2015-09-03 【Aiden in English】
It is the 3rd day of school. The class is settling in for the students, drama is declining, and everyone is getting into their groove and place for the school year. Well, not me. Somehow, Mom seemed to miss the day my flight was booked to come home from Beijing, the 2nd day of school. Additionally, I missed the orientation on August 31st, which put me in the "Screwed" area. As bad as it looked, the situation had a bright side. I didn't have to do on the 1st day, "Hey, let's go around the circle to introduce ourselves," bullcrap. That was great, but the middle school has eight periods, which indicates eight different teachers. That also means eight times of "hey, uh, my name is Aiden and, uh, I sort of, uh… etc." You got the point. For some reason, this year, I felt left out. For example, the table/group of friends was already set up at lunch, and I wasn't there. You see, this summer I was too busy. I had to terminate all contact with my friends. Also, there were about a billion papers to sign. Hey Aiden, here's a physical form for you to fill out. Here's a permission slip for Heath. Here are the grading policy and the rule policy. Somewhere along the day, I stopped listening to the form and took it. Speaking of annoying, I wasn't here for the past two days of school, which left me very behind on the supply topic. I needed five binders by the end of the week, and hey! Guess what?! That's tomorrow. So, I had to get all the stuff here by tomorrow morning, but that was only the first issue. The real punch was thrown when I saw what I had to carry home. Each student had two textbooks: one at home and one at school. Today, my backpack was bulging with two two-inch binders: my reading and geometry textbook, lunch box, instrument binder, and book. News flash, school board, it is not okay to torture kids. And my physical-ed teachers don't say it's good for upper-body strength. Please wait until the days I have the band. That's another considerable saxophone case to carry. To top off this spectacular first day back, I have a significant issue with my locker. My combination is confusing. I'm not saying it, but let's conclude that it has too many "three," like four. I'll survive the school year. At least, that's what the teacher does all day. So, the middle school officially started, and nothing was too "official" about the matter. It's tough, to say the least, but everyone else seems to do okay. Even though my schedule sucks, I'm always late for lunch. Because of this, my backpack was too heavy, and I was at one of the last stops on the bus home. I'm required to join the newspaper club and feel okay about it. 【紅霞譯】 今天是初二（即北賓夕法尼亞“山林”學區初中學校生涯頭一年）開學第三天，教室里學生座位已安排妥當，突發狀況日趨減少，每個人都為新學年做好了充分準備，顯然我被排除在外。不知怎麼搞的，媽媽誤把我從北京返程機票訂在開學第二天，害得我缺席八月卅一號開學典禮，基本上陷入“被冷落”的局面。
表面上看起來情況不妙，但實際上未必糟糕透頂，至少我躲開了頭一天常規：“嘿，大家按順序自我介紹一下”，省掉這些繁文縟節令人感覺真爽，但初中上課被分成八個時段，意味着有八位不同的老師，也就是說要經歷八回“嗨，呃，我叫兒歌；呃，我有點，呃，……等等”，明白我的意思了吧。處於某種原因，今年我有種落伍掉隊的感覺。譬如：午餐時，同桌即同幫的哥兒們扎堆在一起，而我孑然一身。你看這個暑假我有多忙，幾乎切斷了與同學朋友一切往來。可眼前亟待簽字畫押的紙張堆積如山，呵兒歌，這份是體育課的表格需要完成，這裡是健康狀況清單，這張是評分標準，還有班紀校規，不知從什麼地方開始，我一個耳朵進另一個耳朵出，手拿表格之後拔腿開溜。
煩心上火的事不一而足，因為前兩天缺席，我完全沒顧得上準備學習用具，本周結束之前需要帶來五個活頁夾子，哇塞，知道嗎？！說白了就是明天。明早，我必須備齊全部用品，但這只不過是引玉之磚，一看到要拎回家的東西我腦袋更懵。每位學生各發兩本教科書：一本留家使用，另一本課堂上使用。這下可好，我的書包被兩個兩英寸厚的活頁夾、一本語文書、一本幾何書、一個飯兜、一本樂譜及個人筆記本塞得鼓鼓囊囊。新聞播音如雷貫耳，學校通知鋪天蓋地，要知道折磨少年兒童有失公理，我的體育老師再三強調這樣有損身體上部肌肉發育，且不提若有樂隊練習，我還得拎上偌大一個薩克斯管盒子。
返校頭一天最難纏特折騰人的事情要算開保險柜，密碼數字組合複雜，這裡暫且不便公開，這麼說吧，中間有太多“三”，也許四個。一年過後，但願我倖存無損，至少老師們一直安慰自己。 就這樣，新學年初中學習生涯正式開啟，不過迄今尚未真正接觸任何“正式”的東西。簡而言之，這一天過得非常不易，其它事項看起來馬馬虎虎。我的時間表被排得不可理喻，結果連吃午飯都要遲到；由於書包負荷過重，以至於放學回家我成了最後一位趕坐校車的學生。另外，我被強行拉入校報俱樂部，不過已經沒有心思計較太多。 Today in History(歷史上的今天): 2014: Soccer Practice(足球訓練) 2009: 算術─孩子的花銷(Math on Raising Kids)  7th Grade Homeroom (初二點卯教室)
 Posters of 7th Grade Homeroom (初二點卯教室·壁報)
 Lockers (有鎖存物櫃)
 Mrs. Baltozer, the 7th-Grade Homeroom Teacher
(巴爾塔扎“魔法師”夫人·初二班主任 09-18-205)
Crosslinks(相關博文): First Day of Sixth Grade(初一第一天) 小學第一天(First Day of Elementary School) 7th Grade(初中二年級) |
