張玉鳳

Over the last summer I volunteered at a summer camp for children ages 5 through 12. Every day for six weeks I rode my bike to conquer1 the hill. Once I arrived at Abbot School at 7：30， I began my seven-hour day of cleaning， entertaining and giving rides to a lot of small kids， each with different plans of action and ideas， each needing my special attention. By helping these kids and working with other counselors， I was able to develop a better sense of responsibility not just myself， but for those around me.

去年夏天，我自愿參加了一個5到12歲兒童的夏令營。在過去的六個星期里，我每天都騎自行車跨過那座小山。我7：30到達阿博特學(xué)校后，就開始了為期7個小時的清潔、娛樂和騎自行車接送大量小孩的一天。每個人都有不同的行動計劃和想法，每個人都需要我的特別關(guān)注。通過幫助這些孩子，并與其他輔導(dǎo)員一起工作，我不僅能培養(yǎng)對自己，還能培養(yǎng)對周圍人更強的責(zé)任感。

In the beginning I helped with a group of twelve-year-olds. I had a lot of fun because they were the most mature2 campers， and I could relate to them. They didnt need as much help as the younger kids. However， then the director of the camp switched me down to six-year-olds.

起初，我?guī)椭蝗?2歲的孩子。我玩得很開心，因為他們是最成熟的露營者，我能與他們相處得很好。他們不像幼小的孩子那樣需要那么多的幫助。然而，之后夏令營的負(fù)責(zé)人把我調(diào)去負(fù)責(zé)一群6歲的孩子。

For the previous few years I had gone to an adventure camp in the woods of Maine. There I joined in rafting， rock-climbing， and sea-kayaking. But nothing， and I mean nothing， could have prepared me for working non-stop with 15 six-year-olds. From fights over batting order to who got to drink from the water fountain first， we were in a constant state of disorder. I could now understand why parents always seemed to let out a sigh of relief as they dropped off their “l(fā)ittle bundles3 of energy” every morning.

在過去的幾年里，我參加了緬因州森林里的探險營。在那里，我參加了漂流、攀巖和海上皮劃艇。但是什么都沒有，我的意思是，我無法為不間斷地和15個6歲的孩子一起工作做任何準(zhǔn)備。從擊球順序的爭執(zhí)到誰先喝噴泉里的水，我們一直處于一種混亂的狀態(tài)。我現(xiàn)在明白了為什么父母們每天早上放下他們的“小磨人精”時，似乎總是會松一口氣。

For the first summer I was doing something that benefited someone else， and I found more satisfaction in that than any wasted breezy4 day of summers past.

第一個夏天，我做了一些有益于別人的事情。我發(fā)現(xiàn)這比過去任何一個虛度的、微風(fēng)習(xí)習(xí)的夏天都更令人滿意。

During this unique5 summer， I was able to get back so much more. I learned how much my time is really worth and how to take responsibility for myself and especially others. I learned how different each individual is and how needs vary. By learning about others， I learned more about myself and what I can do. I gained more confidence when I realized I could survive in the real world.

在這個獨特的夏天，我的收獲如此之多。我明白了時間是多么寶貴，學(xué)會了如何對自己，尤其是他人負(fù)責(zé)。我了解到每個人是多么不同，需求又是多么不同。通過了解別人，我更多地了解了自己，明白了我能做什么。當(dāng)意識到我可以在現(xiàn)實世界中生存時，我獲得了更多的信心。

摘自：teenink.com