To Have a Try or to Give up
Two weeks ago, a friend of mine told me that one of her friends eventually had found a home stay for her son near the middle school which is called Hendersonville Christian Academy, Tennessean, US and she would not have to accompany her son reading any longer. She is coming back Beijing in the middle of next January, but she still has two months’ renting left in the USA. So my friend thinks it a good chance to take her son to live and read there for a short time, but she cannot speak English and has never lived in the US before.
Her son and my daughter were classmates during the period of their primary school. That reminded her of me. She advised me to take my daughter to share the house and two kids try reading there together. My daughter and I were all very excited about the idea when we heard of the news, because we have never been to the US before. But my husband was strongly against the plan due to one question that we really have no answer and even never think of, that is, ‘Are you sure you will be totally safe there?’
I am still at the fence after both my friend strongly persuaded me of going there and my husband was firmly against me of doing that.
两周前，我的一个朋友告诉我， 她的一个朋友在美国田纳西州Hendersonville Christian Academy中学附近，终于给儿子找到了一个寄宿家庭，所以她再也不用陪读了。她打算明年1月中旬回北京，但她美国的房子还会剩两个月租期。我的这个朋友就想，这是一个带她儿子到那住下并试读那所中学的好机会。可是她不懂英语，也没有在美国住过。
她儿子和我女儿是小学同学，于是她想起了我。她建议我带女儿跟她们同去，让俩孩子一起试读那所中学。我和女儿一听这消息就非常兴奋，因为我们从没去过美国。但是我丈夫坚决反对这个计划，出于一个问题：“你们能确保在那安全吗？”我们真的无法回答，甚至从来都没想到过这个问题。
在我朋友的极力劝荐下和我丈夫的坚决反对下，我仍在犹豫不决。
I would be very appreciated if someone could help me to choose. Both English and Chinese are all welcomed.
你有沒有听到那兩次南加州大学(我的大学) 的大学生被殺嗎? 是他们沒有头腦! 虽然家中不貧 (駛的車子是 BMW!) 但为了些小便宜, 不在大学学生舍居住或在至近的大学住而为了租便, 搬去远些的地方...
当然一个是无辜的, "wrong place, wrong time" (中文怎样说?) 就好像"陪公子读书了" 一起踏上陰司路.
丈夫: 上得山多終遇虎.
妻子: 不入虎穴焉得虎子!
公有公理, 婆有婆理.
我个人的想法...
1. 女儿这么小, 在一个陌生环境之下, 习坏比学好多!
2. 尤其是女儿身, 你很早会成为婆婆了!
3. 我看你的朋友的如意算盤是 "陪公子读书", 你女儿不过是个书鬟而已
有多少人为了小便利而得大害呢? 不用远看就看到了. 虽然在外国读书是件光荣而有好处的机会, 但都要看看女儿的年纪啊! 一失足成千古恨, 到时誰人受罪? 当然是慈母多敗儿的說法. 这一次的駁論, 我是站在你丈夫的哪一辺.
如果一家人都是在那辺, 情形就不一样了. 至少有父母的关照和看管. 至於安全的回題, 就算在中国, 你可以保証 万无一失嗎? 这要看女儿的性格和有沒有惊惕性了. 我个人的宗指是,小心駛得万年船. 等到女儿大了一些才跟我再说吧. 对不起, 忠言逆耳, 我感觉到你们兩母女对这程况似乎有些虛荣之态.
I think you should have a try.. it's not a permanent decision so I don't think you can lose anything besides to be realistic you can not be safe anywhere.
Sorry i can't advise as i don't have any experience on this kind of thing, I'm just wondering is it necessary to let kid study abroad from middle/high school?
From me, i would accept my kid study abroad from undergraduate, Master would be perfect.
From my wife, she will never accept our kids study abroad.
Dear Jeff,
我特别高兴！谢谢你的回复！你汉语素养高于一般中国人，哪里还apologize？
好的，我不客气了，以后我写了文章就发链接给你，你要是有时间就帮我改吧。
关于wrong place, wrong time与阴差阳错，我赞同你说的。 我英文水平低，不太懂它使用的英文背景，所以找不准它恰如其分的中文。
Dear Jeff,
I’m so happy to hear from you!!
You have already got more attainments in Chinese than common Chinese people, so you need not to say apologize at all.
OK, I’ll directly send you the links for your correction to my essays later on. And you do not have to rush.
As for Wrong Place, Wrong Time and 阴差阳错，I agree with you. Since I have not known a lot about when and where it is used often, my English is not good enough to find the punch of it. But I’ll keep the phrase.
Renae
