IGDVS 50th Reunion —— Connections Across Time and Space
育良小學 ‧ 培德中學五十週年同學會 —— 跨越時空的連結
The majority of our alumni body are separated from CTTB by many years and many hundreds of miles. For those of us lucky enough to make the pilgrimage back, the approach by car often marks the beginning of a long walk backwards down memory lane. As we exit the highway, we start in the present day, greeted by unfamiliar sights and landmarks spawned by decades of development around the city of Ukiah. But as we begin that unmistakable final stretch down Talmage Road, the clock starts to turn back. With the passing of every half recognized intersection and vaguely familiar front yard, memories from deep storage spark and come to life — a triumphant return from weekend shopping, hauling a car full of snacks for the dorm; a mix of reluctance yet anticipation while returning to school after a long summer vacation; dark winter nights and non-existent street lighting putting us to sleep during the car ride back from extracurriculars in Ukiah.
我們大多數校友，與萬佛聖城（CTTB）相隔多年歲月、數百英里之遙。對我們這些有幸踏上歸途朝聖的人來說，開車接近聖城的過程，往往就是一段沿著回憶長廊往回走的漫長旅程的開始。駛出高速公路時，我們還身處當下，迎面而來的是尤凱亞市（Ukiah）周邊數十年發展所造就的陌生景象與地標。但當我們踏上坦爾梅奇路（Talmage Road）那一段絕不會認錯的最後路程時，時鐘便開始倒轉。隨著每一個半認得的十字路口、每一個依稀熟悉的前院掠過，深藏已久的記憶便迸發而出、鮮活起來——週末採購後滿載而歸、車裡塞滿帶回宿舍的零食；漫長暑假結束返校時那份既不甘又期待的心情；冬日漆黑的夜晚、路燈全無，我們在從尤凱亞課外活動返回的車程中沉沉睡去。
And at the end of that road, looming like a stalwart and unchanging presence in a swirling world of impermanence, is always the Mountain Gate to CTTB. It’s the one sight that we most anticipate and yet the one that always manages to catch us off guard when we finally see it. As the triple gates rise out of the horizon and come into focus, all of the building nostalgia and reawakened memories suddenly crystallize into a sharp, resounding refrain in our minds: “My old home! At long last, I am back!”
而路的盡頭，在無常變幻的世界中如一位堅定不移、始終如一的存在般巍然矗立的，永遠是萬佛聖城的山門。那是我們最期盼的景象，卻也總是在我們終於看到它時，出其不意地令我們動容。當三重山門自地平線升起、逐漸清晰，所有積累的鄉愁與被喚醒的記憶，剎那間在腦海中凝結成一句清晰而響亮的回響：「我的老家！我終於回來了！」
This experience kicked off the beginning of the reunion and it was a microcosm of what we continued to experience throughout the weekend — a wonderful reunion of old students & teachers, families & friends, shoes & the halls they used to walk; past memories brought back to life.
這段經歷揭開了同學會的序幕，也縮影了我們整個週末持續體驗的一切——老同學與老師、家人與朋友、鞋子與它們曾走過的大殿走廊，美好的重聚；往昔的回憶重獲新生。
But while we all strongly felt a connection to our past, there was also a surprising connection to the future stretching before us. Looking at your old home is not like looking at a painting — a beautiful scene preserved forever in time. Looking at your old home is like watching an iceberg — if you see it every day it appears unmoving, but if you see it years later you marvel at its inexorable march forward. Small changes (a faded sign repainted, a musty carpet torn out) or large changes (entire new buildings and quads completed out of seemingly nowhere) all highlight the velocity at which our home is hurtling into the future. And most promisingly, each new wave of students continues to match and add to that velocity. It is hard to spend any short amount of time with the new graduates and current students without noticing how talented, passionate, and thoughtful they all are. All signs point to an exciting future for CTTB & IGDVS and we’re grateful to experience that connection and be a small part of it.
然而，正當我們都強烈感受到與過去的連結時，也有一種令人驚喜的連結，向我們眼前延展的未來伸去。看著你的老家，不像看一幅畫——那是一幅被時間永遠保存下來的美麗景致。看著你的老家，就像看一座冰山——若你天天見它，它似乎紋絲不動；但若你多年後再見，便會驚嘆於它那不可阻擋的前行步伐。小的變化（一塊褪色的招牌重新上漆、一張發霉的地毯被拆掉），或大的變化（整棟新建築與庭院彷彿憑空出現、已然完工），都凸顯著我們的家正以何等速度奔向未來。而最令人振奮的是，每一批新學子都在繼續匹配並增添這份速度。與新畢業生和在校生相處哪怕短短片刻，都很難不注意到他們是多麼才華洋溢、充滿熱情、體貼周到。種種跡象都指向萬佛聖城與 IGDVS（育良小學．培德中學）一個令人振奮的未來，我們感恩能體驗這份連結，並成為其中的一小部分。
Between a future shining with hope, and a past paved with (mostly) fond memories, many of us found ourselves with a final unexpected connection to the present - the here and now. Such a connection spawns a wide range of feelings — proud, to look upon our collective progress and realize what strides we’ve made; sobering, to mark the passage of time upon weathered faces; joyful, to witness the new lives and new families that many have established; grateful, to stand amidst it all and admire the community we are now a part of. Most of all, it was special to finally get a bird’s-eye view of the slice of IGDVA who were able to make it back and truly see for ourselves “This is who we are now”. We were fortunate to experience this connection and the many ripple effects — rekindled or newly formed friendships, rejuvenated motivation, reforged perspectives and understandings.
在一個閃耀著希望的未來，與一條鋪滿（大多是）美好回憶的過去之間，我們許多人發現自己還有一種始料未及的連結——與當下、此時此地的連結。這樣的連結激起萬千感受——驕傲，看著我們共同的進展、意識到我們走了多遠；清醒，在飽經風霜的臉上看到時間的流逝；喜悅，見證許多人建立的新生活與新家庭；感恩，站在這一切之中，欣賞我們如今所屬的這個社群。最重要的是，終於能鳥瞰這次得以回來的那一部分 IGDVA(育良小學‧ 培德中學校友會），親眼看到「這就是我們現在的模樣」，這格外特別。我們有幸體驗到這份連結及其許多漣漪效應——重新點燃或新建立的友誼、煥然一新的動力、重新鍛造的視角與理解。
With the weekend over, we’ve scattered to the winds crossing states, countries, and oceans to return home. We give a deep thanks of gratitude for the staff, organizers, participants (willing or otherwise), and the many attending alumni for making the reunion possible. It is with your great effort that we all formed such meaningful connections during this trip, and we eagerly await our next return.
週末結束，我們已隨風四散，跨越州界、國界與海洋，各自返家。我們深深感恩工作人員、籌辦者、參與者（無論自願與否），以及眾多出席的校友，是你們讓這場同學會得以實現。正是因為你們的巨大努力，我們大家才在這趟旅程中建立起如此有意義的連結，我們熱切期待下一次的歸來。