雅美之途
教育，人文，社会
儿子这周末刚刚在美国旧金山完成婚礼，喜庆的氛围无法用中文和英文形容，但是我仍然在飞机上写下这篇演讲稿，表达了我当时的感受。现在趁着大队人马去游玩的机会，我在旅馆试着把英文稿翻译成中文。尺把长的儿子伴随我们成长，见证了太多美国第一代移民所经历的一切，我们为儿子骄傲和自豪。媳妇的加入不仅为我们带来耶鲁和斯坦福的两个学位，更是使我们家成为拥有美国特征的中国、美国、日本和瑞典的文化融合。
婚礼按照美国传统由新娘家负责，我们的所有开稍只是正式婚礼前一天的彩排晚餐（Rehearsal Dinner)，以及补帖蜜月的部分费用。女方父母为非严格宗教信仰人士，所以选择在相当高级的宾馆举行婚礼，费用是新娘家头痛的事。整个婚礼庄重而温馨，除了类似教堂婚礼的仪式外，还有儿子和媳妇的大学同学的朗诵词。
结婚正式仪式结束后进入晚餐部分（Reception)，开始由新娘父亲欢迎来宾。在晚餐中间还安排了五位亲友致祝酒词，分别为新娘父亲、新娘外祖父、新郎父亲、新郎好友（儿子的高中同学，哈佛本科毕业)，新娘好友（儿子和媳妇的耶鲁同学，纽约诗人)。
我在儿子婚礼上的祝酒词（Toast):
We are so excited to be here for the celebration! Thank you, Frank and Laura, for hosting this. I don't know if we can call this an American Dream or Chinese Dream, but it is the proudest moment in our extended family. My mother and so many of our relatives have traveled all the way from China, I have to say on their own expenses.
（我们非常兴奋地来到这里参加这个庆祝仪式！谢谢你们，弗兰克和萝拉，操办这个婚礼。我不知道称这是美国梦还是中国梦，这确实是我们大家庭最为自豪的时刻。我母亲和这么多亲人从中国远道赶来，我应该说所有旅程费用均来自他们自己).
I was a little emotional when the flight staff announced this time that we were approaching San Francisco, actually San Francisco was where I took my first step on American soil. I can tell you a story showing how China has been transformed in such a short period. During my first day in America at San Francisco International Airport almost twenty-seven years ago, when I walked toward the airport automatic door, the door opened to me. I said to myself: "That door is so smart”，I would like to remind you that I was from a top five city in China.
(当飞机乘务人员这次通知我们，飞机已经临近旧金山时，我的心情有些激动，其实旧金山正是我踏上美国土地的第一步。我可以告诉大家一个故事，可以说明中国在如此短的时间里发生了多么大的变化。在几乎27年前，也就是我在美国的第一天，在旧金山国际机场，当我走向机场的自动门时，那门自动为我打开了。我当时对自己说：“这门真聪明”，我必须提醒大家：我当时来自中国前五位的大城市)。
Actually Jason helped himself immigrate to America. When his mom carried him to Beijing to apply for a US Visa, it was so hard to obtain an American visa during that time. But Jason immediately identified me from the passport photo, and they gave him the visa. Once Jason and his mom arrived in St. Louis, I didn't have a car, so my cardiologist friend agreed to go with me to the airport.
（其实，杰森帮助他自己移民到了美国。当时他妈妈带着他去北京申请美国签证时，获得美国签证相当困难。但是杰森很快认出了护照照片中的我，这样签证官更容易给他们签证。当杰森和他妈妈抵达圣路易斯时，我没有车子，我的心脏病学家的朋友陪我去的机场)。
Jason is such an excellent son and we as the young parent virtually grew up together with him. He fully experienced all those joys and challenges that first-generation Americans face. Jason is also such an independent man, we had the privilege to raise him and to be friends with him. We also have to say sorry to him at this occasion that we should not leave him at library or bookstore for long hours when we were studying hard to pass our medical boards or exams. Jason's independence was shown to us like this: when we were at his first Christmas party came back home from Yale, one of our friends, an ER physician, asked him: "How was the life at Yale? Did you meet any girls?" We all looked at Jason when he responded: "Yes, I met a girl from Virginia ". This was our first time to know that he met Julia, they’ve been in love since their Yale blind date. Thank you for raising such a wonderful daughter for us as well, we are all so happy that Julia is joining our family for the long and prosperous journey ahead.
(杰森是位卓越的儿子，我们作为年轻的父母几乎是与他共同成长的。 他完全经历了第一代美国移民所面对的欢乐和挑战。杰森也是一位独立的人，我们荣幸能够辅育他成人并且成为他的朋友。我们也必须借此机会向他表达歉意，我们在他小时候不应该把他放在图书馆和书店的时间太长，当时我们需要努力通过美国医学执照和其他考试。
杰森的独立性反应在这个场景中：在他从耶鲁回来的第一个圣诞节，我们出去参加聚会，一位我们的急诊科的医生朋友问他：“耶鲁的生活怎么样？遇到任何女朋友没有？”。我们都望着杰森而他这样回答：“对呀，我遇到一位来自弗吉尼亚的女孩”。 这是我们第一次知道朱丽娅，他们在那个“从未谋面的耶鲁男女生约会”活动中相遇，恋爱至今。谢谢你们也为我们培养了如此优秀的女儿，我们非常高兴朱丽娅能够加入我们的家庭，也祝福他们未来丰富而长久的旅程)。
I was thinking to give Jason and Julia three suggestions, but I realized Jason already followed two of them, the father and the son are the soulmates here. But anyway I will give them now: 1。Marry your classmate; 2。Marry a girl who is a few months older than you. These are two of our family's traditions; 3. Don't bring your stress or challenges from outside into the family's dinner table.
（我想着给杰森和朱丽娅三点建议，然而，我后来发现其中的两条已经被杰森实现了，父子心灵之相通由此可见一斑。但是我还是应该将这些建议给出：1。与你的同学结婚；2。与那位比你年长几个月的女孩结婚。这两条是我们家的传统；3。不要把你在外面的压力或挑战带到家庭的晚餐饭桌上。让我们为杰森和朱丽娅干杯，祝福幸福美满的婚姻！）
照片为我手机所摄，他们还聘了专业摄影师。
这 Frank应该是Francis吧. 不会把亲家名字都搞错了? :)
For those who judged the speech, be easy! There is Not a right or wrong way to give a wedding speech! or a formula to follow. It is a deserved opportunity for the dad to say whatever he wants to say.
非常优秀的孩子，祝福他们婚姻美满。
真挚的演讲就是好演讲。为你们高兴。
下一个喜讯就是你抱孙辈啦。
顺便提一句，现在比较流行的是孩子们自己付所有的结婚开销，而且也不收礼金。????????
一直在跟读您的大作。
然后对所有有疑问，反问以及质问的人说，给别人一个祝福，而不是“喷”有那么难吗？！
与人温暖，自己也开心。
再次祝福楼主！
恭喜JASON & JULIA!
You tried to be humorous but I'm not sure if people got it. It's like Chinese way of thinking translated into English.
A top five city in China? What is that? Never heard of such saying.
祝福Jason and Julia!