My Christmas Vacation
我的聖誕假期
During lunch all my friends were talking about their families' plans for the winter break. Some were visiting grandparents in Florida, while others were going to these great-sounding Caribbean resorts . My brother had even been invited by his friend's family to go to Aruba . I was more than a little jealous since my parents couldn't take vacation during Christmas week, and I would be stuck at home shoveling snow while everyone else was lying on the beach.
吃午飯的時候，我所有的朋友都在談論他們全家關於聖誕假期的計劃。有的人要去佛羅里達州看望自己的祖父母，而其他一些人則打算去加勒比海沿岸大名鼎鼎的度假勝地。我哥哥甚至還曾經被他朋友一家邀請去阿魯巴島遊玩。我超級嫉妒他們，因為我父母在聖誕周不能休假，當其他人都躺在沙灘上的時候，我卻要待在家裡剷雪。
I came home from school that day to find a newsletter from the Jewish Community Center, which contained an ad for an "alternative vacation" community-service trip to New Orleans during Christmas week, supported by the UJA Federation. The trip was titled Tikkun Olam, which in Hebrew means "repairing the world". I wondered whether cleaning neighborhoods destroyed by Hurricane Katrina and sleeping on the floor in a sleeping bag was really the way I wanted to spend Christmas vacation. I sent in an application anyway, went for an interview, and was actually very excited when I was accepted into the program.
那天我放學回到家裡，發現了一封來自猶太人社區中心的新聞通訊，信裡有一個聖誕周“另類假期”的廣告，這是一個由猶太人聯合會贊助的去往新奧爾良的社區服務之旅。此次行程取名為“Tikkun Olam”，這個詞在希伯來文中是“修復世界”的意思。清理被卡特里娜颶風摧毀的社區，還要睡在地板上的睡袋裡——我不知道自己是不是真的想要以這樣的方式來度過自己的聖誕假期。不管怎樣，我提交了一份申請，參加了面試，而當我最終獲選參加這個項目的時候，我真的非常興奮。
The trip was only part of the commitment to the program. First, there were meetings to get to know the 11 other kids and to give us background on the hurricanes, the rescue efforts, and the devastation that still existed in New Orleans. Then there were fund-raising activities, including writing letters to neighbors, friends, and family, bake sales, and car washes to cover our traveling expenses and to donate to the people of New Orleans.
社區服務只是這個項目的一部分工作任務。首先，組織者召開了幾次會議，讓我們結識了參與這個項目的其他11個孩子，瞭解到了卡特里娜颶風的相關背景知識、救援工作以及新奧爾良目前仍遭遇的受損情況。接下來就是籌款活動，包括寫信給鄰居、朋友、家人，通過賣麵包和幫人洗車來籌集我們的交通費以及捐贈給新奧爾良人的款項。
I had never been so far from home by myself, and I was a little nervous at the airport the day we left for Louisiana. At least, the weather should be warm, I thought. Little did I know, the week ahead would be the most inspiring experience of my life.
我從來沒有自己一個人離開家去那麼遠的地方，所以在我們啟程前往路易斯安那州的那天，我在機場裡覺得有一點緊張。我想，至少新奧爾良的天氣應該暖和。而我當時沒有想到的是，接下來的一週將會是我人生中最鼓舞人心的一次經歷。
We arrived in New Orleans on December 23. First, we had dinner at a pizza place that had been destroyed by the hurricane. The owners told us about how they had been forced to move to Mississippi, what they experienced when they returned to New Orleans, and their ordeal trying to rebuild their lives and the restaurant.
.12月23日，我們抵達了新奧爾良。我們先在一家曾經被颶風摧毀的比薩店裡吃了晚餐。店主向我們講述了他們如何被迫搬到密西西比州，以及他們回到新奧爾良時所經歷的一切，還有他們在試圖重建自己的生活和餐廳時所遭遇的困難與考驗。
On Christmas Eve, we spent the day whacking weeds, removing garbage, and unloading tiles as part of a beautification project in the Lower Ninth Ward . This area of the city is closest to the mouth of the Mississippi River and therefore was most heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Even today, properties still remain in ruins. Property owners spoke to us about having to live in trailers for more than two years, and what they have gone through to rebuild their homes. From where we worked, we could see the pink tents of the Make It Right Project, a housing effort made famous by Brad Pitt.
在平安夜，我們花了一整天的時間拔除雜草、清除垃圾和拆卸斷瓦，這些都是下九區美化工程的一部分。這片城區是新奧爾良市最接近密西西比河口的一個地區，因此也是遭到卡特里娜颶風破壞最嚴重的一個地區。即便如今，這裡仍然是一片廢墟。一些房屋的主人告訴我們，他們不得不在活動房屋裡住了兩年多。他們還給我們講述了在重建家園的過程中所遇到的種種困難。在我們工作的地方，我們可以看到由“安置計劃”提供的一個個粉紅色的帳篷，這項計劃是因布拉德·皮特的努力而聞名的一個住房安置工程。
On Christmas Day, we worked at a recovery and treatment center for addicts, preparing and serving Christmas dinner to homeless people. The people really appreciated our work, and we felt like we had made Christmas a little more special for them. Afterward, we met with members of a local temple. We saw how the walls of the temple had been damaged by ten feet of floodwater. Then we sorted prayer books and ritual objects, and helped clean the grounds of the synagogue .
聖誕節那天，我們在一個吸毒者康復治療中心工作，為那些無家可歸的人準備了聖誕晚餐。那些人非常感激我們的工作，這讓我們感到他們的聖誕節因為我們而變得更特別一些了。在此之後，我們去見了當地猶太教堂的人。我們看到了那個教堂的牆壁被十英尺高的洪水破壞之後的樣子。然後，我們分類整理了禱告經文以及儀式用的禮 器，還幫助他們清理了教堂的地面。
One of my favorite projects was helping at an animal rescue center. We walked the animals, cleaned their crates, and fed them. Six thousand dogs and cats, separated from their owners, were rescued by that shelter after the hurricane. I remember hearing horrible stories on TV of people who refused to evacuate because they weren't allowed to bring their pets with them. Hearing these sad stories again from the animal rescue workers made me miss my own dog.
我最喜歡的項目之一是在動物救護中心幫忙。我們帶動物散步，清洗它們居住的箱子，給它們餵食。在颶風之後，六千隻跟主人失散了的小貓小狗在這個避難所中得到了救助。我記得我曾經在電視上看到過這樣可怕的故事：在颶風來臨前夕，因為有規定不允許將寵物帶在身邊，有的人拒絕撤離。當我從那些動物救護人員口中再次聽到這些令人難過的故事時，我開始想念自己的狗了。
The following day, we went to see St. Bernard Parish, a section of New Orleans completely destroyed by the hurricane. For more than two months this area had no electricity, clean water, or proper sewage . The homes we saw were uninhabitable . We met a man who had been living in a shelter and then a trailer. We spent the day helping him try to find the driveway of his house under all the debris . We had to wear special suits, goggles , and masks. Taking a shower that night felt really good!
第二天，我們去查看了聖伯納德教區的情況，那是新奧爾良市一個被颶風完全摧毀了的教區。有兩個多月的時間裡，這個教區沒有電，也沒有潔淨的水或正常的汙水處理系統。我們所看到的房屋都無法居住。我們遇到了一個人，他最初住在避難所，後來又一直生活在活動房屋裡。我們花了一天時間，儘量幫他在瓦礫廢墟之中找到他家的車道。我們必須穿上一種特製的衣服，戴上護目鏡和麵罩。那天晚上洗澡的感覺真是好極了！
Even though we did a lot of work that resulted in some sore muscles, we had plenty of time to see New Orleans and enjoy its famous food and culture. We went to Preservation Hall for a jazz concert, visited the French Quarter (which was as awesome as people told me it would be), and had a haunted history tour. We ate authentic Cajun food and seafood gumbo , and we tried the hot chocolate and beignets (fritters ) at Café Du Monde. We also spent some time with New Orleans Jews, and students from local B'nai B'rith organizations joined many of our community service activities.
儘管我們的工作量很大，導致肌肉痠痛不已，但我們還是有很多時間去到處看看新奧爾良，去享受這座城市著名的美食和文化。我們去典藏廳聽了一場爵士音樂會，參觀了法國區(它確實名不虛傳)，還進行了一次鬼魅的歷史之旅。我們吃到了正宗的法裔路易斯安那食物和海鮮秋葵濃湯，在新奧爾良的杜夢咖啡廳喝了熱巧克力，吃了法式帶餡煎餅(塊)。我們還和新奧爾良的猶太人一起度過了一些時光，當地的聖約之子會的學生們也參與了我們社區的很多服務活動。
When I returned to New York and told my friends about my trip, I realized how ridiculous I had been to be jealous of their Christmas plans. I looked around at my house, my dog, my family, and everything I owned and felt really spoiled. All the things I saw in New Orleans, all the amazing people I met, and the small ways I was able to contribute to the rebuilding of the city made that week the most memorable vacation I can imagine.
當我回到紐約，把我的旅程講給朋友們聽時，我意識到自己當初嫉妒他們的聖誕假期計劃是多麼可笑。我環顧四周，看看我的房子、我的狗、我的家人以及我所擁有的一切，感覺自己真的是太幸福了。我在新奧爾良見到的一切，遇到的所有那些很棒的人以及我對於重建這個城市所貢獻的一點一滴，都令那個星期成為我能想到的最難忘的一個假期。
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