“Any room for cream?” (这句话的字面意思是问需要给奶油一些空间么?其实是问咖啡里面要不要加奶?)
“我只想要一杯咖啡……”学生怯生生地回答。
店员从一摞八盎司的纸杯顶端抽出一支,往里面倒满了咖啡,利落地递给他。
“天哪。这么黑的咖啡,啥都没加。叫人怎么喝啊?”学生接过咖啡,不禁用中文嘀咕了两句,迷惑地离开了。
这类尴尬在国外的咖啡厅里屡见不鲜。许多留学生、移民都可能有碰到。之前在国内参加各种考试培训,准备各种文书写作,过五关斩六将终于获得国外高校的录取。本以为凭着过硬的语言考试成绩,能在这里大显身手,然后拥有一帮能推心置腹的外国朋友。可现实并非如此,曾经背得滚瓜烂熟的单词和句型不但很难用上,一些从未听过的生活俚语还时常充斥耳边。一句无所适从的room for cream也许不知不觉剥夺了对陌生环境的控制感,对国内熟悉事物的怀念也暗暗滋生。
I am the by-product of cultural assimilation… 我是个文化同化的副产物
Half of me forced to be forgotten 一半的自我强制被遗忘
When I try to wrap my tongue 我试图通过卷绕舌头
Around a dialect so unknown 说出那陌生的方言
Her deep inflections bring me manila sun 她婉转的音调令我感受到
that have caressed her high-cheek bones 曾经抚慰过她那高耸颧骨的马尼拉阳光
If my mother’s people are so free 如果那里人民如此自由
Why are they drowning their sun kissed beauty in skin whitening cream?
为何还要把那太阳色的美丽肌肤浸没在美白霜里?
Proud of me 为我骄傲
Only cause I’m blended in 仅仅因为我能融入
Blended in with brain-washed assimilation 融入洗脑同化
Americanization 这就是美国化
参考文献
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