despite all this
traveling is the great true love of my life. I have always felt
ever since I was sixteen years old and first went to Russia with my saved-up babysitting money
that to travel is worth any cost or sacrifice . I am loyal and constant in my love for travel
as I have not always been loyal and constant in my other loves. I feel about travel the way a happy new mother feels about her impossible
colicky
restless newborn baby—I just don't care what it puts me through. Because I adore it. Because it's mine. Because it looks exactly like me. It can barf all over me if it wants to—I just don't care.
盡管如此，旅行仍是我生命中的壹大真愛。打從十六歲我用打工存下來的保姆工資第壹次去俄羅斯開始，我總覺得旅行值得付出任何代價或犧牲。我對旅行的愛忠貞不渝，正如我對其他的愛戀不見得忠貞不渝壹般。我對旅行的感覺，就像初為人母的快樂媽媽面對她那難以應付、罹患疝氣、躁動不安的嬰孩懷有的感覺壹樣——我偏不在乎自己必須經歷的嚴格考驗。因為我愛他。因為他是我的。因為他長得和我壹模壹樣。他盡可以吐得我壹身都是——我就是不在乎。
Anyway
for a flamingo
I'm not pletely helpless out there in the world. I have my own set of survival techniques. I am patient. I know how to pack light. I'm a fearless eater. But my one mighty travel talent is that I can make Friends with anybody. I can make friends with the dead. I once made friends with a war criminal in Serbia
and he invited me to go on a mountain holiday with his family. Not that I'm proud to list Serbian mass murderers amongst my nearest and dearest (I had to befriend him for a story
and also so he wouldn't punch me)
but I'm just saying—I can do it. If there isn't anyone else around to talk to
I could probably make friends with a four-foot-tall pile of Sheetrock. This is why I’m not afraid to travel to the most remote places in the world
not if there are human beings there to meet. People asked me before I left for Italy
"Do you have friends in Rome?" and I would just shake my head no
thinking to myself
But I will.
無論如何，對壹只紅鶴來說，我在世界上並非完全脆弱無助。我有自己的壹套生存技能。我有耐心。我知道如何輕裝上路。我什麽都吃。但我的壹大旅行才能是能與“任何人”交朋友。我能和死人交朋友。我曾在塞爾維亞跟壹個戰犯交朋友，他邀我和他壹家人上山度假。我並不是很榮幸地把塞爾維亞殺人犯列為我的至親至愛（我必須與他為友，是因為壹篇故事的緣故，而且免得他揍我壹頓 ），但我要說的是——我做得到。假如身邊沒有人可以說話，我也許還能和堆了壹米高的石膏板交朋友。正因為如此，我不害怕去世界上最偏遠的地方旅行，即便沒能在那兒遇上人類。我去意大利前，大家問我：“妳在羅馬有沒有朋友？”我只是搖頭說沒有，心裏卻想，但就要有了。
Mostly
you meet your friends when traveling by accident
like by sitting next to them on a train
or in a restaurant
or in a holding cell. But these are chance encounters
and you should never rely entirely on chance. For a more systematic approach
there is still the grand old system of the "letter of introduction" (today more likely to be an e-mail)
presenting you formally to the acquaintance of an acquaintance. This is a terrific way to meet people
if you're shameless enough to make the cold call and invite yourself over for dinner. So before I left for Italy
I asked everyone I knew in America if they had any friends in Rome
and I'm happy to report that I have been sent abroad with a substantial list of Italian contacts.
通常來說，妳是在旅行的時候不經意地遇見妳的朋友，比方在火車、餐廳或拘留所內比鄰而坐。但這些只是不期而遇，而妳永遠不該完全依賴巧遇。壹種較有計劃的方法依然存在，即偉大而古老的“介紹信”系統（今天電子郵件較有可能 ），把妳正式介紹給熟人的熟人。這是結交朋友的絕佳方式，假使妳臉皮夠厚，敢於主動自我推銷，登門去吃晚餐。因此在我去意大利前，我問在美國認識的每壹個人，有沒有在羅馬的朋友。而我很樂於告訴大家，我在出國的時候，帶了壹長串意大利人的聯絡資訊 。
Among all the nominees on my Potential New Italian Friends List
I am most intrigued to meet a fellow named . . . brace yourself . . . Luca Spaghetti . Luca Spaghetti is a good friend of my buddy Patrick McDevitt
whom I know from my college days. And that is honestly his name
I swear to God
I’m not making it up. It's too crazy. I mean—just think of it. Imagine going through life with a name like Patrick McDevitt?
在我可能的意大利新朋友候選人名單中，我最想認識的人名叫……請做好心理準備……盧卡斯?帕蓋蒂（Luca Spaghetti）。斯帕蓋蒂是我大學時代認識的好友麥戴偉（Patrick McDevitt）的好朋友。 而這的的確確是他的名字，我向上天發誓，我可沒捏造。這太古怪了。我是說——妳怎能想象，壹輩子頂著“斯帕蓋蒂”這樣的名字？
Anyhow
I plan to get in touch with Luca Spaghetti just as soon as possible.
Eat
Pray
Love
無論如何，我打算盡快與斯帕蓋蒂聯系。
詞匯點津：
babysitting 臨時保姆
spaghetti 意大利面條