一个自由译者的生命记录

My first passport- -

                                      

I would have never thought about applying for a passport if my friend in Sweden had not offered me an opportunity of interpreting for a Chinese delegation there, which was later aborted though, because of something neither she nor me could ever understand or control.

No one would ever believe the VISA center of Shanghai could be just as crowded as a super market. I was startled to see swamps of people queueing up to get passport and visa for their various purposes. Part of the wall of the lobby is girled with a large time zone plate, indicating different times at every main city of the world. I remember I couldn't help wondering how strange it might looked to everyone that when they were brewing their dreams in the jam-packed lobby, someone in another place was literally having a real dream in his/her comfortable bed. Strange that people have never ceased to swap what they have for what they believe they deserve to have, isn't it?

In the hope of scurrying through all the formalities, I ended up taking up the wrong queue, as a dog barking up the wrong tree -- funny and pathetic was I. You would only need to get a ticket bearing certain number to wait for your turn to move up to the counter and show the policeman/woman your ID and the application and all that, like what you do in a bank.

More men and women kept flowing in while I was thinking to myself, wondering where everyone was going and what everyone was up to.

"I really don't understand honey, why people who look no less than a real eyesore can be so lucky to go wherever they want while we, two not-so-lousy young talents have to be stucked up where we don't realy enjoy..." I grumbled to my girl via short messages.

I don't know honey, but I guess we are late for that...

- 作者： 翰唐 访问统计：　2005年08月27日, 星期六 18:41 加入博采