又中又英｜A month of Sundays

It will soon be time to pack my bags for a long-haul flight to Asia. I am a bundle of nerves before long-haul flights across several time zones because they always give me jetlag. A long-haul flight, as I have explained before, is a flight of 12 hours or more. If you are a bundle of nerves, it means you are very nervous and worried. It takes a month of Sundays for me to recover from jetlag. A month of Sundays means an extremely long time. Some people are not affected by jetlag. They should consider themselves lucky.

My long-haul flight will begin in Los Angles and end in Taiwan, my first stop during my Asia trip. Hong Kong is my second stop. There is now a 16-hour time difference between California and Taiwan. My stomach, sleep pattern, and mealtime will have to adjust to this time change. It takes a month of Sundays for me to adjust to time changes, which is why I am always a bundle of nerves before a long-haul flight. Health experts say jetlag affects most people, but they can minimize the effects by doing some simple things.

They should drink a lot of water during the flight, avoid heavy meals and alcohol, and take a short walk upon arrival. I don’t eat a lot on planes, but I do enjoy having whiskey or wine while watching a movie. I will be flying business class, which means my seat can turn into a bed. I always try to sleep at least a few hours during long-haul flights. Seeing friends in Taiwan and Hong Kong will help me stop worrying too much about jetlag.

很快又到我收拾行李，搭长途机（long-haul flight）往亚洲的时候。每次搭乘长途机（long-haul flights）横越几个时区之前，我往往紧张不安（a bundle of nerves），因为那会令我有时差反应。 正如我之前解释过的，a long-haul flight就是航程达12小时或以上的班机。若你是 a bundle of nerves，意即你很紧张、担忧。要克服时差，我往往需要 a month of Sundays—— a month of Sundays的意思是很久很久的时间。有些人不会被时差影响，他们应该庆幸自己运气好。

我的长途机（long-haul flight）会始于洛杉矶，终于台湾，就是我亚洲之行的首站。香港是我的第二站。加州跟台湾有着16小时的时差。我的肠胃、睡眠模式、吃饭时间，通通要因应这样的时间转变而调节。我适应这样的时间转变，要很漫长的时间（a month of Sundays），因此我总是在搭长途机（long-haul flight）前紧张不安（a bundle of nerves）。健康专家说，大部分人都会受时差影响，但他们可以做一些简单的事情去减低那些影响。

他们应该在飞行期间喝大量的水，避免进食饱滞难消化的食物及酒精类饮品，抵埗后走一小段路。我在飞机上不会吃很多，但总喜欢在看电影时喝些威士忌或葡萄酒。我会飞商务舱，意味着我可以将座位转为卧床。我总是会在长途机（long-haul flights）上尝试睡上几小时。能够见到台湾和香港的朋友，有助我不那么担心时差的问题。

mickchug@gmail.com
Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻