；short-cropped： 剪短的；in a row： 连续地。

19. slimy： 分泌黏液的；viper： 毒蛇；slither： 滑行；unprovoked： 无缘无故的。

20. spy： 发现，注意到；vulture： 秃鹫；carcass：// 动物尸体；skeletal remains： 骨骼残骸。

21. Ethiopian： 埃塞俄比亚的；Jamaican： 牙买加的。

22. temptation： 诱惑；sample： 品尝；DunkinDonut： 邓肯甜甜圈；Subway： 赛百味，起源于美国的跨国快餐连锁店，主要贩售三明治和沙拉；Taco Bell： 塔可钟，世界上规模最大的提供墨西哥式食品的连锁餐饮品牌。endprint

23. franchise： 特许经营权，专卖店；clog：（使）堵塞；strip mall： 指路边由一排商店组成的小型购物中心（通常前面有大的停车场）。

24. squad： 小队；hypnotized： 被催眠的；waddle： 蹒跚；outlet： 商店。

25. pose： 造成。

26. Dominican Republic： 多米尼加共和国，北美洲加勒比海国家。

27. Puerto Rican： 波多黎各人。

28. intent on doing sth.： 下定决心做某事；rigorous： 严格的；behind-the-wheel： 坐在驾驶位的（指路考）；state mandated： 各州指定的。

29. hail from： 出生在，來自（某地）。

30. empathize： 同情，产生共鸣；first-timer：新手。

31. emphatic： 强调的；privilege： 特权。

32. civic-minded： 讲公德的。

33. ill-at-ease： 局促不安的；interact with：与……交流，互动。

34. 白人和其他种族之间的暴力不断升级、不良的警民关系日趋紧张、新美国政府屡出伤人的浮夸言辞和政策，这都让气氛变得十分可怕。escalating： 加剧的；abrasive：伤人感情的，生硬粗暴的；rhetoric： 虚华辞藻；espouse： 支持；dread： 恐惧；laden：（用于构成形容词）充满……的，装载……的。

35. stiff： 僵硬的；stern： 严厉的；evasive： 闪避的，含糊其辞的。

36. salutation： 打招呼的话；reciprocate：// 交换，互给。

37. 一般来说，除非是对游客，人们似乎明显地收起了他们的礼貌和接纳。

38. stretch： 一段距离（或路程）。

39. sorely： 强烈地；compensate： 抵消。

40. leery： 提防的。

41. misdeed： 恶行；cloak： 伪装；in the guise of： 假借，以……为幌子。

42. harbor： v. 长期怀有。

43. squeal： 长而尖的声音。

44. prone to： 倾向于；lash out：责骂；assault： 攻击，抨击；paranoia： 妄想狂，多疑症。

45. irritation： 恼怒。

46. squeaky： 发出尖利声音的；grate： 使恼火。

47. juicy： 有吸引力的，令人满足的。

48. variance： 变化。

49. nestle： 位处，坐落（于安全、隐蔽之处）；prevalence： 流行，普遍；understatement：保守的说法，不充分的叙述。endprint