Baby Steps : Part 1/2

  Written by Henry Sorren / Edited by Sherry Sorren

我來自美國亞利桑納州，除了旅行之外，從來沒想過在美國以外的國家生活。兩年前的 18 歲生日許的願望與離開美國完全扯不上關係，誰知道六個月後的某一天，我已經在飛往台灣的班機上，有點胃痛的盯著窗外隨著高度上昇而漸漸變的袖珍的我所熟悉的美國城市。 班機離地表越來越遠，窗外的景色被靜靜飄浮的雲朵取代，窗邊是我最喜歡的位置，因為你可以從一個截然不同的角度看這世界，一個小時候幻想自己是超人在天空中來去自如的角度。往台灣的飛行時間將近 11 小時，雖然我面前的個人小螢幕閃爍著，電影裡人們的對話持續著，然而我的心思完全不再眼前的電影上，這只是試圖掩飾緊張的偽裝罷了。 百分之九十九的飛行時間我的雙眼只盯著窗外變換快速的景色，幻想著未來一年的台灣生活，以及要如何融入一個我從未想過的亞洲文化，心情在雀躍與擔憂中交錯著，時間也就漸漸過了，直到即將降落的機長廣播把我拉回現實。 將落後，我盡可能地用最快的速度通過海關，進入這個讓我徹夜未眠的國家-台灣。聽著身邊的人們用我不熟悉的語言交談著，還是有股不切實際的感覺，幾個月前我曾做過在台灣生活的夢，但總是在醒來後就忘記身處異地的生活是如何。現在，我已經雙腳腳踏實地的在台灣這塊土地，看著身邊一位位長相跟我大不相同的異國臉孔，突然有股夢想成真的喜悅在心中滋生。 低下身，提起行李，深呼吸，抬起頭，臉上掛著微微的笑容，搭上前往我第一個目的地-台中郊區的芭樂園-的巴士，繼續幻想著往後一年的生活，渾然不知自己即將犯下來台的第一個錯。

Two years ago I arrived in Taiwan, flying all the way from Arizona. I spent my whole life living in America, and attending school, but the moment after I finished high school I jumped onto a plane and came to Taiwan immediately. I didn't know what to expect since I hadn't experienced an Asian country before. The plane flight was more than 11 hours, and I spent the time staring out the window and drawing. Every time I'm on a flight I choose the window seat, because it's a perspective you don't have often. Everything we know in our lives is shrunken down to a small and insignificant size, with quiet clouds rolling overhead. Anyway the view helps me because I am deathly afraid of flying. Once landed in Taiwan I sped through customs and walked into country officially. It really blew my mind I had actually arrived in reality, because in the months before my trip I would dream about trying to travel to Taiwan, but waking up before I ever could. But now I had really arrived. My first destination was a guava farm, where I planned to work for two weeks. It was then I made my first mistake in Taiwan.

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