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I began to inquire about opportunities and whenever I searched the internet for jobs, I always seemed be drawn like a magnet to the category of teaching.
我开始寻找机会，每当我搜索互联网寻找工作时，我总是像一块磁石一样被吸引到教学目录上。
It did not take long before I found that there were countless positions available in many countries.
没过多久，我就发现在许多国家可以得到数不尽的工作。
Amid the listings I identified several that were for teaching positions in China.
在这些目录表中，我挑选了几个在中国的教书工作。
I decided that I would communicate with some of the people offering these positions. I sent e-mails and made phone calls to several prospective employers.
我决定与提供这些工作的人联系。我给几个有希望雇用我的雇主发电子邮件，打电话。
The feedback that I got from most of them was that they expected me to bring all the resources necessary.
他们中的大部分回答说，他们希望我带上所有必需的资料。
How could I pack enough in my baggage to provide what was needed?
我怎样才能在我的行李中装上足够的东西以备所需呢？
I was inclined to look for a situation where books were provided. I wanted to sign a contract for only one semester but found that most positions were for one or two years.
我倾向于找一个能提供书籍的地方。我只想签一个学期的合同，但发现大多数的职位是一年或二年。
I could sympathize with the amount of paper work needed to arrange for a person to accept one of those positions and realized that it was wiser for people to spend a year or two in one location.
我可以理解，要安排一个人担任其中一个职位，要做的工作量相当大，并认识到受聘人员在一个地方呆一年或两年是更明智的。
I attended seminars by companies trying to recruit teachers. I found several companies that captured my interest.
我参加了想招聘老师的公司的讨论会。我发现了几个我感兴趣的公司。
I began to review my options. I asked specific questions about the positions with companies that sincerely interested me.
我开始核实我的选择。我向真正对我感兴趣的公司问了几个特定的有关职位方面的问题。
I inquired about how many suitcases I would be allowed to bring and what the living accommodations would be.
我询问我可以带多少个手提箱，食宿条件如何。
It was refreshing to realize that there was a big demand for people who could teach English.
了解到对教英语的人有这么大的需求，真是令人振奋不已。
Several positions seemed superior in their benefits and they sparked my interest even more.
有几个职位在待遇方面好像不错，这更加激发了我的兴趣。
I especially wanted to teach students at the secondary or high school level rather than middle school.
我特别想教的是高中而不是初中。
I could hardly believe that I was contemplating dong this at this age of my life.
我几乎不相信在我一生中的这个阶段还希望做这件事。
At times I felt that it was a radical idea, but I also realized that I had always had the desire to have this kind of experience but circumstances never seemed quite right. Now they were. I decided to proceed.
有时，我觉得这是一个过激的想法，但是我也知道我一直有想获得这种经历的欲望，只是环境从来没有这么合适。现在是时候了。我决定坚持下去。
I made an oral agreement with a company. I read their written contracts, clause by clause; to be sure nothing had been omitted from the oral agreement.
我与一家公司达成了一个口头协议。然后我一条一条地读了他们的书面合同，确信没有从口头协议中漏掉什么。
In spite of wanting the clause about staying two years to be deleted, I signed the legal contract after a few minor changes were made and initialed in the margin.
尽管很想删掉关于工作两年的那一条，但在做了一些较小的变动后，我签了法律合同并在页边签字。
There were many details to consider. After choosing the company that I wanted to work for, I still had to take a long time look at my circumstances.
还有很多细节要考虑。在选定了我要去工作的公司后，我还花了很长时间认真地考虑我现在的状况。
I decided that I would sell my car, put my personal belongings in storage and rent my house.
我决定卖掉我的汽车，把我的个人财产保存好，并把我的房子租出去。
A lot of time and effort was required to make all the arrangements. I decided to tackle one aspect at a time.
做好所有这些安排要花许多时间和精力。我决定一件一件来处理。
The first thing I targeted was to sell my car.
我要做的第一件事是卖掉我的汽车。
As a matter of principle, I felt that the value of the car would depreciate over the time I was out of the country.
事实上，我觉得在我出国这段时间里汽车会贬值。
The sensible strategy was to sell it. Fortunately, my niece wanted to buy the car.
明智的办法就是卖掉它。正好，我的侄女想买这辆汽车。
I made a list of things to take with me. I was advised to take auxiliary light.
我列出了一个我要带走的物品的清单。有人劝我带上辅助照明设备。
I packed battery-operated flashlights to be used to case of power failure. I included a waterproof jacket in case I needed to walk to school in the rain.
我在包里装进了使用电池的手电筒，以备万一停电时使用。我也没忘带上一件防水夹克，以防下雨时需要步行。
I needed to sort my belongings. I had to decide what to save and what to pitch out.
我需要的把我的财产分类。我必须决定哪些东西保留，哪些东西扔掉。
For example, I decided I no longer needed my typewriter, as I only used my computer for word processing now, so I decided to give it away.
例如，我决定不再需要打字机了，因为现在我只用计算机作文字处理，于是我决定把它赠送给别人。
I made many lists and developed a cold as a way to catalogue my possessions.
我做了许多目录，还作了编码，作为对我的东西进行分类的一个办法。
As I packed items in cardboard boxes, I made a list regarding the contents on the outside of each box. I packed dishes in towels to protect them.
当我把这些物品装入纸板箱时，在每个箱子的外面，我再作一个所装物品的目录。我用毛巾把盘子包起来保护它们不会破碎。
Many times I had to undo a box because I forgot to list the contents.
有很多次，我因为忘记列出所装的东西而不得不再次把箱子打开。
When I finally snapped the lid of a box shut, I sealed it with transparent tape and checked to be sure that it would not loosen.
当我在最后啪嗒一声关上箱子盖子的时候，我就用透明胶带把它封好，并进行检查，确信它不会松动。
I also included another tag, which gave each box a number because all cardboard boxes look identical.
我还准备了另一个标签，为每个箱子编一个数字，因为所有的纸板箱看上去是一样的。
I was careful not to abbreviate the names of items in the lists lest that would mislead me as to the contents.
我很小心，不在目录中缩写每一件的名字，以免使我认错里面的东西。
I continued with this method, which also created an index of items. It seemed the rational way to coordinate and organize things.
我继续使用这个方法，还编制了一个物品索引。看来这是一个组织协调的合理方法。
I remarked many times during this phase of my preparations that I had not realized I had so much gear.
在准备期间，我多次感叹，我怎么会有这么多杂物。
At times I had to laugh at myself. My activities seemed like they would make a good script for a comedy.
有时，我不得不自我解嘲。我的活动好像可以作为一出喜剧的好素材。
Maybe I should write a play about what I was doing and copyright it. It certainly would be good for a few scenes on a soap opera.
也许我应该把我正在做的事情写成一个剧本并取得版权。作为一出肥皂剧里面的几幕肯定是不错的。
On the spur of the moment I decided to loan my sofa and my rug to my niece who was moving to a larger home. That would mean a few less things to put into storage.
我不假思索地就决定把我的沙发和我的小地毯借给我的侄女，她就要搬到一个较大的家了。这意味着可以少储藏几件东西了。
I fulfilled my obligation to provide proof of good health. I had a chest x-ray taken. I had a complete physical examination. I had dental check up.
我履行了提供身体健康证明的义务。我作了X光胸透，还作了一个全面的体检，并且检查了牙齿。
Because my health reports all indicated I was in excellent health, all of the health care professionals I visited encouraged me to pursue my adventure.
因为所有的健康报告都表明我身体很好，我拜访过的那些保健专家都鼓励我去从事我的冒险活动。
I renewed my passport, my proof of identity as a Canadian citizen. I knew that once I arrived in China I would also be registered with the Canadian Embassy.
我延长了护照的期限，那是确认我是一个加拿大公民的证明。一旦抵达中国，我要在加拿大使馆登记。
My family's reaction when I told them about my plans was as expected.
当我把我的计划告诉我的家人时，他们的反应和我预料的一样。
Although they sanctioned my idea and supported me the endeavor, they were sad to think that I would be half way across the world for such a long time.
虽然他们同意我的想法而且尽力支持我，但想到我要横跨半个世界，离开如此长的时间，他们还是有点难过。
The frown on my grandson's face told me that the situation would be especially difficult for him and that he might feel neglected by me.
我孙子眉头紧锁的表情告诉我，他尤其难过，他可能觉得我忽视了他。
Although I could scarcely argue with the comments of my family about their feelings, for their sake I talked about the time away from home as if it was just a few short days. I would be backing home before they knew it.
对于我家人的担心，虽然我不用就他们的意见进行解释，但为了让他们放心，我说这次离家的时间就好像只是短短几天罢了，不知不觉我就回家了。
They suggested that I come back after one year for the summer and then return for the second year. I agreed to this plan.
他们提议我在一年之后回来过夏天，然后再返回去继续第二年的工作。我同意了这个计划。
Five years ago, would I have thought that this was in the realm of possibility? I doubt that I would have.
在五年前，我会想到这是可能的吗？我想我不会。
But here I am in China, in my second year of living in this amazingly progressive civilization, and I can honestly say that I have never once regretted my decision to teach in China.
但是，现在我就在中国，已经是在这个正以惊人的速度前进的文明国度里的第二年了，我可以真诚地说，对于在中国教书的决定，我从不曾后悔过。
I must also admit that I have learned far more from my students than they have learned from me.
我还得承认，我从学生们那里学到的东西，远多于他们从我这里学到的。
I admire their thirst for knowledge and they seem to thrive on challenges.
我钦佩他们对知识的渴望，他们似乎在挑战之中成长。
They never seen tempted to take a short cut, always working hard and giving a supreme effort.
他们从不设法走捷径，总是刻苦学习，付出最大的努力。
Their tolerance for their English teacher's lack of familiarity with Chinese customs has been appreciated.
他们对他们的英语老师对中国习俗缺乏了解的宽容，值得赞赏。
They always are positive in their attitudes toward me and have helped me whenever they could.
他们总是以肯定的态度待我，并且尽可能给我帮助。
At times they have insisted on doing things for me that was capable of doing myself. It has become a habit to surrender to their wishes to assist.
有时，他们要坚持为我做我能够做的事。满足他们要帮忙的愿望已经变成一个习惯了。
One student in particular always takes on the job of carrying my packages, saying that it is his pleasure to be my porter.
有一个学生很特别，总是干帮我提包的事，说他很高兴当我的搬运工。
When I started to plan this adventure I had only a vague idea of what the country of China would be like.
当我开始计划这次冒险时，对于中国到底是个什么样子，我只有一个模糊的概念。
I could recognize their flag but was not even familiar with their national anthem.
我可以认出他们的国旗，但还不熟悉他们的国歌。
My comprehension of the customs of the country was very limited I felt almost ashamed at how little I knew.
我对这个国家的习俗的了解也非常有限。我觉得惭愧得很，我知道得太少了。
I did not know if they used the metric or the imperial system of measurement.
我不知道他们是用公制还是英制单位。
Would I buy fluids such as milk and soda in quarts or liters? Would I need to learn the Chinese word for gram or for inch? Indeed I had never heard the word 'jin' before.
我要按夸脱还是按升去买牛奶和苏打等液体商品？我需要学习表示“克”或“英寸”的中国字吗？的确，我以前从未听到过“斤”这个字。
I knew little about the food I would be eating.
对于我要吃的食品，我知道得很少。
Would dairy products such as skim milk and cheese and yoghurt be available? Would I eat only rice and noodles or would the variety of foods be endless?
可以买到像脱脂牛奶、乳酪和酸酪这样的奶制品吗？我只能吃米饭和面条，还是有各种各样的食品吗？
May be I would be enjoying a rack of lean pork ribs as a delicious treat.
也许我能享受到作为美味款待的烤瘦肉猪排。
I was unaware that there were so many dialects in the Chinese language.
我不知道汉语有这么多方言。
I had no idea how I would communicate but when I arrived in China, I soon found myself having a limited dialogue with Chinese people.
我一点儿也不知道如何进行交流，但是当我抵达中国后，很快发现我自己可以和中国人进行有限的对话。
They would try to speak a few words of English and I would attempt a few words in Chinese. However, I resorted to sign language more than words.
他们常常试着说几句英语，而我就尝试几句汉语。不过，我借助手势语的时候超过口语。
How much I have learned! It has been a wonderful, rewarding experience and the one comment that comes to my mind is "I wouldn't have missed it for the world!”"
我居然学了这么多！这真是一次令人愉快的、十分有益的经历。这使我想起了一句话，就是“无论如何我没有错过它！”
