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.
《徒步横过美乡》第一章：“就位、准备…”
与其说一大堆关于徒步游美所想达致的伟大目标，不如就简单地這么说吧：哪时候计划远赴香港工作，为了交流，自己想做点准备工夫；于是决心实地走访本乡。本乡正是美国。
徒步漫游美国，在体力方面，问题不大，因为自己毕竟是个马拉松跑手。最需要的反而是心理准备。换言之，身心都要同样坚毅。然而，搜网借镜，结果踫到了的、大抵多谈英雄事迹及途上艳遇。说真的，本人无意強充“蓝宝” 史泰龙，更无必要把自己幻化成罗蜜欧。说到底，还是自己摸索好了。
实用主义大师约翰·杜威沒错：学者即行者。
于是呢，每逢周末、就背着行囊徒步漫游麻省，距离原居的大学城越远越好。不过，话说回来，在不远处的波士顿倒令我学到了不少市井之道。同时，发觉如果有伴同行，人家对我就会少一分猜疑。想想，你我都是社群动物，实在沒有孤身走路的必要。好吧，我就收养了一只狗。且住，养狗不是因为佩服马克·吐温哪句“慧语”：“越知人者越爱其犬。” 只不过、与犬同行，可免与人同行的人际纠葛。爱犬随行，人家果然对我少些戒心。还有呢，偶尔携這壮犬，不牵牠、不绊牠，双双漫行阿巴拉契亚山区（美东与内陆之间的天然屏障），更被当地人（外称所谓“红脖子”，笔者加上引号，无任何贬义）受落。当下有此感觉：究竟是我在训练狗儿，还是狗儿在训练我，一时弄不清楚。弄不清楚，相干么？
（待续）
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甜虫虫文友美語朗讀:
《念奴嬌：答謝甜虫虫文友美語朗讀拙作》
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
