又中又英｜Fend off

It’s been more than three years since I left my birthplace Hong Kong, but friends still ask if I prefer living in the US or Hong Kong. I fend off such questions because there is no easy answer. The expression “fend off” used this way means to avoid something that is difficult. Comparing the US with Hong Kong is like comparing apples with oranges. I am in Indianapolis visiting my brother-in-law, my late elder sister’s husband. I took him to the emergency section of a hospital because he had a bad cough. The waiting room was clean with comfortable sofas.

A nurse came within five minutes, took him to a large private room with a bed, checked his temperature, and tested him for flu and Covid. A doctor came 30 minutes later, examined him, and said he needed blood tests and an X-Ray. The results were ready in two hours. Such efficiency and a private room are impossible in Hong Kong’s public or even private hospital emergency sections. But US health care is very expensive unless your employer pays, or if you are 65 or older, when the government pays.

We went to a supermarket to buy flowers in remembrance of my late elder sister. When the checkout lady saw we only wanted flowers, she said the flowers were free! This would never happen in Hong Kong. But Hong Kong has many upsides unavailable in the US. The MTR runs like clockwork, which means very regularly and efficiently. It’s a very walkable city with shops and supermarkets everywhere. You must have a car in the US because nothing is nearby except in New York City, which also has a good subway system.

我離開香港我的出生之地，已經三年有多，但朋友們仍然會問，到底我偏好住在美國抑或香港。我會 fend off這樣的問題，因為它難有簡單的答案。習語“fend off”在這裏是指去避開某樣困難的事。要去比較美國跟香港，就好像比較蘋果和橙。我現在身處印第安納波利斯，探望我亡姐的丈夫。因為他咳得厲害，我帶了他去一間醫院的急症部。等候室很乾淨，有舒適的梳化。

不消五分鐘，護士已來到，帶他去一個偌大而有床的私人病房，給他量體溫，做流感和新冠肺炎測試。一個醫生三十分鐘後來到，替他做檢查，說他需要驗血和照X光。兩小時內已能取得報告。這樣的效率和一間私人病房，在香港的公立甚或私立的急症室是不可能的事。然而，美國的醫保非常昂貴，除非你的僱主為你付錢，又或者你已是六十五歲或以上，那就由政府為你支付。

為了紀念我的亡姐，我們去了超市買花。當那位收銀的女士見我們只要花束時，她說花是免費的！這在香港根本不可能發生。但香港也有許多好的一面，是美國沒有的。港鐵運作如 clockwork，意思是說它非常規律而有效率。這個城市要走到哪裏都很方便，隨處都是店舖和超市。在美國，你必須要有車輛，因為附近甚麼也沒有，除非在紐約市，那裏就有一個很好的地鐵系統。

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Michael Chugani褚簡寧
中譯：七刻