Hsing-Yi,
I am sorry I missed your birthday. I also wish I could give you a present for your birthday,
I hope this card will do for now. It is a custom in my country to give gifts to one on their birthday.
Is the custom the same in your country? We also have a party with a birthday cake.
May the love of God always be with you and may you always be happy.
Happy Birthday, I love you.
Tom
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文/ 季翔記錄.翻譯
親愛的E,
我的心再度地哭了！妳沒有忘記我，很抱歉！很長一段時間我沒有寫信給妳。每一次當我打開妳的信和用英文讀妳的名字時，喜樂充滿了我。
上封信妳提到妳的英文不好，我不這麼認為。在我的飯店裏我遇見許多人，大部份的人沒有像妳或像我一樣受很好的教育。我認為妳說得很好的英文，……..….妳需要的是對自己的自信心，妳有能力把英文說好。
E，我知道人不喜歡被談論他們的弱點，所以當我說妳需要自信心時，請不要對我生氣，我愛妳並想要幫助妳。
妳相信願望和夢想嗎？我希望有一天我能遇見妳，我夢想能帶妳到我的國家來，我將要帶妳到紐約。紐約市是個大城，有許多高的建築物，妳看不到他們的頂樓，除非妳從另一棟的頂樓看。
我將要帶你去看自由女神像，這位巨大白色女神矗立在紐約港口的大門，以一個溫馨的友誼歡迎每一個人。我也要帶妳外出和買冰淇淋，我想要帶妳到我居住的城鎮來。但大部份的時候，我想要用我的雙臂挽著妳，讓我心中充滿妳帶給我的喜悅。
是的，地球的這邊也會下雨。這裏的雨，不像台灣有季節性，一年中不同季節都會有雨。這裏有夏、秋、冬、春等四季，夏天像妳們的國家一樣熱，學校放假，人們到海邊去享受溫暖的天氣和陽光。秋季學校開學，大部份的人離開海邊回家或到學校或去工作。秋天天氣開始變寒冷，所有樹木轉變成燦爛的紅色和黃色，這意味著樹木準備過寒冬。就在這個時候從北方吹來暴風雨，…..,大約在12月初天氣變的非常寒冷和開始下雪。現在進入冬季，在冬天太陽仍然照射但不像夏天那樣暖和。許多時候雪深蓋地面，風將是非常寒冷，就像台灣高山一樣，冬天維持大約三個月。然後雪開始消退，四月份暖和的雨開始下，它們融化積雪和冰凍的地表，此時是春天，地面再次融解，太陽溫暖著天空和地表，花卉吐出新穗在土地上，樹木蓋滿粉紅色和白色的花朵，很快地花朵辦隨著美妙的綠葉，一年中我
最喜歡這個時候。此時大地復甦，每一個人洋溢著新生的熱愛和喜悅，然後再度回到夏天。
你曾否思考過當妳離開學校時妳將要做什麼？妳會去工作嗎？我認為妳的英文很好，妳可以找到一個好的工作，如果妳告訴我的是真的。也許妳可以得到一個工作，而這個工作是必需到其它國家旅行，然後妳就可以來拜訪我，我希望我沒有夢想太多。妳是一個聰明年輕女孩，妳可以得到一個妳真正想要的工作。
祈禱上帝，妳可以收到卡片和信。請寫信給我，告訴我妳的夏日假期。
Dear Hsing-Yi
My heart cries again. You have not forgotten me. I am sorry I have not written to you in a long time.
Now you know the joy that fills me every time I open one of your letters and read your name in English. (I hope I wrote your name right. My Chinese is not as good as your English.)
In your last letter you said your English was very poor. I do not think so. I meet a lot of people in my restaurant. Most of these people are not well educated like you or I am. I think you speak English better than a lot of the people I meet. Remember now, the people I meet are Americans, and English is their first language. What you need is confidence in yourself and your ability to speak English.
Hsing-Y, I know people do mot like to be told about their weaknesses so please do not get angry at me when I say you need confidence. I love you and I want to help you.
Do you believe in wishes and dreams? I wish that some day I will meet you. I dream of that day and all I will show you about my country. I will take you to New York City, one of the largest cities in my country. New York City has buildings so tall you can not see the top of them except from the top of other
buildings.
I will take you to see the Statue of Liberty. This giant white stone lady stands at the entrance to New York Harbor welcoming everyone with the warm feeling of friendship.
I would also like to take you out and buy you some ice cream.I would like to show you my ountry,at least the part I live in. But most of all I would like to hold you in my arms and let my heart fill with all the joy you bring me.
Yes,Hsing-Yi, it rains on this side of the earth, too. The rain we get here is not like the Monsoons of your country. It rains at all different times of the year, not just during one season. My country has four seasons, summer, fall(autumn), winter, and spring. Summer is hot, like in your country. School is on vacation and everyone goes to the beach to enjoy the warm weather and the sunshine. In the autumn school starts again. Most everyone leaves the shore to go home to school or to work. In the autumn the weather starts to cool off. The trees all turn bright red and yellow. This mean the trees are getting ready for the cold winter. This is the time when we get storms that blow out of the north. These storms are called North-
Eastern. They are cold and bring a lot of rain. Around the beginning of December the weather gets very cold and usually the first snow starts to fall. We are now into the winter. The sun still shines in winter but it does not bring the warmth it does in summer. Many times the snow will lie deep on the ground and the wind will be very cold. It is like it is high in the mountains of Taiwan. Winter lasts about three months. Then the snow starts to disappear. In April the warm rains begin. They melt the snow and the frozen earth. This is spring. Once the earth has thawed, and the sun warms the air and the earth, The flowers push their little heads above the ground, the trees are filled with pink and white blossoms. These blossoms soon are accompanied by wonderful green leaves. This is my favorite time of year. This is when the world is reborn. Everyone is filled with the love and joy of this rebirth. Then we are back to summer again.
Have you thought about what you are going to do when you get out of school? Are you going to work? I think your English is good enough for you to get a good job, if what you tell me is true. Maybe you could get a job where you would have to travel to other countries, then you could come to visit me. I hope I am not dreaming too much. You are a smart young women, you could get such a job if you really wanted.
I pray to God you get this card and letter.
Please write to me and tell me about your summer.
I love you, Tom
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