The world as one great classroom

In January 2014, 21-year-old Canadian Rebecca Isaak boarded a ship in San Diego, California, eager to start what would be a five-month journey around the world. She was embarking on a Semester at Sea – a program where university students live and learn while stopping in ports across the globe – just like her mom did in 1981. And in many ways, she set sail expecting to have a very similar experience.

2014年1月，21岁的加拿大女孩丽贝卡·伊萨克从加利福尼亚州的圣迭哥登船，开始为期5个月的环球之行。她参加的是“海上学府”计划，与她妈妈1981年参加的一样，船停靠在哪个港口，学生们就在哪个城市生活学习一段时间，随着船环游世界。她扬帆起航，期待着拥有和妈妈一样的经历。

“I wanted to hug the same statue she did in China, get a little too tipsy in Japan, make the same lasting friendships,” Isaak said.

伊萨克说：“我想要拥抱妈妈当时在中国拥抱的雕塑，在日本小酌清酒，结交一段永恒的友谊。”

But as she voyaged across the sea, she realized that her journey was bound to be very different.

但是当她漂洋过海，她意识到她的旅行注定与众不同。

One of Isaak’s most memorable stops was India. As she slipped on her protective white slippers to enter the Taj Mahal, a realisation dawned over her.

让伊萨克最难以忘怀的一站是印度。当她套上白色的保护鞋，走进泰姬陵时，突然有种醍醐灌顶的感觉。

“At the time, I was very conscious of the fact that my mother’s one regret from her travels was not getting to see the Taj Mahal,” she said. “And here I was.”

“那一刻，我意识到妈妈旅行中的一大遗憾就是没能来泰姬陵看一看”她说，“但是我来了。”

Over the course of the four months, Isaak would also visit China, Hawaii, Japan, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Ghana and London. The Semester at Sea program taught her how to step outside of her comfort zone, and be okay with being frightened about the unknown.

四个月的旅程中，伊萨克参观了中国、夏威夷、日本、新加坡、毛里求斯、南非、加纳以及伦敦。“海上学府”计划让她走出象牙塔，沉着面对未知的恐惧。

“Slowly, I began to realize that even if I was traveling in my mother’s footsteps, her shoes don’t fit my feet,” Isaak said. She needed to start living for herself – not in her mother’s shadow.

“渐渐地，我开始意识到，即便我沿着妈妈的脚步行走，她的鞋也不合我的脚。”伊萨克说。她意识到要过自己的生活，而不是活在妈妈的影子中。

Before her semester at sea, Isaak had set expectations. But the trip revealed to her that she was different than her mom – it was time to live her life, and have her own adventures.

在环球之行开始前，伊萨克有预设好的期待。但亲历这场旅行使她明白，她与妈妈截然不同。是时候过自己的生活，开始自己的冒险。

“When I arrived home, tan and quite bald, and hugged my mother, I knew that I had stories just as wonderful and unique as hers,” Isaak said. “And the best part is that they are all mine.”

伊萨克说：“当我到家后，皮肤都晒成了棕褐色，俨然是个毛小子的模样，我拥抱了妈妈，我知道我的故事和她的一样精彩独特。最重要的是，这些经历都是我的独家记忆。”

完成阅读

来源:BBC英语新闻爱语吧作者:刘瑞洁