又中又英｜Sojourn

By the time you read this, I will be in Hong Kong again after my sojourn in Taiwan. This was my second visit to Taipei in the past two years. This visit was a mixed bag of experiences. My first visit was longer than a sojourn. In between my two visits, I travelled across the US and came to Hong Kong several times. After almost three years of travelling, I have decided to take time out after my Hong Kong stay. I will find a home in the US and put my feet up until I get the urge to travel again.

A sojourn is a short stay in a place that is not your home. A mixed bag used this way means a mixture of good and bad things. To take time out means to stop doing something for a while and do something else. To put your feet up means to relax and do very little. My Taiwan sojourn this time was a mixed bag because I had good and bad experiences. I had a cold with a runny nose and headache for almost a week. Luckily, my Covid self-test was negative.

Taipei weather is very unpredictable, warm and sunny one day, and cold and rainy the next day. Taipei very often has light rain and gloomy skies, which depresses me. But I also met many new friends from Hong Kong during my sojourn. They went to Taipei to start small businesses such as dessert shops and restaurants. Taiwanese are friendly people. Several have offered me their seats on MTR trains. One little boy talked with me in English to learn. Those were good experiences.

當你讀到這裏的時候，我已經結束在台灣的旅居（sojourn），再度回港。這是我在過去兩年來，第二次赴台北。今次的台北之行，是各種經歷的大雜燴（mixed bag）。我第一次的逗留，比旅居（sojourn）的時間要長。而在我兩次訪台期間，我曾穿州過省地遊歷美國，也曾幾度回到香港。經過接近三年的旅遊之後，我已經決定要在這次逗留香港之後，暫停一下（take time out）。我會在美國找個安居之所，好好休息（put my feet up），直至我再有強烈的慾望想旅遊。

A sojourn是短暫逗留、旅居一個地方，而那裏並非你的家。A mixed bag在這裏是指好壞參半。To take time out就是停止做某事一會兒，去做點別的事。To put your feet up就是好好休息，做很少的事。我這次旅居（sojourn）台灣是好壞參半（mixed bag），因為混雜了好與不好的經歷。我曾患上感冒，流鼻水和頭痛了差不多一個星期。幸好我的新冠病毒自我檢測的結果是陰性的。

台北的天氣陰晴不定、變幻莫測，一天是和暖而陽光燦爛，後一天卻是陰冷下雨。台北常常都是微雨和陰天，令我感到消沉。不過，在旅居（sojourn）期間，我也認識到許多從香港過去的新朋友。他們到台北大多是開一些小生意，例如甜品店和餐廳。台灣人亦是很友善的人。有好些人在捷運上讓座給我。一個小男孩跟我用英文聊天，學學英語。那些都是很好的經歷。

[email protected]
Michael Chugani褚簡寧
中譯：七刻