小城故事

紐約時報每年都會推出五十二個最值得去旅行的地方（52 places to go），一年有五十二個禮拜，言下之意就是每一星期都可以想像去這個名單裡的某一處。

去年（2018）紐約時報在這個名單之外又多了一項活動：他們從一萬三千位報名的人當中挑選一位幸運者去拜訪這五十二個城市，並寫報導的文章。

這位四十歲在New York Magazine寫作的女人為何脫穎而出呢？雖然她並沒有旅遊寫作的經驗，但是她有能力在陌生之處發掘有趣的人聊天，寫出的故事既親切又有獨到的思想。紐約時報希望能藉由她的眼與筆將這五十二個地區介紹給讀者，也用社群媒體將她的所見所聞發出去。

這項工作也許聽起來十分吸引人：有人付錢讓你一年中到處去遊覽，不是求之不得的機會嗎？但是要實踐卻沒那麼簡單。離開熟悉的環境，一整年都在外流浪，一個地方沒停幾天就要出發到陌生並且可能言語不通的城市，遇到困難也都得自己克服。而且不是光玩就好，每到一處還有截稿的壓力，其實一點也不輕鬆。

一年的旅行任務結束後，她寫了這篇佔了報紙三大頁的感言“1 Woman, 12 Months, 52 Places”。我唸完之後，十分有共鳴，因此將這篇長文摘要寫在這裡。

為什麼在一萬多人的應徵者，她能被選上呢？她是如此寫的：

“Why do you think they picked you?” interviewers often asked me, and I didn’t know the answer. I suspected it was because I hadn’t done anything like this before. I’d never been brave enough. And maybe I could be a representative for those who didn’t think they were brave enough, either.”

這一年當中，受到的挫折和驚險不計其數，她受不了的時候會打電話給朋友哭訴，但她發現一年其實很短，再委屈的時刻總會過去，而過後的體驗卻絕對值得。

“Freezing down to your bones and sleeping in a by-the-hour motel where you shower while sitting on the toilet? Suck it up! You’re about to see the rainbow hills of Zhangye, China! A year is short.

Freezing again and dinner is bar nuts because you waited past 8 p.m., when all the restaurants close? You just rode a horse in Iceland! A year is short.

Car got towed in Auckland, New Zealand, while on your third trip to the Chinese consulate trying to get a visa? But you’re in New Zealand! And you’re going to China! A year is short.

A year is short and a year is not enough.

A year is short, and I was strong, and the risk had always been worth it.”

剛開始遇到問題會驚慌失措，但是久了就知道最後總會解決，可以平靜對待每個狀況。

“I’ve become far calmer from having to deal with mishap after mishap, and realizing that nothing dire usually happens. There would be another plane, and more trains if I missed that one, too. Maybe I’d lose a day, but when you’re on the road this long, time becomes malleable, too.”

女人獨自旅行有風險，如何應對呢？

“There’s a literal extra cost to being a woman traveling on your own. In cities where safety seemed like it might be an issue, I took cabs and Ubers rather than cheaper public transport. Climbing up certain mountains or going around certain cities, I opted for a guide, and often paid extra because most private tours have a two-person minimum.”

最後她鼓勵每一個人都能試著自己旅行，畢竟孤獨不等於寂寞，她在這個旅程中交到許多朋友，陌生人也給她許多援手及意見，這些人們的故事都是在旅行結束後讓她仍印象深刻的。

“Lesson No. 7: Alone does not mean lonely

Solo travel is an experience I’d urge every human, and particularly every woman, to try at least once. You’ll find that while you might physically be without people you know, you’re rarely alone.”

我在小公寓裡唸這篇長文，感到心有戚戚焉，因為我也身處於一年的磨練當中。

一年真的不長，轉眼間已經過了一半了。當初考慮公司安排時曾經猶豫不知道會不會怕寂寞，畢竟我從來沒有自己單獨住過，但是現在因為增加了許多自己的時間，我的閱讀範圍擴展了許多；現在養成走路的習慣，也會注意周遭的環境，小心自身的安全；唯有不斷地挑戰自己，才能明瞭潛在的能量。

我想起其實以前也寫過四篇「一個人的旅行」（見延伸閱讀），那是到哥本哈根出差三個禮拜的經驗，雖然不是陌生的城市，仍受到一些小小的挫折，但是我儘量找讓自己快樂的小細節，振奮精神，最後我獨自坐火車去Out of Africa 作者Karen Blixen後半生的住所參觀，感到無窮地滿足。

我想以後還是會不斷地將自己推出去，如此人生會更有趣吧？

延伸閱讀：

• 1 Woman, 12 Months, 52 Places
• Oh, the 52 Places She’ll Go：選拔的過程
• She Has 52 Places to See and One Year to Do It：作者的背景
• 一個人的旅行（一）
• 一個人的旅行（二）
• 一個人的旅行（三）
• 一個人的旅行（四）