Nick 哥哥寫信來囉!!

回到美國唸書的Nick哥哥寫信來囉~ 請小偵探們開始動手翻字典吧!!喔~不~只是忽然QQ湄的腦中閃過這個邪惡的念頭：要不要來舉辦個小偵探英文翻譯比賽??? 得獎的小朋友"就有機會和大偵探一起去旅行"!!......顯然QQ湄想新學期的活動想瘋了~~哈

簡單翻譯如下 :

It is hard to be in America now, considering that I became quite accustomed to life in Taiwan. Furthermore, I became very comfortable in Cheng Long, even though it is a small village. I made lifelong friends there, through sharing art, life, and a house, and that is something that is hard to come by these days. It is as if we were family there. Saying "thank you" to Chao-mei, Guo-Child, Orange Juice, and Patrick would not be enough. They were terrific co-workers and friends and I miss them.

Nick哥哥說在台灣住慣了，回到美國不太適應哩!!特別是在成龍村，雖然村子小小的，但是他感到十分自在（Nick哥哥不喜歡台北都市的生活）。在成龍村裡，透過分享藝術、生活和房子，他遇到了一輩子的好朋友，大家像一家人一樣，真是謝謝QQmei、郭小孩、柳橙汁和派大馨，他們是超讚的工作伙伴和朋友 ，Nick哥哥好想念他們喔。 (真是不好意思~ 自己這樣翻譯!!）

Instead of dwelling on my time here in America, I will constantly think about my experiences in Cheng-Long and use these thoughts to continue to teach others how to make paper from plants. This art combines many cultures and has the ability to transform a centuries-old craft. This art also represents a human's ability to create something from pieces of nature we see every day, rather than pass by them without considering their usefulness and beauty. It is a way to respect ecosystems. In that vein, the work in Cheng Long has been successful.

Nick哥哥說，要他說些美國的生活（說嘛~說嘛!我們比較想聽這個耶!），他寧願繼續回想著在成龍村發生的點點滴滴，並想想可以如何利用這些經驗再繼續用植物來教其他人作紙。他認為手工紙這項藝術結合了許多文化和革新古老手工藝的技能；手工紙同時也展現了人們有運用隨手可得的自然物進行發明創造的能力，也因為能發現自然之美及價值，因此可說是一種尊重生態系的表現。在這樣的思考脈絡下，我們偵探社今年暑假的「紙此一家」超級任務，可說是圓滿成功的啦！

The wetland reed grows in great abundance in Cheng Long, and when I first began to soak and cook the reeds in the kitchen, the village neighbors would stop by and express their curiosity. Almost all of them thought it was impossible to make paper from this plant. A few weeks later, the children created beautiful paper from the wetland reeds, as well as banana leaves. They bound books in the traditional Chinese and Japanese method of bookbinding and used crayons and pastels to illustrate their stories. Education in Taiwan is much different from America, and maybe these children do not often have the chance to be creative. I am happy they had a chance this summer.

在成龍溼地裡長了許多蘆葦，Nick哥哥回想他第一次在大偵探宿舍的廚房裡煮紙漿時，村民們都很好奇地停佇觀望，幾乎大家都難以相信用這種植物可以作成紙。但是在幾個禮拜後，小偵探們陸續作出了蘆葦紙，還有香蕉紙。他們還學會用中國及日本傳統的方法來把紙裝訂縫製成書，最後還用蠟筆畫圖及寫故事。Nick哥哥說，根據他的觀察，台灣的教育方式和美國很不一樣（Nick哥哥之前在台北一邊學作紙，一邊也有在補習班教小朋友英文），台灣的小朋友不是很有機會去發揮創意及獨立思考的能力，但是他相信今年暑假小偵探都玩得很開心。

Each story reflects the personality of that child. It was very fun to see this development. I feel that they are proud of their unique creations. It was incredibly meaningful to watch them think about their stories and develop them during the last week of the project. They were shy to show their work, but gradually they became more comfortable about sharing it with me and their classmates.

每一本小偵探作的故事書都反應了每個小偵探的個性，看著一本本故事書成形很有意思。Nick哥哥覺得小偵探們最後都為自己獨一無二的作品感到驕傲。Nick哥哥說他真不敢相信小偵探們可以在最後一個禮拜思考並完成他們的故事。雖然小偵探們還是會害羞，但是他們已經慢慢地可以和Nick哥哥及其他同學們大方地分享自己的創作了。

I am confident that this summer workshop has helped develop the imagination of these children. I was very impressed by the patience and innovativeness the group of students had shown. They were intrigued by every step of the process.

Nick哥哥很有自信地說，今年暑假的偵探社活動對於小朋友想像力的培養是有幫助的。他對於小偵探表現出來的毅力及創造力印象深刻。大家的好奇心都展現在每一個階段裡。

In addition to the children learning, I also learned a lot. Specifically, I learned much about Taiwanese culture, including the local religious customs of Cheng Long and the surrounding areas. I had no problem immersing myself in the village, and I never found it boring or anything of that sort. We went to several local festivals and events and it was enlightening to explore the region by bicycle whenever I had the chance. And it is very special to look on that wetland during sunset. At that time, the beauty is overwhelming, and the egrets go to bed as the bats wake up. It was a joy and I miss it, even if it was a bit challenging sometimes being the only foreigner. I am sure that I will return some day.

除了作紙教學外，Nick哥哥說他也學到很多，特別是台灣傳統的文化，包括成龍村裡的廟會和鄰近的牽水狀他都有去參加。對於融入這個村子裡生活，Nick哥哥一點都不覺得有何困擾。他和大小偵探們一起參加許多地方性的活動與慶典，而只要一有機會，他也會自己騎著腳踏車四處去探險。Nick哥哥覺得成龍溼地的夕陽最有看頭了，每到傍晚，天空的雲彩變化萬千，當白鷺鷥準備回家睡覺時，就到了蝙蝠們該起床的時刻。雖然有時身為唯一的一個外國人還是會有些挑戰，但是那真是快樂的時光，讓他十分的懷念。Nick哥哥非常相信，有一天，他一定會再回來成龍村的。

I feel that the children have inspired me far more than I have inspired them and I will miss them and Cheng Long very much.

Nick哥哥感覺小朋友給他的啟發多過他所給小朋友的，他說他一定會一直非常想念小偵探們以及成龍村的。

And again, to Chao-mei, Guo-Child, Orange Juice, and Patrick: you all are like my Taiwanese family. While it has been difficult to leave, I know we will meet again in the future.

最後，Nick哥哥再次感謝了QQmei、郭小孩、柳橙汁和派大馨；他說：大偵探就像他在台灣的家人，雖然離別令人不捨，但相信未來大家一定會再相聚。

▲去機場前，Nick在大太陽下拼命地把在台灣買的特產塞進行理箱。