My First Taste of Independence

“大自然是所有真正知识的源泉。”— 李奥纳多·达文西 “Nature is the source of all true knowledge.”— Leonardo da Vinci 海边的自由时光 Looking back, I realize that I began living a nomadic life long before I even knew what that word meant. 回首过去，我发现自己其实很早就开始过着“游牧”的生活。 I was born in Kaohsiung, and when I was four, my family moved to Sanchong — now part of New Taipei City — because of my father’s job. 我在高雄出生，四岁时因爸爸的工作搬到三重（现在的新北市）。 But when my father’s law research institute in Taipei went bankrupt, our financial situation collapsed. We had no choice but to stay temporarily at a friend’s house. 然而，当爸爸经营的台北法学研究社倒闭后，家里的经济状况急转直下，我们不得不暂时寄住在爸爸朋友的家里。 Because of changing school districts, I attended five different elementary schools. 由于学区关系，我在小学阶段辗转换过五所学校。 Among all those years, my most unforgettable memories were from a small seaside school in Keelung called Hemei Elementary. 其中让我最难忘的，是在基隆和美的小学生活。 It was a tiny coastal village, and there were only six students in my first-grade class. 那是一个靠海的小村落，我就读的和美国小一年级班上只有六个人。 Because there were so few of us, our young and handsome teacher treated us with special care. 因为学生少，年轻又帅气的班导师对我们呵护备至。 Every day after school, I couldn’t wait to run to the sea. 每天放学后，我迫不及待地跑向海边。 Along the way, I often saw villagers cracking open sea urchins or cleaning eels, the air filled with the salty, fishy scent of the ocean. 沿途总能看见村民们在剥海胆、杀鳗鱼，空气里弥漫着海水与鱼腥交织的气味。 Even though I couldn’t swim and had to rely on floaties, the feeling of being close to the sea was irreplaceable. 即使我还不会游泳，只能靠泳臂漂浮，但那种与大海亲近的感觉，无可取代。 It was the first time I discovered that solitude could feel so joyful. 那是我第一次体验“一个人”也能如此快乐的时光。 I loved the sea breeze brushing against my cheeks and the rhythmic sound of waves crashing on the shore. 我喜欢海风轻拂脸颊的感觉，聆听潮水拍打岸边的节奏。 Sometimes I picked up shells or chased crabs; other times, I simply let the waves wash the sand from beneath my feet. 有时捡贝壳、抓螃蟹，有时任由海浪将脚下的沙粒带走。 In those moments, I felt completely embraced by nature — free, safe, and at peace. 那一刻，我感觉自己被自然拥抱，身心完全放松。 Though I was there for only one semester, that time felt like a dream. 虽然只在那里待了一个学期，但那段时光对我来说就像一场梦。 It became one of the freest memories of my childhood. 那是我童年最自由的记忆。 Even without anyone by my side, the six-year-old me would run to the beach alone, as if having a silent conversation with nature. 即使没有人陪伴，六岁的我仍会独自跑去海边，仿佛在与大自然进行一场无声的对话。 Perhaps that was when a tiny seed was planted — the longing for a life of freedom without boundaries. 或许就是从那时起，我心里开始种下了向往自由无拘生活的种子。 我的網站：flywithlily.com