Ep. J: Jīchē Scooter 機車
Scooter
(想聽2021年5月7日的廣播節目可以點開上面音符圖案的檔案 If you'd like to listen to the original 5/7/2021 radio episode, please click on the above music note to play the file)
Taiwan was my first real introduction to scooters and motorcycles. No one in my family back in the US has a motorcycle, and scooters aren't very common there, especially compared to lots of other countries. We like our big cars in the US! So the first time I ever rode a scooter was when a coworker in Taiwan gave me a ride home one night. And it was kinda scary but really exciting! I remember I held her tight around the waist because I was afraid I'd fall off, and she looked at me like I was weird. Of course later I realized that holding someone tight around the waist is usually reserved for romantic dates, not for coworkers°.
It wasn't until later, when I traveled to other Asian countries like Vietnam or India, that I realized how crazy scooter driving can really be. Taiwanese scooter drivers are pretty calm compared to drivers in those places! But even so, when I think of Taiwanese life, scooters take up a big part of how we live here. They're convenient, take up a lot less space, and especially now with electric scooters and shared scooters becoming more and more popular, they're becoming much better for the environment as well.
One of my favorite memories is traveling to Hualien by train, renting a scooter near the train station, and then driving up to Taroko Gorge with a friend of mine. Getting to see the natural beauty of that spectacular park top to bottom in 360° views while the wind was whipping through my hair was really unforgettable. The next time I went was in a car, and it was much less exciting. You couldn't see anything!
So while scooters are a little more dangerous, and can't drive as fast or as far as a car, they really provide wonderful memories. Taiwan loves to drive them, and so do I! (Remember to look at the bottom of the post for the song chords!)
台灣是我對機車和大型摩托車的第一個真正的接觸．在我的美國家人中，沒有任何一個人有大型摩托車，而且機車在美國並不常見，尤其是與其他許多國家相比．在美國我們就是愛大型汽車啦！所以人生第一次騎摩托車是在台灣。有一次我的同事晚上騎機車載我回家，當時感覺很害怕但同時很興奮！我記得我緊緊的抱著她的腰，因為我擔心自己會掉下去，而她看著我就像我是個瘋子．當然，後來我就意識到了，騎摩托車的時候緊緊抱人通常是保留給浪漫的約會對象，而不是跟同事做的事哈．
直到後來，我去了越南或印度等其他亞洲國家時，才發現騎機車可以多麼瘋狂．跟那些地方的機車司機相比，台灣的司機非常鎮定！但是既便如此，當我想到台灣的生活時，機車確實佔據了生活很大的一部分．它們很方便，佔用空間比汽車少很多，而且由於現在電動機車和共享機車越來越受歡迎，它們也越來越環保．
我最喜歡的回憶之一是很久之前，有一次坐火車去花蓮，在火車站附近租機車，然後跟我朋友一起騎到太魯閣．當風拂過我的頭髮時．以360°的角度欣賞壯觀的公園，自上而下的自然美景真令人難忘.另一次去的時候是開車，開車的感覺沒有一半騎機車的興奮，甚麼都看不到！因此，雖然機車危險性比較高，並且不能跟汽車一樣騎那麼快或那麼遠，但機車確實提供了很多美好的回憶．台灣很愛騎機車，我也是！（記得看網頁最下面的地方就可以找到歌曲的和絃囉！）
*Scooter = 小型機車(大約200cc以下)
*Moped = 有空間放腳的小型機車
*Motorcycle = 重型機車 (大約150cc以上)
Scooter Song Lyrics 歌詞
Vroom, vroom Taiwan loves to drive scooters 嗚嗚 台灣很愛騎機車
Vroom, vroom yeah we love to drive scooters 嗚嗚 是啊我們很愛騎機車
To tea shops and train stations all over town 去茶店去火車站全城跑透透
Vroom, vroom Taiwan loves to drive scooters 嗚嗚 台灣很愛騎機車
Taiwan's a place that's not too big 台灣是一個不太大的地方
But it's not too little either 但也不太小
If you want to get out and move around 如果想出門走動走動
You should learn to drive a scooter 你應該學會騎機車
Vroom, vroom Taiwan loves to drive scooters 嗚嗚 台灣很愛騎機車
Vroom, vroom yeah we love to drive scooters 嗚嗚 是啊我們很愛騎機車
To temples and mountain trails all over town 去寺廟去山上步道全城跑透透
Vroom, vroom Taiwan loves to drive scooters 嗚嗚 台灣很愛騎機車
No matter the weather, we still ride 不管甚麼天氣，我們還是會騎
In humid heat or in winter when it's cooler 無論是潮濕悶熱或者冬天比較涼的時候
23 million people live in Taiwan 2300萬人住在台灣
And 15 million of us have scooters 而其中1500萬人擁有機車
One last thing in Taiwan you should know 還有最後一個你該知道的事
Some people are also called scooter 有人也會被叫成機車
Not very nice, not very kind 這不是很友善，也不是很親切
Scooter kinda means you're a loser 機車的意思有點像你是失敗者/爛人
Vroom, vroom Taiwan loves to drive scooters 嗚嗚 台灣很愛騎機車
Vroom, vroom yeah we love to drive scooters 嗚嗚 是啊我們很愛騎機車
It's okay to drive one, but please don't be one 可以騎一台沒問題，但請別做機車的人
Vroom, vroom Taiwan loves to drive scooters 嗚嗚 台灣很愛騎機車
