编者按：萧迪森是爱白成都青年同志中心的国际实习生，来自美国芝加哥大学，从2008年6月－9月，在爱白成都和北京中心实习。2008年6月29日，他和爱白成都中心的工作人员、志愿者一道前往爱白成都中心在四川5.12大地震重灾区什邡县铜铃村的对口工作点访问。铜铃村工作点建立于5月，是爱白四川地震灾后救援－重建项目的灾民点之一。5－6月，爱白成都中心已经派出多批志愿者前往援助，帮助灾民进行生产自救，为当地青少年提供学习辅导。爱白将在以后陆续推出我们的灾后救援－重建项目系列报道，欢迎关注。
标题为编者所加。
访问什邡是一次使我异常感动的经历
图：倒塌的木耳大棚断掉了村民们的希望
我以前从来没有听说过木耳，按说去看看这样闻所未闻的东西是怎么种出来的，应该很令人兴奋。然而在大地震后去，这次探访的意义就截然不同了。农场受损十分严重，房子和学校都毁了。由于农场受损严重，今年的收成大不及往年。因为种植木耳所需的资金是从银行借贷的，只有获得收成才能归还贷款，所以对于农民而言，就尤为艰难。我们和一位老乡谈起此事，他告诉我们，今年他借了50,000元，而收成却只能卖到10,000元。我问到政府是否可以让银行豁免他们的债务，他却对此充满疑虑。
Visiting the area near ShiFang was an incredibly moving experience. As I had never heard of mu’er before, visiting just to see the farms and the countryside would have been exciting, but in the aftermath of the earthquake, the visit took on a different meaning. The farms had been heavily damaged, and the homes and schools were destroyed. Because the farms had been damaged, this year’s harvest was much lower than usual. For the farmers there, this is exceptionally difficult because their farms operate on credit – they first borrow money from the bank to purchase the materials to grow the fungus and pay back the loans with the profits from the harvest. One farmer that we spoke with told us that they had borrowed 50,000 RMB for that year, and that the harvest would only yield them 10,000 RMB. I asked if the government would work with the banks to forgive their debt, but they doubted that it would happen.
图：孩子们都来上英文课
孩子们受到的影响也很严重，学校毁了，他们也就无学可上了。有些孩子的期末考试已经邻近了，但他们却没有地方学习——学校已经没了。我试着教他们一些简单的英文单词，跟着我这个外国人学习，他们也很开心。另我惊讶的是，这些小朋友已经懂得不少英文。美国的孩子们直到高中才开始学习外语，但我以为应该在孩子们还小的时候就开始学外语，这样有利于他们去欣赏其他的文化。
The children are heavily affected as well, as there school’s have been destroyed and they now have nothing to do. For several of the students, their placement exams for school are approaching, but they have not been able to study because they have no school. I spent some time helping them learn some simple English words, and they were very excited to be able to learn from a foreigner. I am still amazed by how much English the children already knew; American children usually do not study a second language until high school, but I think that it is important to start teaching other languages early so that children learn better and can appreciate other cultures.
图：晒木耳
离开了养木耳的农户，我们去和其他的村民交流。父母们鼓励他们的孩子用英文同我交流，然而小朋友们都很害羞。这让我回想起美国的父母们也是同样的会鼓励他们的孩子同外国人交流。看来地球两边的人们真是何其相似啊。所有我遇到的人都不可思议的热情，虽然自己的物资还十分匮乏，但他们却请我们吃饭喝水。
他们希望我能留下来继续教他们的孩子英文，这使我离开这些新朋友时有些难过。这些人们承受了巨大的痛苦，能够为他们做点什么或者给他们个机会暂时忘掉关于地震的一切，我觉得很高兴。
图：一起吃饭
After visiting one of the fungus farms, we got lost and spent some time talking with another village. The parents there kept encouraging their children to practice their English with me, though the children were very shy. This reminded me of American parents doing the same with their children and any foreigners they may meet, and I was reminded of how similar people are, even on different sides of the globe. Everyone that we met was incredibly warm-hearted, and even though they didn’t have much, they kept offering us water and food. I was sad to leave my new friends there, as they had hoped I would stay and help teach the children English. These are people who have suffered much, and I am glad that I was able to provide some help or an excuse to think about things other than the problems caused by the earthquake.
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