为什么我要休间隔年

文Jonathan Guzman 译Fiona Cai 绘 马豆子

为什么我要休间隔年

Why I Took a Gap Year

文Jonathan Guzman 译Fiona Cai 绘 马豆子

Manila， the city where I grew up. Growing up， I quickly learned that the city's offerings were reserved for those with the means to enjoy them.

So a few years ago， as my college graduation approached，it came as little surprise to hear my uncle offer advice my parents and family had repeated throughout my childhood in the Philippines：

"Remember，" he said，"money isn't everything. But it is almost everything."

To him and the rest of my family， the only sensible①sensible英 ［'sensɪb（ə）l］ 美 ［'sɛnsəbl］ adj. 明智的、合乎情理的、通情达理的、意识到的；能感觉到的path was a direct line toward financial stability and success.

Instead， I'd be doing the unthinkable： I'd take a gap year.

Through the utilitarian②utilitarian 英 ［jʊ，tɪlɪ'teərɪən］ 美 ［，jutɪlɪ'tɛrɪən］ adj. 功利的；功利主义的；实利的 n. 功利主义者lens which my Filipino family and friends see education， gap years are largely a waste. They picture aimless participants who are slow to find careers， delay receiving proper salaries， and pursue activities that don't justify the money spent or earnings lost.

That anxiety is at odds with the apparent attitudes of American college students， who seem perfectly comfortable with gap years. Roughly three quarters of each incoming class at Harvard University's law school applied after taking at least a year off.

Gap years have reached such a degree of acceptability，schools like Princeton and Tufts universities have started their own programs for students to take a "transformational year of full-time service， domestically or abroad， before beginning their academic studies."

The 10 years I spent in the U.S. before graduating from Vanderbilt challenged my childhood perception of education： It became an end in and of itself. Instead of being unnecessary add-ons to an

already lengthy career path， for example， doctoral programs ranging from bioethics③bioethics英 ［baɪəʊ'eθɪks］ 美 ［，baɪo'ɛθɪks］ n. 生物伦理学to immunology④immunology 英 ［ɪmjʊ'nɒlədʒɪ］ 美 ［，ɪmju'nɑlədʒi］ n. ［免疫］ 免疫学were opportunities to broaden my future practice.

Even after my gap year， I'm still trying to strike a balance between the pragmatic priorities⑤priority 英 ［praɪ'ɒrɪtɪ］ 美 ［praɪ'ɔrəti］ n. 优先；优先权；［数］ 优先次序；优先考虑的事I was raised with and the vibrant⑥vibrant 英 ［'vaɪbrənt］ 美 ［'vaɪbrənt］ adj. 振动的；充满生气的；响亮的；战栗的ones I developed during my U.S. education. Medical school remains my goal， but I feel like a more complete candidate as I face down admissions interviews.

I learned the discipline of a full-time job and worked with physicians who I plan to stay in touch with， as both professional and personal connections. I juggled graduate coursework alongside employment，preparing me （in theory） for the hectic schedule ahead. For the price of a later start to my career， I learned how to pursue the kind of success my family taught me to value.

So while I appreciate my uncle's advice， knowing full well he wanted the best for me， I feel compelled to reword it here：

Money is almost everything. But it isn't everything.

我在马尼拉市长大，随着我的成长，我很快认识到，这座城市所提供的东西都是给那些有钱享受的人准备的。

因此，几年前我临近大学毕业的时候，听到叔叔给我的忠告，我一点都不觉得惊讶。我小时候在菲律宾时，我的父母和家人就曾经反复给我这样的忠告。

“记住，”他说，“钱不是万能的，但它近乎万能。”

对于他和我的其他家人而言，唯一的明智之举就是直接迈入收入稳定和成功的行列。

相反，我要做一件不可思议的事：我要休个间隔年。

从我的菲律宾家人和朋友看待教育的功利视角来说，间隔年很大程度上是一种浪费。在他们的想象中，参与间隔年的是一群漫无目的的人，他们不急于确定职业，推迟了挣体面工资的时间，参加的活动根本不值花出去的那些钱，也不值损失的那些收入。

那种焦虑与美国大学生的态度完全相左，美国的大学生态度明确，似乎完全接受间隔年。每年，哈佛大学法学院的新生班级都有大概四分之三的学生是休学至少一年后再申请的。

有如此多的人接受间隔年，于是像普林斯顿和塔夫茨这样的大学都开始推出他们自己的活动，让学生“在开始学术研究之前度过一年转换期，参加国内或者国外的全职服务活动”。

在我从范德堡大学毕业前，我在美国生活了十年。这十年让我儿时对于教育的看法受到了挑战：教育本身就是目的。举例而言，从生物伦理学博士项目到免疫学博士项目，它们都是我拓展未来从医实践的机会，而非我漫漫职业道路上不必要的附加物。

即便休完间隔年之后，在考虑事情的轻重缓急时，我仍试图在实用主义与澎湃激情之间找到平衡。前者是我在成长过程中被灌输的，后者是我在接受美国教育的过程中收获的。医学院仍旧是我的目标，但是当我勇敢地直面录取面试官时，我觉得自己是一个素质更加全面的候选人。

我学到了做一份全职工作该有的规矩，并且与我想要在专业和个人生活方面一直保持联系的内科医生一起工作。我力图兼顾工作和研究生课程，这（从理论上）让我为日后的繁忙日程做好了准备。尽管我付出了代价，要推迟开始我的职业生涯，但是我学会了如何去追寻我的家庭教我要重视的那种成功。

因此，尽管我很感激叔叔对我的忠告，深知他是想要我过得好，但我还是忍不住要在这里把那条忠告重新改写一下：

钱近乎是万能的，但它绝不是万能的。