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Editor’s Note: this issue focuses on introducing one of the top universities in the world to Stella Matutinans. And yet, not as the same as a general guide to “studying abroad,” the invited author, who graduated from the high school division of Stella Matutina in 2007, demonstrated her keen observation in depicting the geography of Ithaca—a tiny but multicultural college town, diverse extracurricular activities, and her precious learning experience at Cornell. Through her essay and photos, we see a completely different world virtually.

編按 : 本期國際專刊聚焦於、向曉明人介紹一所世界頂尖大學—美國康乃爾大學。然而，不同於一般的「遊學簡介」，本期特邀作者—2007 年曉明高中部畢業生—在她描寫綺色佳這個擁有多元文化的大學城、豐富的課外活動和她珍貴的學習經驗中，呈現了細膩的觀察力。透過她的書寫和照片，我們得以「觀看」一個截然不同的世界。

Ithaca & I 綺色佳與我

Author’s bio: Yi-Yun is currently a super busy 1st-year PhD student in neurobiology at Cornell. She dreamed about becoming an artist as a little girl. In high school, she fell in love with mathematics. After receiving her bachelor degree in physics, she turned to biology because of her love for life. Although she encounters numerous failures in her experiments, she immerses herself in the joy of solving problems and telling stories from statistics. She sees life as a journey—a destination is not a must; instead, finding a path on which she can enjoy the scenery. This is not an easy path, but she expects herself not to regret while looking back in the future. Beside her school time, she loves cooking and running.

作者簡介 : 目前為康乃爾大學神經生物博士班第一年的忙碌研究生。小時候想成為藝術家，高中愛上數學，大學讀完物理系後因為對生命的在乎而轉向生物。雖然實驗充滿挫敗，但仍然沉浸於解決問題和從數據中說出故事的喜悅。覺得人生是一趟旅程，沒有什麼非到不了的地標，而是要找到一條自己能享受沿路的風光的路徑。即使艱辛，希望有天回頭也能無愧自己的品嘗苦澀後回甘。興趣為烹飪和慢跑。

作者 : 何逸雲 written by Yi-Yun Ho

Ithaca is located in Finger Lakes Area, Upper State New York. It is between The Great Lakes (or, The Great Lakes of North America) and The Pacific Ocean. Many hills, glacier lakes, and waterfalls surround this city. Also, Ithaca is known for being home to Cornell University (shortened as “Cornell” in the following paragraphs). Its snow season is about half of the year; the lowest temperature could be lower than -20°C. Half of residents in Ithaca are hired by university-related industries. There are farms and wineries surrounding the city. Ithaca was translated into “ 綺色佳 ” by Hu Shih (a Chinese philosopher, diplomat, and essayist; 1891-1962)—according to its sound and its beautiful scenery. Hu Shih himself was also one of the first Chinese students at Cornell. Cornell’s identity is both private and public—it is the federal land-grant institution of New York State and a private endowed university (by Ezra Cornell. Its establishment was influenced by Morrill Land-Grant Act , which focused on science and agriculture education. Therefore, some colleges at Cornell belong to state university system (for instance, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences); some belong to private one (such as College of Engineering).

綺色佳 (Ithaca) 坐落於紐約上州 (Upper State New York) 五指湖區 (Finger Lakes Area)，夾在五大湖和大西洋中間，多淺丘和冰河切割的瀑布湖泊，多以康乃爾大學 (Cornell) 所在地為人所知。一年中大約有半年的雪季，冬天溫度可以降至零下二十多度。綺色佳居民半數以上為和大學相關的教職員工生，城市外圍遍布農場和葡萄酒莊。綺色佳的譯名一說來自胡適，取其音和景色優美之意。胡適是也康乃爾大學最早的華人學生。康乃爾大學是美國少數公私立合營的學校。興建之因為響應莫雷爾法案鼓勵科學和農業教育的美意，由州政府和康乃爾先生共同出資興建而成。因此，部分學院為州立大學體系( 如生農學院 )，部分學院為私立體系 ( 如工程學院 )。

Cornell’s main campus is on East Hill, overlooking the town and Cayuga Lake. It takes 4 to 6 hours to drive from the surrounding metropolitan cities—such as New York City, Toronto, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington DC, and Pittsburgh, so it is definitely a good place for focusing on studies and research (laugh). Because of its geographical characteristics, various outdoor activities and related courses are offered at Cornell—including rock-climbing, tree-climbing, survival skills, windsurfing, paddling courses, scuba diving, skiing, skating, snowboarding, and so on.Additionally, due to glaciation, there are numerous beautiful hills and waterfalls around—within half-hour drive, you can find 3 state parks and plenty of hiking trails. In summer, the lower part of waterfall and Cayuga Lake are open to swimmers—lifeguards on standby.

康乃爾大學依山而建，頗有據山而王之勢，而山下也確有梁山泊 ( 五指湖中一指，卡優佳 湖 (Cayuga Lake))。此地由於距離各大城市( 包括紐約市、多倫多、波士頓、費城、華盛頓特區、匹茲堡 ) 均需四到六小時車程，所以非常適合培養求學研究的專注力 ( 大笑 )。也因為如此，戶外運動非常盛行，康乃爾大學也提供非常豐富的體育課程，涵蓋攀岩、爬樹、野外求生、風帆、獨木舟、潛水、滑雪、溜冰、冰攀、滑雪板等等。此外，由於冰河作用，附近非常多漂亮的小丘和瀑布，半小時車程內即有三處州立公園和許多步道。夏天時，瀑布下

方及卡優佳湖 (Cayuga Lake) 都開放游泳，並有救生員駐守。

立足曉明 放眼國際 :國際教育專刊

Read Bi-lingually, Think Globally:

Essays on Internationalizing Education

2015 年 04 月 17 日第 3期

Issue 3: April 17, 2015

校友的海外跨文化觀察 2

Cross-cultural Observation 2

編譯：賴翊瑄 (Chief Editor & Translator: Carol Lai)

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Diving is also a popular sport here—even 5-or-6-year-old kids dare to jump! (I dare not at all!) What’s special, all swim aids are banned here—these might prevent lifeguards from efficient water rescue. Lifeguards are not only on bear lifeguard towers but also patrolling the area on canoes.

跳水十分盛行，連五、六歲的小孩都能勇敢下躍，讓姊姊我自嘆弗如。特別的是，戶外開放游泳水域禁止游泳圈和各種漂浮器具，大概是避免遮擋救生員視線吧！除了駐守跳台外，更有划著獨木舟巡邏的救生員。冬天十分漫長，因此學

會享受擁抱冰雪是能否撐過漫漫長冬的關鍵要素。除了刺激的滑雪和滑雪板外，雪橇、雪鞋和越野滑雪是另一個老少咸宜的選擇。雪鞋和越野滑雪都是步道健行的冬天版本，前者穿著大腳怪大小的塑膠板，而後者則是著滑雪板 ( 長板 ) 並

利用手杖輔助，兩種器具皆有助避免腳掌深陷雪泥之中。

In addition to university-related residents, there are hippies and Tibetans gathering in its downtown area. From May to November, various festivals and music events are hosted. Amid these events, “Porchfest” falls in one week of October: residents in Fall Creek, with snacks and musical instruments on their porches, welcome neighbors and visitors to enjoy a wide range of music performances. In suburban Ithaca, a Tibetan Buddhist monastery , Tibetans in traditional clothing (cangpao) and houses with flying prayer flags are usually visible. Because of being a college town, Ithaca might be the most friendly and safest city I have been to in North America. Although it has a small population, Ithaca owns multicultural food culture and the trait of ethnic tolerance.

此外，這裡除了和大學相關的居民，市區也聚集了不少嬉皮和藏人。每年五月到十一月，有各式節慶和音樂表演。其中，每年十月左右會有一週，住在佛奎克區 (Fall Creek) 的居民會紛紛在自己的門廊前擺出樂器和點心，招待鄰居和遊客們到自己家前院席地而坐欣賞音樂，稱為門廊音樂節 (Porchfest)。在綺色佳郊區有一處藏傳佛教的修道院，不時能看到著紅色藏袍的藏人和掛著五色旗幟的房子。或許由於大學城的緣故，綺色佳幾乎是我在北美感受到最友善最安全的城市。雖然是個小城鎮，卻擁有非常多元的餐廳和族群包容的文化。

Whenever it is warm, there are weekend farmers’ markets on the lakeshore. Many farmers living around Ithaca sell home-grown vegetables and fruits, as well as home-made agricultural products here—so do with artists with their postcards, hand-dyed fabric, hand-made accessories, and wooden furniture. What’s special: cuisines from diverse countries—Greece, Cambodia, Tibet, and so on-- are seen in farmers’ markets. Many Ithacans (residents in Ithaca) tend to grow fruits and vegetables in their backyards—most of them are fans of organic farming. Some of my classmates even keep bees and chickens at home. Certain crop contracts are provided by surrounding farms—the freshest products would be delivered to home on a monthly basis.

天氣溫暖的時候，週末在湖邊有農夫市集，許多附近的農夫會載著自家的新鮮蔬果和自製產品到此地販賣，附近的藝術家也在此販賣明信片、手染布料、手製飾品和木工家具。特別的是，在農夫市集有來自各國的美食：從希臘、柬埔寨到藏族料理。許多居民都有在後院自己耕種蔬果的習慣，並崇尚自然和有機農法。系上的同學甚至自己養蜂和蛋雞。附近的農場也多有提供契約作物，可以以月付方式讓最新鮮的當季作物直接從產地送到家門。

In summer, “pick-your-own,” which is the least expensive way of purchasing vegetables and fruits in the U.S., is one of the popular activities. “Finger Lakes” is an important winemaking region in the U.S.; you can even reach ice wine making region if you drive further north to the border between Canada and the U.S.. Many tourists would spend afternoons on wine tasting and lake sightseeing in near wineries—no wonder Ithaca is ranked as one of the best places to retire in North America.

其中一個夏日出遊節目便是到農場自採作物，自採

作物在人工昂貴的美國是最划算的購買蔬果的方式之一。說了農作就不得不提，五指湖區也是美國重要的葡萄酒產地，更往北進入加拿大邊界則是冰酒產地。許多遊客來此皆會到附近的酒莊品酒，一邊欣賞漂亮的湖景，度過悠閒的午後，也難怪綺色佳名列北美最適合退休居住的城市之一。

Last but not least, I want to briefly talk about student life at Cornell. The most surprising class fact to me is the organic discussions. Teachers in both lectures and seminars would leave time for students to ask questions and discuss with their classmates. In addition, many teaching assistants (TAs) are undergraduates here—this is quite different from Taiwan, where most TAs are graduate students. Many undergraduate TAs have advanced academic achievement in the previous year. There is a belief at Cornell that undergraduate TAs can guide their fellows easier than graduate ones, because their thinking styles are closer. Being TAs is also good for undergraduates to expand their leadership skill set. Undergraduates here are very active—they start accumulating internship, volunteer, and lab experience in freshman and sophomore years. In their extracurricular time, students from all over the world host various cultural events—including Nowruz (the Iranian new year), Holi (a spring festival in India), Moon Festival, and so on. You will know friends from so many different cultures by taking courses and participating in these events. Cross-cultural films are also screened in the on-campus cinema. Students can get discounted tickets and know certain regions or histories better in a relaxing manner.

最後，不得不提一下學生生活。課堂上最讓我驚訝的莫過於興盛的問問題和討論風氣。無論大班或是小班的課，老師都會留時間讓大家問問題並且和隔壁的同學討論。另外，有別於臺灣一般都是研究生當助教，這裡有許多助教都是由大學生擔任。他們多是前一年修過課表現良好的學生，學校認為由這些大學生擔當小助教或是讀書小組組長能以更貼近學生的方式幫助學生學習，也讓大學生有培養領導能力的機會。這裡的大學生非常積極，大一、大二便開始培養企業實習、志工或實驗室研究的經驗。課堂之餘，來自世界各地的學生常舉辦各種文化活動，包括波斯新年(Nowruz)、印度灑紅節 (Holi)、中秋節等。除了修課能認識來自世界各地的朋友，藉由這些活動也能更進一步體驗各地的文化風俗。學校的電影院也會放映來自不同文化的電影，讓學生用便宜的價格和輕鬆的方式認識一個地域一段歷史。

It takes time to adjust to a different language and many different cultures while studying abroad. Some students even suffer from depression, which is caused by cold weather and academic stress. After studying here for a few years, I find out that regular exercise and a balanced diet keep me away from overwhelming stress. And yes, making friends with those who can share life experience with and enjoying recreational activities are also very important. The last point I want to share here: I wish all of you a positive attitude while facing challenges in your life.

在國外念書難免會有語言和文化上的適應不良，加上課業壓力和寒冷的天氣，常讓人心生鬱悶。幾年下來，我發現固定的運動和均衡的飲食是最有效能讓我消除壓力保持心情愉快的方式。當然，有可以分享生活的朋友和課餘可以從事的興趣也是非常重要的。最後希望大家都能以正面開放的態度去面對生命中的每一個挑戰，共勉之。