但是我確實從歷經磨難的生活這所學校畢業(yè)了,我們的吉祥物就是磨難和挫折。我在此度過了許多成長歲月。我媽媽在紐科姆工作,每當我需要從她的錢包里偷偷拿些東西的時候,我都會去找她。但今天我為什么來到這里呢?很明顯我不是想要偷你們的錢,你們離我太遠了,而且我也跑不了。
I'm here because of you. Because I can't think of a more tenacious, more courageous graduating class. I mean, look at you all, wearing your robes. Usually when you're wearing a robe at 10 in the morning, it means you've given up. I'm here because I love New Orleans. I was born and raised here, I spent my formative years here, and like you, while I was living here I only did laundry six times.
我來這兒是因為你們。沒有比你們更堅韌更勇敢的畢業(yè)生了。我是說,看看你們每一個人都身著學士袍。通常在早上10點還穿著睡袍,說明你們已經放棄人生了。今天我來到這里,因為我熱愛紐奧良,我在這里出生,在這里長大,在這里度過了年少歲月。和你們一樣,我在這里生活時,只洗過六次衣服。
When I finished school, I was completely lost. And by school, I mean middle school, but I went ahead and finished high school anyway. And I—I really, I had no ambition, I didn't know what I wanted to do. I did everything from—I shucked oysters, I was a hostess, I was a bartender, I was a waitress, I painted houses, I sold vacuum cleaners, I had no idea. And I thought I'd just finally settle in some job, and I would make enough money to pay my rent, maybe have basic cable, maybe not, I didn't really have a plan, my point is that, by the time I was your age, I really thought I knew who I was, but I had no idea.
當我畢業(yè)后,我完全迷失了。我指的學校是初中,但是我接著上學,念完了高中。但我當時真的沒有什么野心,不知道自己想做什么。我什么都做。我剝過牡蠣,當過迎賓員,做過酒保、服務員,粉刷過房子,賣過吸塵器。我完全不知道自己想做什么。我想隨便找個工作穩(wěn)定下來,只要有足夠的錢付房租,可能有一臺電視也可能沒有。我完全沒有計劃。我要說的重點是,我像你們這么大的時候,我真的以為我了解自己,但其實并不了解。
Anyway, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, and the way I ended up on this path was from a very tragic event. I was maybe 19, and my girlfriend at the time was killed in a car accident. And I passed the accident, and I didn't know it was her and I kept going, and I found out shortly after that, it was her.
總之,當時我不知道自己的一生要干什么,最后因為一件十分悲慘的事情,我找到了自己的目標??赡苁窃?9歲時,我的女朋友在一次車禍中身亡。我經過事故現(xiàn)場時不知道是她,就繼續(xù)走,但不久我就發(fā)現(xiàn),那就是她。