说再见是最困难的事情

说再见是最困难的事情

（中英双语版）

作者：杨天江

2024年6月21日玛丽克莱尔学校（AMC）校长为杨天江颁发小学毕业证书（摄影：陈双娥）

我最后一次拿出法语作业，走到老师面前，把书递给她，用法语说了那句熟悉的短语：“Madame Léger？我完成了。”

她拿起开始批改。我悄悄地回到座位上坐下，班上的其他人继续开玩笑和大笑。我打开了几周前在七年级组织的书展上买的一本书。

回到家，我突然意识到那是我在六年级 AMC 最后一次交正常的家庭作业。这并不是我会去特别想念的事情，而是那些我们在课堂上大笑、忍受随机考试的日子，甚至还有另一首法语诗要交的感觉，还有一大堆其他作业。我甚至会怀念那种同时做多件事的感觉，一边做英语作业一边做课堂作业，看到用可爱的红墨水写在我名字旁边的“15”的感觉。

很多我曾经讨厌或希望消失的东西终于消失了，但我永远不会忘记在正常的上学日上学的感觉。那些日子淹没在时间和无处，只不过是一个纯粹的记忆。我将永远珍惜又一个无聊的上学日子的感觉，现在复习和考试即将到来，今年，一切都是最后一次发生，这个学期是我们的最后一学期，这是我们的最后一个万圣节，我们的最后一个情人节，我们一起度过的最后一个生日，我们最后的时刻和记忆，都在眨眼间消失和离去。

早在二月份，我常常想：“哦！五月什么时候才来！到那时纽约就这么近了！但我还是很难过要离开这里。”

现在，从今天开始，2024 年 5 月 25 日，我愿意付出很多，只为回到那一刻，知道我们在一起的日子还没有结束。我们的最后一个冬天、夏天、春天和秋天都过去了。我们的最后一个夏天，就像所有的夏天一样，将在欢乐和泪水中结束。

每天晚上，我都无法入睡，因为我想到要离开大家，离开那么多回忆和欢乐，那么多的共同的时刻和友谊。

例如，我永远不会忘记我六年级的第一天，我们都在讨论现在是六年级的事实，我们是传奇，是每个人都仰望的人，是最受欢迎的人。我也永远不会忘记我第一次遇到我所有的新老师，因为他们仔细地解释了这一年（我们的最后一年）将会是怎样的。我永远不会忘记，当我说我们今年的法语老师和去年的法语老师是一样的时，我感到既惊讶又释然，因为我知道这不是一个疯狂严格的老师，因为幸运的是，他们决定在同一年退休。

杨天江（右四）和她的同学们（摄影：陈双娥）

我永远不会忘记我们在教室内开的玩笑，比如称 Davejit 为“巨无霸”，并声称他的祖国就是麦当劳。我也永远不会忘记 Nicolas 踩到香蕉皮滑倒的时候，Sally 说：“机械”、“凯撒”、“缩写”等等。我也永远不会忘记 Davejit 试图在冰上做 Sturdy 时，他滑倒了，每一个动作都失败了。

那么多笑话和那么多微笑，都过去了。离开很痛苦，但我别无选择。我不喜欢把任何事情看作“结束”，因为只要有时间和生命，就没有结束，它只是……改变。就像我将如何从 AMC 变成 UTS，改变课程，改变生活方式，改变朋友。

AMC 永远在我心中占据着特殊的位置，这是不可否认的，AMC 就像第二个父母一样抚养我，教我明辨是非，塑造了我今天的形象。

学校里的每个人都对我今天的形象负有责任，无论影响是大是小，是好是坏，我都是每个人的一份子，永远是 AMC 的一部分。

杨天江和同学们在毕业典礼上表演节目（摄影：陈双娥）

AMC 是一切的开始，我很痛苦地意识到我们不再是喜欢胡闹的二年级学生，而是六年级的学生，没有人准备好接受改变和告别。我敢肯定，这最后三周将是难以忍受的，但这是我们在学校里在一起的最后三周，在共同去纽约旅行之前，在毕业之前，在可怕的告别之前。

我班上的每个人，无论现在是否在场，都对我的生活影响最大。他们为我的个性、我的观点奠定了基础，这是我永远不会离开的一部分。尽管我们有过无数次的争吵和打架，但我还是深深地关心着每一个人，他们在我心里都占有特殊的位置，说再见将是最困难的事情。

2024 年 5 月 25 日17:02于玛丽克莱尔学校（AMC）

附英文版：

Saying goodbye is the most difficult thing

For the last time, I pull out my French homework, walk up to the teacher, and hand her the book, saying that familiar phrase in French:

“Madame Léger? J’ai fini.”

She takes the book and starts correcting. I quietly go back to my seat and sit back down, as the others in the class continue to joke around and laugh. I crack open a book I had bought a few weeks ago at the book fair organized by the grade 7s.

Back home, I now realize that was the last time ever in grade 6, at AMC, that I’d be handing in a normal homework assignment. This wasn’t something I’d particularly miss, but the fact that our days of laughing in class, suffering through random tests. Or even the feeling of having another French poem due, along with tons of other work assignments. I feel that I’d even miss the feeling of multitasking, doing my English homework along with my classwork, and the feeling of seeing the ‘15’, written next to my name in cute, red ink.

A lot of the things I used to hate, or wish would disappear have finally left, but I will never forget the feeling of going to school, on a normal school day. Those days, drowned into time and nowhere, are nothing more than a mere memory. I will forever cherish the feeling of yet another day of boring old school, now that revisions and exams are coming up, this year, everything is happening for one last time, this semester was our last. It was our last Halloween, our last Valentine’s Day, our last birthdays spent together, our last moments and memories, all disappearing and leaving in the blink of an eye.

Back in February, I used to think:’ Oh! When will May finally come! Then New York will be so close! Yet I’m so sad to leave.’

Now, as of today, May 25, 2024, I would give so much just to go back to that moment, to know our days together aren’t quite numbered just yet. Our last winter, summer, spring and autumn have all come to pass. Our last summer, like them all, will end with festivities yet also tears.

Every night, I’m kept awake at the thought of leaving everyone, of leaving so many memories and joys, so many shared moments and likes.

For example, I’d never forget my first day of Grade 6, and how we were all discussing the fact that now we were Grade 6, the legends and the ones everybody looks up to, the most popular ones. I’d also never forget my first encounter with all my new teachers, as they carefully explained how the year (our last), would be. I’d also never forget when I say we had our same French teachers from last year, feeling a mix or surprise and relief, knowing it wasn’t some crazy strict teacher, for thankfully, they had decided to retire that very year.

I’d never forget our indoor jokes, such as calling Davejit a ‘Big Mac’ and claiming his homeland was no other than McDonald’s itself. I will also never forget when Nicolas slipped on a banana peel, when Sally said:” Machinery”, “Caesar”, “Abbreation”, etc. I’d also never forget when Davejit attempted to do the Sturdy on ice, slipping and failing at every move possible.

So many jokes and so many smiles, all behind. It hurts to leave yet I have no choice. I don’t like to think of anything as an ‘ending’, for as long as there is time and life, nothing ends, it simply… Changes. Like how I will be ‘changing’ from AMC to UTS, changing classes, changing lifestyles, changing friends.

AMC will forever have a special place in my heart, there’s no denying that, AMC has raised me like a second parent, teaching me the rights and wrongs, and shaping me into who I am today.

Everyone in the school is responsible for who I am today, whether the impact be big or small, good or bad, I’m a little bit of everyone, and part-AMC forever.

AMC was the start of everything, and it pains me to realize that we are no longer 2 graders who like to goof around. But 6th graders, none of whom are ready for change and goodbyes. These last 3 weeks will be insufferable, I’m sure, but it is our last 3 weeks together, in school, before New York, before our graduation,

And before the dreaded Goodbye.

Everyone in my class, whether currently present or not, have impacted my life more than anyone else. They’ve set the base of my foundations for my personality, my perspectives, and that’s a part of me that’s never leaving. Although we’ve had so much countless arguments and fights, I care about each and every one of the guys deeply, they each hold a special place in my heart and saying goodbye will be one of the hardest things ever.

Friday, May 25, 2024, 5:02PM

杨天江2024年6月21日毕业典礼留影（摄影：陈双娥）

作者简介：杨天江，英文名Ayesha Yang，祖籍湖南汉寿县，2011年10月13日出生于长沙，在新华社幼儿园度过快乐的童年，小学毕业于玛丽克莱尔学校（AMC），现就读于多伦多大学附属中学（UTS），爱好篮球、击剑、滑冰、钢琴和绘画，为该校辩论队队员、篮球队队员。

注：本文已获作者授权发布