留美杂记（0）

留美杂记

（1980年至1981年）

前言

这些30多年前写的东西，一方面反映了我从小饱受共产党宣传教育，到美国后虽一年有余，思维上仍有的极大的惯性，另一方面也反映了当时虽然30岁有余，名为大学毕业，其实由于文化大革命只受到高中的教育，却仍然十分的幼稚。故尔今天读起这些小文章来难免耳赤。然而，站在1980年1981年的背景上来读，这些小文章记载了一个封闭的国家走向开放的一个具体的实例，反映了我们第一批来美国的留学生的情况。它们不但曝露了当时自己的真实思想，而且也同时显示了我的思想和思维方式开始转变的苗头。

回想起来，那时我们初到美国，生活在这个完全陌生的社会，之前没有和外国人接触过，对外面的世界没有任何真实的了解。我们的头脑中要不就是国内的官方宣传，要不就是一些道听途说的东西。到了M城后，我们得到来自各方面的人们给与我们的实实在在的关心、爱护、温暖和帮助。他们有的是学校的各级办事人员，有的是各系的教授，有的是美国、香港、台湾或别的国家和地区的同学，有的是校外社会上结识的朋友。毫不夸张地说，在M城的四年时间是我一生中度过的最幸福的时光。M城毫无疑问是我在美国的故乡。

这些小文章原本是为《西安日报》写的。为了便于在国内发表，撰写时难免要迎合当时国内的政治标准和人们的习惯用语和思维方法。尽管如此，投去的22篇文章中只有13篇经编辑删改斧正后得以发表。这里整理出的是按22篇原稿编辑的。其中少数明显谬误之处做了修改。我计划在退休之后、时间宽裕的时候，再重新结合当年的日记、相片和至今仍残留的记忆给每篇追加补遗和注释，进而再写一组文章去记叙那段多姿多彩的幸福生活。

耳赤尽管耳赤，这些小文章如今读来自己仍感到原汁原味。或许也会有别人感兴趣？当然，把它们整理出来的最终目的，还是为了宝贝女儿。总希望她有朝一日能学好中文，来读这些东西，也算是我留给她的一点精神财富。

目录

前言 

乡愁 

奔赴M 城 

初识M城  

江太太 

大学教学制度点滴 

C教授 

异魁瑙克斯节 

国内的战争

美国的农业

罗兹黛尔合作社（上）

罗兹黛尔合作社（中）

罗兹黛尔合作社（下）

美国的年轻人（上）

美国的年轻人（下）

汤姆•皮尔逊 

安•芒克斯和琳•哈能

激进左翼分子

W 州德尔斯游记

春田市之行 

芝加哥之行

芝加哥之行

结束语

Preface

These short articles, written in more than 30 years ago, reflect, on the one hand the propaganda I received from the communist party for nearly 30 years since very young, and the momentum in the way of thinking remaining in my mind even after I had lived in the United States for more than a year; on the other hand, I was virtually a high school graduate without a true college education due to the Culture Revolution so still awfully naïve despite the fact that I was more than 30 years old then. It is quite embarrassing reading them today. However, reading from the backgrounds and stand point of 1980 and 1981, those short articles provide a specific concrete example of how a closed country opened up to the outside and record some of the true experience the first group of students coming from the mainland China to the United States.  Not only do they reflect my own true feelings and thoughts, but also show traces of changes of me, my way of thinking, and my view points on things

Looking back, we hardly know anything about the United States when we arrived in 1979.  We really never had any contact with foreigners, or know anything real about the world outside China. What we knew about the United States were either those from official propaganda from the Chinese government, or those from all kinds of hearsay from various sources. What we actually got after we arrived Madison, Wisconsin, were true and sincere love, warmth, support and help from all walks of life, including but not limited to university administrative staff in various offices, professors in various departments, schoolmates and classmates from the United States, Hong Kong, Taiwan and other countries and regions, as well as those newly acquainted friends outside the university community. It is no exaggeration to say that the four years in Madison were the happiest time in my life.  Madison is undoubtedly my hometown in the United States.

Originally，these short articles were drafted for Xi’an Daily. For the sake to be published back in China, I had tries to let these articles fit the political criteria at that time, using commonly accepted terms and concepts.  Nevertheless, only 13 out of the total of 22 manuscripts were published, with cuts and revises from the newspaper editor.  This time I have put together all these original 22 manuscripts, with only few obvious mistakes corrected.  My plan is to revisit each of them once more when I retire and have more time, referring my diary, photos taken in that period of time and whatever left in my memory, and adding footnotes and supplement materials.  Moreover, I feel I have quite a lot of more stories to write about those happy and colorful old days.

Embarrassing to read today, yet I still enjoy reading them myself.  Perhaps, someone else may also be interested in reading them.  Of course, the ultimate purpose of getting these short articles typed and organized is still for daughter.  It is always my hope that someday, she will learn to read in Chinese and enjoy these articles, as something I leave for her.

Table of Contents

Preface 

Nostalgia  

On the Way to Madison   

The First Impression of Madison   

Mrs. “Jiang”   

A Few Features of College Education   

Professor C 

Equinox Festival

The War at Home  

The American Agriculture 

Rochdale Coop (A)

Rochdale Coop (B） 

Rochdale Coop (C） 

American Youth（A） 

American Youth（B） 

Tom Pearson  

Ann Monks and Lynn Harnen   

Radical Leftists  

Trip to Wisconsin Dells 

Trip to Springfield, MO 

Trip to Chicago（A）

Trip to Chicago（B）

Epilog