2000年4月7日日记

黄安年文  黄安年2023年3月12日发布（第32321篇）

【按：自2022年12月23日起分批发布1999年10月22日-2000年7月4日我们的美国之行日记内容，这里是2000年4月7日日记。当时日记如实记叙所见所为所思所想，为普通公民实录具有史料价值，无涉当今价值判断

* 上午给袁清打电话询问购买Greyhound等长途旅游廉价车票的诀窍，按照他的看法，一要提前早买票，二要买远距离的几个地方的联票，如果碰巧还可以免费搭成另外一人的全程票。他从Dayton买到波士顿69.00$,而我们从White Plains—Williamstown往返要68.00$,显然比他的要贵。 考虑到最近已经连续外出可以放慢节奏，加上Y连日加班需要后勤保障，而我们的续签通知迄今没有下来，使人心神不安，当然选择相对便宜价格也是一个因素，所以晚上给开来打电话，推迟去他那里，准备改到7月上旬。

  *为等待移民局有关是否同意续签的消息，按照移民局规定的一天24小时值班的自动电话，四天来我几乎每天要打10来个电话，可是这个电话几乎总是盲音，偶尔接通，也总是告诉：“你的号码没有找到”，真是没有办法。是移民局通知我的号码怎么会找不到？电话不通还有什么新招？为什么移民局官员不能和人们直接沟通？如果到了22日还等不到通知，我们停留在美国还合法吗？我真是感到在美国的移民局是相当官僚的。

* Y将华盛顿之行和部分加州之行的三卷照片底片寄给Clark Film Developing。信封是Clark Film为邮寄者事前准备就绪的，你只要按要求将胶卷放入（每封不超过两卷），填好数量，在每卷胶卷贴上为你准备好的Clark Film ID Label上面有收信人和收件人的详细地址和姓名，在信封放上支票，并在信封上贴上为你准备好的邮寄地址就万事具备只待一周后收到冲洗出来的照片了。这种处处为顾客着想的热心服务对于找来回头客是一个极好的方法。

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2000年4月7日 (星期五)  阴历三月初三，White Plains，多云，8C-17C

      今天是来美国的第167天。雅虎天气预报北京1C-17C，上海9C-16C，哈尔滨-3C—6C，纽约8C-17C。6:55-7:30pm, 晨练按原有路线行进, 路上除两位美国妇女散步和一些学生外，未见一人, 天气比昨天要暖些。许多树木已经是青枝绿叶，到处是花草报春，煞是好看。在我家门口的那棵大树不仅吐出新芽，而且竞相开出粉红色的花朵，十分诱人。

    上午整理二个月最后一周的日记，并且打印出初稿，共15页，26300字。接着，选印了上月最后一周日记中的华盛顿之行，共三页半，准备寄给妈妈看。

    11:50pm,看到苏鹿垒发来的E- Mail,全文如下:

Date: Thu, 6 Apr 2000 16:43:52 +0800 (CST)

Dear Professor Huang:

It has been some time since I wrote to you last time. Here I have two pieces of news about myself, though I doubt whether both could be counted as good ones. Anyway, you are the first person in this world that I wish to share them with, and I hope this long letter might not bring you any  inconvenience.

The first one is that, after a long long waiting, the American University sent me an Admission Package, and they informed me that I should contact the teaching unit myself for the financial support. According to my knowledge, however, American University is rated after No. 50. And I am wondering whether the Department of History has enough scholarships for international students. I did communicate with the Administrator and I am still waiting for the news. Here, to be honest, I have received 11 refusal letters from these universities, such as Cornell, Pennsylvania,

Boston, Rice, Brandeis, etc. These days I have been retrospecting my four-year study, and I finally understand that my biggest shortcomings are located in my specialized areas. And those Committees saw me trough by the Writing Sample that I handed in. After realizing this, I was

humiliated nearly to committing suicide. Stirred by such a strong feeling, I have made up the decision, even if I must stay in BNU for the next 3 years, I will not leave it a blank and I must hand in a perfect answer!

So, these days I have been busy with my undergraduate dissertation. This time, I have never been so serious and diligent, for I have to make some self-proof――I will not sit in the darkness into the death. My topic is "The Abortion of Republicanism and the Emergence of Democracy", a book

review of  "Radicalism of American Revolution" by Professor Gordon S. Wood from Brown University. And I submit it to take part in "The Fourth Annual Bai Shou-yi Awards Historical Dissertation Competition", though I did not expect to win the First Prize at all! When Professor Sun Yan-jing informed me about it, I could hardly believe my ears. The reason that Prof. Sun told me this news ahead of time just because my paper has referred so many foreign materials and they suspect I have the ability to find and finish them. Anyway, Prof. Sun suggested me that I should

continue working on it and they planned to recommend my paper to the thesis competition which will be hold by the Department of History at Nankai University in late April. It makes me so exciting during the days when the declination came to me one letter after one.

Anyway, I have already made enough psychological preparation to stay at BNU for 3 years, and I will work harder than ever to have my feet planted on solid ground. But I still wish to get your wonderful guidance from time to time. During this thesis competition, I began to comprehend not

only my own weaknesses, but also the gap between the Chinese and American scholarships concerning the studies of American history. There is no other way for me to do except the hard- working in 3 years to catch up, not keep on (it is too difficult for me), with the development of

American scholars. Therefore, I am wondering whether I could keep communicate with you and ask some questions relating to American History, and I will be too happy if your reply is a positive one. Thank you very much!

Sincerely yours,

Su Lulei

上午给袁清打电话询问购买Greyhound等长途旅游廉价车票的诀窍，按照他的看法，一要提前早买票，二要买远距离的几个地方的联票，如果碰巧还可以免费搭成另外一人的全程票。他从Dayton买到波士顿69.00$,而我们从White Plains—Williamstown往返要68.00$,显然比他的要贵。 考虑到最近已经连续外出可以放慢节奏，加上Y连日加班需要后勤保障，而我们的续签通知迄今没有下来，使人心神不安，当然选择相对便宜价格也是一个因素，所以晚上给开来打电话，推迟去他那里，准备改到7月上旬。

     杨嶷家迟早是要去的，考虑到可能下旬Y有时间陪我们外出走走，所以11:40am,给杨留言商讨探访日期。2:20pm,杨来电商定在明天上午11:00左右到她家,4:30pm,：她又来电话强调欢迎Y和吕一起来,于是我们做了8日法拉盛之行的准备,并查了地图,确定线路,先乘郊区火车到42 St.--Grand Center Station然后走到42 St.-8 Ave. Port Authority Bus Terminal了解长途汽车情况,再从那里乘坐E线地铁到71-Contiental Ave. Forest Hills站出南口向右转左手围一个运动场走半圈到69Ave. & Clyde St.交界处,找Clyde St.的6842号就是她的新家。可是到了6:30pm,黎平打来电话说,他刚从加州回来,建议将我们去他家的时间改为4月17日填完税表之后,因为现在有一大堆税表要填。这自然是件大事不能耽搁，我们是自由人和下岗闲散人员，时间上当然不能选择在给别人添麻烦的时候。

    为等待移民局有关是否同意续签的消息，按照移民局规定的一天24小时值班的自动电话，四天来我几乎每天要打10来个电话，可是这个电话几乎总是盲音，偶尔接通，也总是告诉：“你的号码没有找到”，真是没有办法。是移民局通知我的号码怎么会找不到？电话不通还有什么新招？为什么移民局官员不能和人们直接沟通？如果到了22日还等不到通知，我们停留在美国还合法吗？我真是感到在美国的移民局是相当官僚的。

    5:30-6:20pm,我和吕外出散步,遇见有汽车开来向我问路:“Where is No. 167 Chatterton Ave., White Pkwy”，我告诉这位黑人司机朋友，“This is Chatterton Pkwy, not Chatterton Ave. It is another way near this area”看来将 Chatterton Pkwy和Chatterton Ave.搞混的还确有人在。鉴于我们这里经常收到瞎信，我们担心会不会有时我们的信寄往Chatterton Ave了，于是走到那里察看，到了离Center Ave. Pkwy附近的Chatterton Ave. 发现有167号,171号,但是没有169号。

    晚上抽空看从图书馆里借来的录像带China, Ancient Rhythms & Modern Currents,那是一部介绍中国风土人情的文献记录片，对于外国人了解中国有一定帮助，对于中国人自己了解外国人心目中的中国也有价值。该片发行时介绍说：“Travel across 2000 mails and 4000 years of legends to discover the treasures of China, See the monumental Great Wall, stretching from the Gobi Desert to the East China Sea. In bustling Beijing, enjoy the exquisite opera company, and enter The Forbidden City, the playground of ancient emperors, Spanning China’s vast countryside, your journey will take you from Sichuan’s teahouses to the canals of Suzhou—the ‘Venice of the East’. You’ll learn the secrets of Chinese medicine, and uncover the amazing army of terra cotta warriors that guards Xian’s Imperial Tomb, Finally, in Shanghai, the largest seaport of the Far East, take a stroll along the Bund and watch the cargo ships go by.”

    10:20pm,Y将华盛顿之行和部分加州之行的三卷照片底片寄给Clark Film Developing。信封是Clark Film为邮寄者事前准备就绪的，你只要按要求将胶卷放入（每封不超过两卷），填好数量，在每卷胶卷贴上为你准备好的Clark Film ID Label上面有收信人和收件人的详细地址和姓名，在信封放上支票，并在信封上贴上为你准备好的邮寄地址就万事具备只待一周后收到冲洗出来的照片了。这种处处为顾客着想的热心服务对于找来回头客是一个极好的方法。