n ideal position

　　Life is good. My career in elementary education in Canada is now just a fond memory. I think back on the many years of service and I recall the many classed I taught, the different schools I worked at, the countless staff meetings I attended and the many committees I served on. I estimate that the number of faculty members I worked with over the years is in the hundreds and well over a thousand students have called me teacher. Is it any wonder that I can say that I always felt comfortable walking in school corridors?

　　生活是美好的。在加拿大教小學(xué)的職業(yè)生涯，如今成了美好的回憶?；仡櫠嗄甑墓ぷ?，我想起了我教的許多班級，我工作過的多所學(xué)校，我出席過的數(shù)不清的教職員工會議，以及我參與服務(wù)的眾多委員會。我估計(jì)，這些年來，和我一起工作過的同事有好幾百人了，而有一千多名學(xué)生叫過我老師。我要是說我走在學(xué)校走廊上總是覺得很愉快，沒什么奇怪吧?

　　Sometimes I worked with students at the intermediate level. In Canada, students at that level are youth in their preteen years as well as teenagers.

　　有時(shí)，我的工作是教中年級的學(xué)生。在加拿大，這個階段的學(xué)生和十幾歲的青少年都是青春期前的孩子。

　　When I decided to retire, I knew that the first step in the procedure was to write a letter to my employer, a school board, to resign my position. I postponed mailing the letter. I was reluctant to add the postage to the letter, knowing that once I mailed it, the decision could not be reversed.

　　當(dāng)我決定退休的時(shí)候，我知道辦手續(xù)的第一步是寫一封信給我的老板，即學(xué)校董事會，要求辭去我的工作。我推遲了寄信。我不太愿意把郵票貼到信封上，因?yàn)槲抑酪坏┌研偶某?，這個決定就不能更改了。

　　Because I was a veteran teacher of many years, I would be eligible to receive a pension. I calculated that the revenue I would receive each month would be sufficient to sustain my current lifestyle. If I was smart about my spending habits, I might even have a surplus of money. I certainly would not need to pinch every penny. I knew the money would not come to me in the form of a check. Instead, it would be deposited directly into my bank account. I could withdraw cash from my investments if I needed to supplement my income, my credit rating would allow me to be eligible for a loan when some unforeseen financial crisis a rose. I knew, therefore, that there was no reason to panic, as my future was secure even if inflation increased or a recession occurred. In either case my income would only be minus a few dollars, a fraction of the total amount.

　　因?yàn)槲沂枪ぷ鞫嗄甑睦辖處?，我有資格領(lǐng)取一份退休金。我算出我每月領(lǐng)到的退休金足夠維持我現(xiàn)在的生活方式。如果在花錢時(shí)精打細(xì)算，我甚至可能還有剩余。當(dāng)然，我不需要去節(jié)省每個便士。這些錢不會以一張支票的形式發(fā)到我手上，而是直接存入到我的銀行賬戶。如果我需要補(bǔ)貼收入，可以撤回一些投資換成現(xiàn)金。而且，我的信用等級使我有資格在出現(xiàn)無法預(yù)料的財(cái)政危機(jī)時(shí)得到銀行貸款。因此，我知道沒有理由驚惶失措，即使是通貨膨脹或者出現(xiàn)經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退，我的將來也是有保障的。不論出現(xiàn)哪種情況，我的收入只不過是減少這些錢，那只是總數(shù)中的一小部分而已。

　　I decided to take the plunge, but waited another fortnight before I mailed the letter. I even paused briefly with the letter part way into the mail slot before I thrust the letter into the mailbox. I knew that the simple act of mailing that letter would alter my life.

　　我決定冒險(xiǎn)一試，但我又等了兩個星期才把信發(fā)出去。甚至在信已經(jīng)部分插入投信口時(shí)，還猶豫了一會兒才把它推進(jìn)郵筒。我知道寄出這封信的這一簡單舉動將改變我的生活。

　　I looked for clues to determine how striking the changes in my daily life would be. How would I spend my time? In spite of having many long yearly vacations when I could pursue other interests, I had not bothered to make an earnest effort to confine my activities to one particular hobby. Would I find life as a retiree boring? What new adventures might await me? Would I use my time to volunteer at a hospital or maybe work for a local charity? Maybe I would apply for membership in a golf league. Maybe I would donate my time and work with the Better Business Bureau. I night decide to enter local politics and run for a position on town council or I could run for the position of Deputy Mayor of my town, or maybe even consider submitting my name to be a candidate in an election for member of parliament. I would need to campaign and then wait to see if people would vote for me on Election Day at the polls.

　　我在尋找一些線索，以便決定如何就會日常生活的改變。我該如何消磨時(shí)光?盡管有了很多一年一次的假期，可以讓我追求其他的興趣愛好，我還是想盡力把我的活動放在追求一個特別的愛好上。我會厭煩退休人員的生活嗎?會有什么新的冒險(xiǎn)生活在等著我嗎?我會利用我的時(shí)間在一所醫(yī)院或者本地的一家慈善機(jī)構(gòu)做自愿服務(wù)者嗎?也許我會申請成為一個高爾夫球協(xié)會的會員。也許我會把時(shí)間貢獻(xiàn)出來為商業(yè)扶助局工作。我可以決定進(jìn)入本地的政界，競選市議會議員的位置，或者可以競選一下本市的副市長，甚至可以考慮讓自己成為國會議員選舉中的一位候選人。我需要參加競選活動，然后，等著看是否有人會在選舉日到投票處把票投給我。

　　In spite of the fact that the possibilities all had merit, I had to admit that I only had a superficial interest in pursuing any of them. In fact, I was indifferent to most of the options. Did I think they might interfere with other commitments or mean I would have to cancel other appointments? Or was I just too attached to the idea of teaching, feeling that it formed part of my identity?

　　盡管這些可能的選擇都是有益的，我必須承認(rèn)我對它們之中的任何一個都沒有多大興趣。事實(shí)上，我對其中的大多數(shù)選擇都不動心。是否因?yàn)槲艺J(rèn)為它們可能干擾我決定要做的其他事情，或者意味著我將不得不取消其他的約會呢?還是我對教書的想法太執(zhí)著，覺得那已經(jīng)成為我自身的一部分?

　　I examined my emotions about the new direction my life would take. Would retirement add a new dimension to my life and multiply my feeling of satisfaction or would the world apprehension be more applicable?

　　我在心里仔細(xì)衡量著我的新生活究竟要走向何方。是退休給我的生活帶來一種全新的方式，使我倍感稱心呢，還是(走出去與人)溝通交流更切實(shí)可行?

　　Did I feel guilty about not being gainfully employed when I was qualified and capable? As a certified teacher, did I feel obligated to work in the field of education? Did I feel entitled to sleep in late each day, or would that bother my conscience? Would I simply grow old gracefully or would feel that ridiculous?

　　當(dāng)我夠資格有能力但沒被高薪聘用時(shí)，我會覺得慚愧嗎?作為一個有執(zhí)業(yè)資格的教師，我是覺得有義務(wù)在教育領(lǐng)域里工作嗎?我覺得有資格每天睡懶覺呢，還是那樣會使我良心不安?我是這樣悠閑地衰老下去呢，還是會覺得那樣很可笑?

　　My instincts told me that although I would feel grateful for my good health, curiosity about other countries and lifestyles would overtake the desire to spend my time with senior citizens, playing board games, such as chess all day. Wouldnt I rather learn about other cultures and at the same time be an ambassador for my own country?

　　我本能地告訴我，盡管我覺得身體很健康，應(yīng)該保持，但對其他國家和其他生活方式的好奇心，超過了希望把時(shí)間花在與老人們整天玩像國際象棋這樣的棋盤游戲上。難道我不能學(xué)習(xí)其他文化，同時(shí)做一名我自己國家文化的使者嗎?

　　I began to inquire about opportunities and whenever I searched the internet for jobs, I always seemed be drawn like a magnet to the category of teaching. It did not take long before I found that there were countless positions available in many countries. Amid the listings I identified several that were for teaching positions in China.

　　我開始尋找機(jī)會，每當(dāng)我搜索互聯(lián)網(wǎng)尋找工作時(shí)，我總是像一塊磁石一樣被吸引到教學(xué)目錄上。沒過多久，我就發(fā)現(xiàn)在許多國家可以得到數(shù)不盡的工作。在這些目錄表中，我挑選了幾個在中國的教書工作。

　　I decided that I would communicate with some of the people offering these positions. I sent e-mails and made phone calls to several prospective employers. The feedback that I got from most of them was that they expected me to bring all the resources necessary. How could I pack enough in my baggage to provide what was needed? I was inclined to look for a situation where books were provided. I wanted to sign a contract for only one semester but found that most positions were for one or two years. I could sympathize with the amount of paper work needed to arrange for a person to accept one of those positions and realized that it was wiser for people to spend a year or two in one location. I attended seminars by companies trying to recruit teachers. I found several companies that captured my interest.

　　我決定與提供這些工作的人聯(lián)系。我給幾個有希望雇用我的雇主發(fā)電子郵件，打電話。他們中的大部分回答說，他們希望我?guī)纤斜匦璧馁Y料。我怎樣才能在我的行李中裝上足夠的東西以備所需呢?我傾向于找一個能提供書籍的地方。我只想簽一個學(xué)期的合同，但發(fā)現(xiàn)大多數(shù)的職位是一年或二年。我可以理解，要安排一個人擔(dān)任其中一個職位，要做的工作量相當(dāng)大，并認(rèn)識到受聘人員在一個地方呆一年或兩年是更明智的。我參加了想招聘老師的公司的討論會。我發(fā)現(xiàn)了幾個我感興趣的公司。

　　I began to review my options. I asked specific questions about the positions with companies that sincerely interested me. I inquired about how many suitcases I would be allowed to bring and what the living accommodations would be. It was refreshing to realize that there was a big demand for people who could teach English. Several positions seemed superior in their benefits and they sparked my interest even more. I especially wanted to teach students at the secondary or high school level rather than middle school.

　　我開始核實(shí)我的選擇。我向真正對我感興趣的公司問了幾個特定的有關(guān)職位方面的問題。我詢問我可以帶多少個手提箱，食宿條件如何。了解到對教英語的人有這么大的需求，真是令人振奮不已。有幾個職位在待遇方面好像不錯，這更加激發(fā)了我的興趣。我特別想教的是高中而不是初中。

　　I could hardly believe that I was contemplating dong this at this age of my life. At times I felt that it was a radical idea but I also realized that I had always had the desire to have this kind of experience but circumstances never seemed quite right. Now they were. I decided to proceed.

　　我?guī)缀醪幌嘈旁谖乙簧械倪@個階段還希望做這件事。有時(shí)，我覺得這是一個過激的想法，但是我也知道我一直有想獲得這種經(jīng)歷的欲望，只是環(huán)境從來沒有這么合適。現(xiàn)在是時(shí)候了。我決定堅(jiān)持下去。

　　I made an oral agreement with a company. I read their written contracts, clause by clause; to be sure nothing had been omitted from the oral agreement. In spite of wanting the clause about staying two years to be deleted, I signed the legal contract after a few minor changes were made and initialed in the margin.

　　我與一家公司達(dá)成了一個口頭協(xié)議。然后我一條一條地讀了他們的書面合同，確信沒有從口頭協(xié)議中漏掉什么。盡管很想刪掉關(guān)于工作二年的那一條，但在做了一些較小的變動后，我簽署了法律合同并在頁邊簽字。

　　There were many details to consider. After choosing the company that I wanted to work for, I still had to take a long time look at my circumstances. I decided that I would sell my car, put my personal belongings in storage and rent my house. A lot of time and effort was required to make all the arrangements. I decided to tackle one aspect at a time.

　　還有很多細(xì)節(jié)要考慮。在選定了我要去工作的公司后，我還花了很長時(shí)間認(rèn)真地考慮我現(xiàn)在的狀況。我決定賣掉我的汽車，把我的個人財(cái)產(chǎn)保存好，并把我的房子租出去。做好所有這些安排要花許多時(shí)間和精力。我決定一件一件來處理。

　　The first thing I targeted was to sell my car. As a matter of principle, I felt that the value of the car would depreciate over the time I was out of the country. The sensible strategy was to sell it. Fortunately, my niece wanted to buy the car.

　　我要做的第一件事是賣掉我的汽車。事實(shí)上，我覺得在我出國這段時(shí)間里汽車會貶值，明智的辦法就是賣掉它。正好，我的侄女想買這輛汽車。

　　I made a list of things to take with me. I was advised to take auxiliary light. I packed battery-operated flashlights to be used to case of power failure. I included a waterproof jacket in case I needed to walk to school in the rain.

　　我列出了一個我要帶走的物品的清單。有人勸我?guī)陷o助照明設(shè)備。我在包里裝進(jìn)了使用電池的手電筒，以備萬一停電時(shí)使用。我也沒忘帶上一件防水夾克，以防下雨時(shí)需要步行。

　　I needed to sort my belongings. I had to decide what to save and what to pitch out. For example, I decidedI no longer needed my typewriter, as I only used my computer for word processing now, so I decided to give it away.

　　我需要的把我的財(cái)產(chǎn)分類。我必須決定哪些東西保留，哪些東西扔掉。例如，我決定不再需要打字機(jī)了，因?yàn)楝F(xiàn)在我只用計(jì)算機(jī)作文字處理，于是我決定把它贈送給別人。

　　I made many lists and developed a cold as a way to catalogue my possessions. As I packed items in cardboard boxes, I made a list regarding the contents on the outside of each box. I packed dishes in towels to protect them. Many times I had to undo a box because I forgot to list the contents. When I finally snapped the lid of a box shut, I sealed it with transparent tape and checked to be sure that it would not loosen. I also included another tag, which gave each box a number because all cardboard boxes look identical. I was careful not to abbreviate the names of items in the lists lest that would mislead me as to the contents. I continued with this method, which also created an index of items. It seemed the rational way to coordinate and organize things. I remarked many times during this phase of my preparations that I had not realized I had so much gear.

　　我做了許多目錄，還作了編碼，作為對我的東西進(jìn)行分類的一個辦法。當(dāng)我把這些物品裝入紙板箱時(shí)，在每個箱子的外面，我再作一個所裝物品的目錄。我用毛巾把盤子包起來保護(hù)它們不會破碎。有很多次，我因?yàn)橥浟谐鏊b的東西而不得不再次把箱子打開。當(dāng)我在最后啪嗒一聲關(guān)上箱子蓋子的時(shí)候，我就用透明膠帶把它封好，并進(jìn)行檢查，確信它不會松動。我還準(zhǔn)備了另一個標(biāo)簽，為每個箱子編一個數(shù)字，因?yàn)樗械募埌逑淇瓷先ナ且粯拥摹Ｎ液苄⌒?，不在目錄中縮寫每一件的名字以免使我認(rèn)錯里面的東西。我繼續(xù)使用這個方法，還編制了一個物品索引。看來這是一個組織協(xié)調(diào)的合理方法。在準(zhǔn)備期間，我多次感嘆，我怎么會有這么多雜物。

　　At times I had to laugh at myself. My activities seemed like they would make a good script for a comedy. Maybe I should write a play about what I was doing and copyright it. It certainly would be good for a few scenes on a soap opera.

　　有時(shí)，我不得不自我解嘲。我的活動好像可以作為一出喜劇的好素材。也許我應(yīng)該把我正在做的事情寫成一個劇本并取得版權(quán)，作為一出肥皂劇里面的幾幕肯定是不錯的。

　　On the spur of the moment I decided to loan my sofa and my rug to my niece who was moving to a larger home. That would mean a few less things to put into storage.

　　我不假思索地就決定把我的沙發(fā)和我的小地毯借給我的侄女，她就要搬到一個較大的家了。這意味著可以少儲藏幾件東西了。

　　I fulfilled my obligation to provide proof of good health. I had a chest x-ray taken. I had a complete physical examination. I had dental check up. Because my health reports all indicated I was in excellent health, all of the health care professionals I visited encouraged me to pursue my adventure.

　　我履行了提供身體健康證明的義務(wù)。我作了X光胸透，還作了一個全面的體檢，并且檢查了牙齒。因?yàn)樗械慕】祱?bào)告都表明我身體很好，我拜訪過的那些保健專家都鼓勵我去從事我的冒險(xiǎn)活動。

　　I renewed my passport, my proof of identity as a Canadian citizen. I knew that once I arrived in China I would also be registered with the Canadian Embassy.

　　我延長了護(hù)照的期限，那是確認(rèn)我是一個加拿大公民的證明。一旦抵達(dá)中國，我還要在加拿大使館登記。

　　My familys reaction when I told them about my plans was as expected. Although they sanctioned my idea and supported me the endeavor, they were sad to think that I would be half way across the world for such a long time. The frown on my grandsons face told me that the situation would be especially difficult for him and that he might feel neglected by me.