Walking Across America (Bilingual Version) by Lingyang Jiang
Chapter One “Get set…”
I hate to get bored. I therefore won’t bore you with all those lofty motives in my walking across America. Let’s just say I had a plan to work in Hong Kong. I wanted to make sure that I had enough facts on the American ground to share in that part of the world. Globalization doesn’t exclude localization. It would be a shame if I didn’t know much about the neck of my woods. America is the neck of my woods.
Myself a marathoner, I was in good shape for training to walk mile after mile each and every day, rain or shine. That’s the easy part, relatively speaking. What’s hard was to enable myself to take on the psychological toll whatever that meant. With all due respect to all those across-America walkers I ran into on the internet, I had learned of their heroism and romance so much that I couldn't help but wonder if fact and fiction were interchangeable. Yes, I might expect a mean-spirited sheriff in some small town, but I couldn’t imagine myself as a reincarnated Rambo. Yes, I might expect a friendly conversation with a beauty somewhere, but I couldn’t imagine myself as a reincarnated Romeo.
Learning by doing. Thank you, John Dewey!
Away from my college town, I backpacked around Massachusetts just about every weekend. Boston is actually close by, but it made no less sense to me. The Cradle of Liberty turned out to be quite an awesome training ground for getting myself more street-smart. I quickly learned that I needed a fellow traveler to avoid unnecessary suspicion. By the way, I am a social creature just like you. So I adopted a dog. It didn’t mean I agreed with Mark Twain who once said, “The more I know people, the more I love my dog.” I simply couldn’t afford the cons of human companionship even though I readily appreciated the pros of it.
With a lovely dog in tow, I was better-received by strangers in my home state. Walking with an unleashed formidable dog practically as my equal, I was much much better-received by strangers when I ventured out into the Appalachian Mountains every now and then. I was training my dog while my dog was training me.
I was a Johnny-come-lately to the scene of dog adoption. Well, better late than never. Anyway, you will hear a lot more about my dog if you care to keep up with me. You’d better do.
To be continued …
My fiancée, her kid sister, and our four-legged family member. My across-America dog has found a place in heaven recently.
《徒步橫過美鄉》第一章：“就位、準備…”
與其說一大堆關於徒步遊美所想達致的偉大目標，不如就簡單地這麽說吧：哪時候計劃遠赴香港工作，為了交流，自己想做點準備工夫；於是決心實地走訪本鄉。本鄉正是美國。
徒步漫遊美國，在體力方麵，問題不大，因為自己畢竟是個馬拉鬆跑手。最需要的反而是心理準備。換言之，身心都要同樣堅毅。然而，搜網借鏡，結果踫到了的、大抵多談英雄事跡及途上豔遇。說真的，本人無意強充“藍寶” 史泰龍，更無必要把自己幻化成羅蜜歐。說到底，還是自己摸索好了。
實用主義大師約翰·杜威沒錯：學者即行者。
於是呢，每逢周末、就背著行囊徒步漫遊麻省，距離原居的大學城越遠越好。不過，話說回來，在不遠處的波士頓倒令我學到了不少市井之道。同時，發覺如果有伴同行，人家對我就會少一分猜疑。想想，你我都是社群動物，實在沒有孤身走路的必要。好吧，我就收養了一隻狗。且住，養狗不是因為佩服馬克·吐溫哪句“慧語”：“越知人者越愛其犬。” 隻不過、與犬同行，可免與人同行的人際糾葛。愛犬隨行，人家果然對我少些戒心。還有呢，偶爾攜這壯犬，不牽牠、不絆牠，雙雙漫行阿巴拉契亞山區（美東與內陸之間的天然屏障），更被當地人（外稱所謂“紅脖子”，筆者加上引號，無任何貶義）受落。當下有此感覺：究竟是我在訓練狗兒，還是狗兒在訓練我，一時弄不清楚。弄不清楚，相幹麽？
（待續）
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甜蟲蟲文友美語朗讀:
《念奴嬌：答謝甜蟲蟲文友美語朗讀拙作》
西風客裏、憶東風祝酒，朔風吟雪；
更憶荷風吹岸綠，最憶稻香吳越。
暗憶前生：拂塵驕柳，腰細偏難折。
今生愛似、柳絲長繫江浙。
一夢再夢春航，放舟輕渡，萬水開懷闊。
背向京華揮兩袖，忘顧飛花飛沫。
默默遙思、慈顏笑對，相見深深靨。
天涯歸晚，掛帆先掛鄉月。
—— 颺
譜據龍榆生「念奴嬌」定格
韻從《詞林正韻》第十八部入聲
