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美国故事 SENEWS-2006-1118-Feature

时间:2007-05-14 01:37来源:互联网 提供网友:ahmy88   字体: [ ]
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I arrived in America one sunny morning. But I did not feel I was here yet. Flying on an airplane from Lagos, Nigeria to New York City, to Los Angeles, California1 did not carry my mind with me right away. I had to catch up with my body.

The United2 States is where I had wanted to live for a long time. Now here I was, driving through the desert of Los Angeles. The land was cut through with long wide roads that were too smooth and flat to seem real. The roads had no holes or other blocks that I was used to at home. Outside my car window, the high hard gray rocks did not welcome me. Was this really be home? During my first month, I like to drive through well-known3 costly4 areas of Los Angeles, such as Sunset5 Boulevard, Wilshire Boulevard and Redeo Drive.

The buildings there were tall, shiny6 and in strange shapes. The stores were filled with clothes and other costly things I could not imagine buying or wearing. On my way home, I drove7 through poor/ areas of Los Angeles. People sat in the street asking for money. The buildings were dirty and their windows had no glass. The area filled me with fear. Which side of America would I end up in, the rich or the poor? I came to this country with nothing, but I believed I had a chance here. In America, anyone could become rich, right?

I was very lonely. I had left all my family behind in Nigeria. When I got tired of staying inside the house, I took walks up some hills near my house. I wanted to feel the sun, touch the warm earth and see the blue sky that was the same as the one at home. There were no huge trees with thick spreading branches and heavy green leaves to protect me from the sun. the soil was not dark-brown and rich, it was light-brown and dry like sand. There were small stones everywhere and small brown bushes8 covered the hillsides. Again, I had to face the fact that this was not home which was all I had known. Only the strong, steady9 shine of the sun was the same. That at least made me happy. The sun was my first friend.

I decided10 to join a walking group that I read about in a local newspaper. I had been brave enough to leave my home thousands of miles away. Surely11 I could meet new people and forced myself to talk to them. One late Saturday, we gathered at the bottom of the Outdina Hills east of Los Angeles. It was slowly growing dark. Everyone was wearing blue jeans and T-shirts except me. It was as if someone had told them what to wear. Instead, I wore a dress and walked alone behind family groups. The children spoke12 in high American voices. I kept waiting for them to speak normally13, that is without in American accent. To me, normal meant Nigerian. Would my voice become American like theirs?

The leader of the walking group was a man who knew all about plants that grew in the Sima Desert. He talked about burroweed, chaparral and other plants. He kept on talking. Suddenly in the dark, fireflies appeared, turning on and off like little lights. The small lights shone like stars floating among us. All of us were silent14 including the group leader and the children. Then the children tried to catch the moving lights, laughing and running around. The parents smiled. Suddenly I said, “We have lots of fireflies at home.” My voice sounded strange even to me. I did not know what make me talk? The others turned and asked, “Where is home?” I answered, “Nigeria.” They were surprised and asked even more questions. One boy shouted, “Africa? Do you have lions in your homes?” Another child asked, “Do you eat zebra meat? And please take me back with you!” Everyone laughed and I did too. They asked more questions as we returned back down the hill. They were very friendly. What a difference it makes to talk to people? This warmed my heart and I drove home, smiling.

I got a job as an administrative15 assistant at an oil company. I was paid 12 dollars an hour. It was more money than I had ever been paid in my life! I had a college degree. In Nigeria I had worked for the government, but I had trouble paying all my expenses. So now in Los Angeles I felt rich, even if I was poor compared to other Americans. What could I do but spend money? I was too excited to save it. I bought a car which I could pay for for over six years. That would be easy. I bought a wide new bed with shiny gold designs on it. It was a large queen-size bed just for me! I bought clothes too of course. Clothes for the office and clothes for church; clothes for night parties and afternoon parties even though I had not been invited to any parties yet. Now I needed shoes to match all those dresses, blouses and pants. At home I had one black pair of shoes for work and another for church and parties. Now I could buy high-heels, boots, open-toe shoes, leather and suede16 shoes, shoes in blue, red, green and white. I, too, would wear new shoes only. I bought a television, radio, computer, a music system and new things for my kitchen. For once, all these things were mine and they were all new! I would not have to share them with ten other people. All I had to do was give the salesperson17 my credit18 card and she let me take whatever I wanted. It was as if no real money was involved. She also said I did not have to pay right away. Imagine that! My small apartment became full. Boxes of all sizes now sat in my living room. They did not move or talk to me. Shopping and unpacking19 and reorganizing my apartment took up all my time. But what else did I have to do? Things instead of people filled my life.

Most of the people I worked with were much younger than I was. They had just finished college. They all hoped to get other jobs doing what they really wanted to do. Michael wrote screenplays for movies, but he had not sold any of his screenplays yet. John, Lily and Tuwana took acting20 classes. They said someday they would act in movies or at least in television. And what about me? They asked, why did I come to Los Angeles? I said I was looking for a better life, to make more money and be independent. “And of course you have found it,” Lily said, “That's great!” Michael added21, “You are very lucky to be in the United States. Everybody wants to come here.”

Later that evening I was having dinner, alone with my boxes. I asked myself, “Had I found a better life?” I realized that I had never eaten a meal by myself before I came to America. My co-workers got used to me and I got used to them. They often invited me to eat and drink with them after work. Lily, Michael and Peter talked about their big plans for the future most of the time. They kept asking me: “what do you really want?" “You mean if I have a choice?” I asked. They laughed, “Of course you have a choice.” Lily said, “It’s your life!” They all said together. To tell the truth, I had not really thought about my life that way. I had always done what was necessary not what I wanted. Now I had nothing to stop me. What did I really want? I could go back to school and study nursing22, teaching23, business management or art. I could read my secrete24 poems in coffee shops all over the city. I could get a loan to open a business for…

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1 California FxizMX     
n.加利福尼亚(美国)
参考例句:
  • He was elected governor of the state of California.他当选为加州州长。
  • We were driving on a California freeway.我们正沿着加利福尼亚的一条快车道驾车行驶。
2 united Yfmz2c     
adj.和谐的;团结的;联合的,统一的
参考例句:
  • The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
  • The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。
3 known hpKzdc     
adj.大家知道的;知名的,已知的
参考例句:
  • He is a known artist.他是一个知名的艺术家。
  • He is known both as a painter and as a statesman.他是知名的画家及政治家。
4 costly 7zXxh     
adj.昂贵的,价值高的,豪华的
参考例句:
  • It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
  • This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用,左不过贵了些。
5 sunset FUwzh     
n.日落;衰落时期(尤指人的晚年)
参考例句:
  • They'll work on till sunset.他们将继续工作,直到日落。
  • The sunset was a very beautiful sight.那落日真是一幅美景。
6 shiny gEyzi     
adj.有光泽的,发光的,辉煌的
参考例句:
  • What shiny shoes you're wearing!你穿的鞋子擦得真亮啊!
  • All the cups are clean and shiny.所有的杯子都很干净明亮。
7 drove brAxi     
vbl.驾驶,drive的过去式;n.畜群
参考例句:
  • He drove at a speed of sixty miles per hour.他以每小时60英里的速度开车。
  • They drove foreign goods out of the market.他们把外国货驱逐出市场。
8 bushes 34aa67dd9b2ec411c4fcb7109a0f5922     
n.灌木(丛)( bush的名词复数 );[机械学](金属)衬套;[电学](绝缘)套管;类似灌木的东西(尤指浓密的毛发或皮毛)
参考例句:
  • There was someone skulking behind the bushes. 有人藏在灌木后面。
  • The boy chased his sister in and out among the bushes. 那个男孩在灌木丛里跟着他姐姐追过来追过去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
9 steady guyw5     
adj.稳定的,不动摇的,沉着的,稳固的,坚定的,可靠的;vt.使稳定
参考例句:
  • She has a steady income.她有固定的收入。
  • He is a steady young man.他是一个稳重的年轻人。
10 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
11 surely yrRwj     
adv.确实地,无疑地;必定地,一定地
参考例句:
  • It'should surely be possible for them to reach an agreement.想必他们可以达成协议。
  • Surely we'll profit from your work.我们肯定会从你的工作中得到益处。
12 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
13 normally ln8zVb     
adv.正常地,通常地
参考例句:
  • I normally do all my shopping on Saturdays.我通常在星期六买东西。
  • My pulse beats normally.我脉搏正常。
14 silent eEVz8     
adj.安静的,不吵闹的,沉默的,无言的;n.(复数)默剧
参考例句:
  • Immediately on his beginning to speak,everyone was silent.他一讲话,大家顿时安静下来。
  • The boys looked at the conjuror in silent wonder. 孩子们目瞪口呆地看着那魔术师。
15 administrative fzDzkc     
adj.行政的,管理的
参考例句:
  • The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
  • He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。
16 suede 6sXw7     
n.表面粗糙的软皮革
参考例句:
  • I'm looking for a suede jacket.我想买一件皮制茄克。
  • Her newly bought suede shoes look very fashionable.她新买的翻毛皮鞋看上去非常时尚。
17 salesperson 7Yoxa     
n.售货员,营业员,店员
参考例句:
  • A salesperson works in a shop.售货员在商店工作。
  • Vanessa is a salesperson in a woman's wear department.凡妮莎是女装部的售货员。
18 credit pOGzH     
n.信用,荣誉,贷款,学分;v.归功于,赞颂,信任
参考例句:
  • I credit him with a certain amount of sense.我认为他有一定的见识。
  • He got the credit,and we did the dirty work.他得荣誉,我们做不讨好的工作。
19 unpacking 4cd1f3e1b7db9c6a932889b5839cdd25     
n.取出货物,拆包[箱]v.从(包裹等)中取出(所装的东西),打开行李取出( unpack的现在分词 );拆包;解除…的负担;吐露(心事等)
参考例句:
  • Joe sat on the bed while Martin was unpacking. 马丁打开箱子取东西的时候,乔坐在床上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • They are unpacking a trunk. 他们正在打开衣箱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
20 acting czRzoc     
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的
参考例句:
  • Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她,她只是假装的。
  • During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代,她的表演生涯黯然失色。
21 added mzJzm0     
adj.更多的,附加的,额外的
参考例句:
  • They have added a new scene at the beginning.在开头他们又增加了一场戏。
  • The pop music added to our enjoyment of the film.片中的流行音乐使我们对这部电影更加喜爱。
22 nursing dmKzyp     
n.看护,养育,授乳
参考例句:
  • She takes up nursing as a career.她以看护为职业。
  • They trained her for nursing.他们培训她做护理工作。
23 teaching ngEziT     
n.教学,执教,任教,讲授;(复数)教诲
参考例句:
  • We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
  • He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。
24 secrete hDezG     
vt.分泌;隐匿,使隐秘
参考例句:
  • The pores of your body secrete sweat.身上的毛孔分泌汗液。
  • Squirrels secrete a supply of nuts for winter.松鼠为准备过冬而藏坚果。
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