Contribution Name: Cedar Girls Secondary School
Year of Author: 2010
To the reader,
Both my maternal grandparents passed on not long ago. I was not very close to them as it was hard for me to converse with them in Tamil, especially since it was hard for me to understand the local dialect and there was almost nothing to talk about. Even so, they both taught me the importance of empathy and perseverance.
My maternal grandmother, now forever 74, had many health issues and was often unable to carry out normal tasks due to her trembling hand and unstable feet. Even so, she had made it her duty to sit by me every time I was eating lunch and share her stories. I heard about her younger days and I was fascinated. She half-taught me how to make Indian pickle and to this day, I still wonder what the other half of the recipe is. Whether I would ever be able to make her pickle. Whether I would still remember her voice, even as time flowed by. Even as I write this, I seem to have forgotten her lovely voice.
My maternal grandfather was a rather healthy person. I remember seeing him out and about ever since I was a young child. He was rarely found in the same area for more than a few minutes. As time aged us both, I watched him spend more time in the backyard of our home and I grew to observe him more deeply. His morning coffees, sitting on the stairway down to the garden while reading newspapers that were inscribed with a language I could not find myself willingly reading. His afternoon naps that seemed to drag on for hours. He passed on a few months after my grandmother’s passing, at the same age of 74. I witnessed the change in a man, my grandfather, who had lost his life partner.
Often, when I recall these miserable thoughts, I remember my grandparents who were once full of life and vitality. I cherish the memories they left behind for me to think and smile about while also missing their presence. I learn from them that life is finite but also filled with the promise of joy and love. To my grandparents who inspired me and who are not right beside me but instead in my heart, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Stephy
Student from Cedar Girls Secondary School
感怀祖父母：在回忆中寻找温暖
亲爱的读者：
不久前，我的外祖父母相继离世。我与他们并不算非常亲近，因为我很难用泰米尔语与他们交流，尤其是理解他们的方言让我感到困难，我们之间也几乎没有什么共同的话题。尽管如此，他们教会了我同理心和坚持的重要性。
我的外祖母，今年永远定格在了74岁。她身体有很多健康问题，颤抖的手和不稳的双脚让她难以完成日常任务。即便如此，每当我吃午饭时，她总会陪在我身旁，和我分享她的故事。我听她讲述年轻时的生活，充满了好奇和向往。她还半教会我如何制作印度泡菜，至今我仍然在思考那未完成的另一半食谱。是否有一天我能完全做出她的泡菜？是否我还能记得她那温柔的声音，即使时间不断流逝？写下这些文字时，我仿佛已经遗忘了她动人的声音。
我的外祖父是个身体相对健康的人。从我小时候起，我总能看到他忙忙碌碌，极少待在一个地方超过几分钟。随着岁月的流逝，我发现他更多地待在家中的后院，这让我得以更加细致地观察他。他早晨喝咖啡，坐在通往花园的台阶上，阅读着我不愿意学习的语言所写的报纸。他的午睡时间似乎总是特别长。在外祖母离世几个月后，他也走了，享年同样是74岁。我亲眼见证了一位失去伴侣的男人——我的外祖父——所经历的变化。
每当我想起这些令人伤感的记忆，我也会想起祖父母曾经充满生命力和活力的模样。我珍惜他们留给我的回忆，那些能让我会心一笑的片段，同时也深深怀念他们的存在。从他们身上，我明白了生命虽短暂，但却充满了欢乐和爱的可能性。致我敬爱的祖父母，虽然你们不再在我身边，却永远留在我心里，感谢你们的一切。
Stephy
Cedar Girls’ Secondary School 学生
This work includes translation generated by ChatGPT, an AI language model developed by OpenAI.
此作品包含由OpenAI开发的AI语言模型ChatGPT生成的翻译内容。