Ep. W: WāiYāo Yóutǒng Bent Mailboxes 歪腰郵筒
(想聽2021年11月5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 11/5/2021 radio episode, please click on the above music note to play the file)
It's interesting how some acts of nature are very common in some places and so rare in others. I grew up having snow in the winter. The first time I met someone who had never seen snow, I was shocked! I had never even realized that there were people in the world who have never seen snow! Even though my home is also on the Ring of Fire and we get earthquakes just like Taiwan, one thing we almost never get is typhoons. We barely get lightning in my home state, let alone hurricanes or typhoons! Our weather is simply too boring, mostly just sun, wind and rain. So when I came to Taiwan and was told that Taiwanese people even get to take typhoon days off from work and school, I was very excited to experience one. Unfortunately I had to wait a long time, because my first year here we experienced a drought and no typhoons came. But my second year here a typhoon finally did come, and I remember I put on my rain coat, rain pants and rain boots and stood out on our family's balcony to feel the typhoon's power. Of course, my family quickly grabbed me and pulled me inside, scolding me for putting myself in danger.
But while it's true that people here respect and fear the danger that typhoons can bring, what I really like about typhoons is the way they highlight Taiwanese culture's style of facing problems. There are a lot of "inside jokes" about typhoon days, that you have to stock up on instant noodles, that they're made for going to the movies, and of course the most famous is that they created the bent mailboxes. It's a good attitude about life: when danger or problems come, face the issue calmly and try to find a way to enjoy life even through the hardships. The bent mailboxes are great, but only because Taiwanese culture made them into something delightful. (Remember to look at the bottom of the post for the song chords!)
有件事情很有趣,那就是一些地方某些大自然現象非常普遍, 但在一些其他地方卻很少見.我是在一個冬天會下雪的地方長大的.第一次遇到沒見過雪的人時,驚呆了!沒想到世界上居然還有人沒見過雪!雖然我的家也在火環帶上,我們像台灣一樣會發生地震,但我們幾乎從未遇過一件事就是颱風.在我家鄉,我們幾乎沒有閃電,更不用說颱風或颶風!我們的天氣實在是太無聊了,大多是陽光、風和雨.所以當我來台灣聽到台灣人甚至能放颱風假不用上班或上課,我很期待能親自體驗.不幸的是我不得不等好久,因為我在台灣的第一年我們經歷了一次乾旱,沒有颱風來.但在第二年颱風終於來了,還記得那次我穿上雨衣、雨褲和雨靴,站在我們家的陽台上感受颱風的力量.當然,我的家人連忙一把拉住我,罵我置身險境!
但是,雖然這裡的人確實尊重和害怕颱風帶來的危險,但我真正喜歡颱風來的地方,在於它們突出了台灣文化面對的方式.颱風天的「內幕笑話」不少,例如泡麵得趕快去搶、放颱風假就是要去看電影、還有最有名的笑話就是颱風所創造出來的歪腰郵筒.這個方式是一種良好的生活方式:當危險或問題來臨時,冷靜地面對它,並嘗試找到一種即使在艱難中也能享受生活的方式.歪腰郵筒那麼棒但也是因為台灣文化態度使它們變得令人愉快.(記得看網頁最下面的地方就可以找到歌曲的和絃囉!)
Scooter Song Lyrics歌詞
Taiwan is not all sunshine and rainbows 台灣不全是陽光和彩虹
We're an island on the big Ring of Fire 我們是火環上的一座小島
That means earthquakes, flooding and crazy disasters 這意味著是會有地震、洪水和瘋狂的災難
Happen every so often 經常發生
But there's one kind of scary disaster 但有一種可怕的災難
The typhoons that come maybe two or three times a year 那些一年可能來兩三次的颱風
They make trouble and they make problems 他們製造麻煩,也製造問題
But one typhoon cheered us up 但有一場颱風確然我們開心起來
The typhoon bent two mailboxes 那場颱風吹歪了兩個郵筒
It made us all smile 這讓我們都笑了
We loved how they bent 我們喜歡他們如此歪曲
They make such a cute style 它們做出好可愛的風格
Typhoons are a scary thing 颱風是個可怕的東西
They bring wind and rain 它們帶來風雨
And blow the trees and blow the houses 也吹樹也吹房子
Over and under across the land 遍及大地
But most strong mailboxes 但一般強壯的郵筒
Continue to stand 能繼續站立
Except for two mailboxes 除了兩個郵筒
In Taipei they stand but not quite straight 在台北它們站著,但不太直
The bent mailboxes, they're just so great! 歪腰郵筒,實在太棒了!
Typhoons are really nothing to laugh at 颱風真的沒什麼好笑的
They cause trees to fall and the sea becomes dangerous 它們導致樹木倒塌,而且大海變得危險
But through all of it 但經過一切
We still find a bit of 我們還是能發現一些
Humor in it all 幽默在其中
The typhoon bent two mailboxes 那場颱風吹歪了兩個郵筒
It made us all smile 這讓我們都笑了
We loved how they bent 我們喜歡他們如此歪曲
They make such a cute style 它們做出好可愛的風格
Typhoons are a scary thing 颱風是個可怕的東西
They bring wind and rain 它們帶來風雨
And blow the trees and blow the houses 也吹樹也吹房子
Over and under across the land 遍及大地
But most strong mailboxes 但一般強壯的郵筒
Continue to stand 能繼續站立
Except for two mailboxes 除了兩個郵筒
In Taipei they stand but not quite straight 在台北它們站著,但不太直
The bent mailboxes, they're just so great! 歪腰郵筒,實在太棒了!
Typhoons are scary not so sunny 颱風很可怕,沒什麼陽光
But they can make some things funny 但他們還是能讓一些事情變得好笑
The bent mailboxes, they're just so great! 歪腰郵筒,實在太棒了!