What do you want to be in the Future?

To grown-ups who like asking what I want to be in the future,

If I tell you I want to be a translator or interpreter (as is expected to an English major), I’m not being honest. I know full well that these are not my dream professions.

If I tell you I want to pick up science subjects again and continue to pursue an unfinished childhood dream, I am laughing at myself.

If I tell you I am considering the possibility of being a free-lance writer, you will probably brush it off as childish and impulsive. “You gotta be practical. Look at the world you’re in!”

Then I will tell you, with all my sincerity and seriousness，that I don’t know.

“What?” that is the last answer you want to hear. “Come on! You can’t do that to yourself. You gotta have a plan now. Be responsible. You’re a grown-up now.”

If it’s a year before, I will be truly deterred. I would blame myself and force myself to come up with a decent answer and persuade myself that was genuinely what I wanted.

But now it’s different.

December 14th, 2008

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What does the Champions want to be in the Future?

This afternoon, I was watching the Award Ceremony of English Outlook on Channel 10. At the peak of the ceremony and also the whole season of the contest, four champions, who were from primary, middle school, high school and college groups respectively, were standing in a row on the stage. After distributing the awards, the two hosts asked what they want to do in the future. I, and supposedly most of the audience, were expecting something big, like diplomats at least. And in the context of a western mind, something like "presidents". (No Chinese citizen except little children would ever expect himself to be the "president" of China, because that is not how a president come into being here.)

Here is a transcript (the mixture of Chinese and English in this program has reached the point of outrageous and irritating.):

Host: 但是现在，我们还是想来考一下他们，哈哈。这样，给你们出一个即兴的题目，告诉大家，你们接下来有什么样的打算，很简单。

小学组冠军：I want to be a magician when I grow up.
Hostess: Magician!... Magician, Okay...希望你可以成为英文讲得最好的中国的Magician, 好吧。

初中组冠军：嗯，我的就比较近一点吧，我希望回去考试能考好就可以了。
Hostess: 很脚踏实地的一个梦想。

高中组冠军：First I want to go home and take a big sleep, and then get back to school and get back to class.
Host: And then what are you gonna do? Because now you are in Senior One, and in 3 years, where will you be?
高: That's hard to say. Ah...I won't straying on the path of life, and I will find my goal, and I will head toward it.
Hostess: G 的梦想应该是当一名漫画家吧？
高：Well that seems a little naive, but it is my dream. Thank you.

大学组冠军：Well, actually I haven't decided yet. I'm thinking...college teacher perhaps...
Host: All right. 今年是大……
大：三。
Host: 学什么专业的？
大：English Language and Literature.
Host: So hopefully you will be a very outstanding English teacher, in the future. 找陈琳老师啊，陈琳老师向你示意呢。
Hostess： 好好请教陈老师啊。

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I believe different people can read different meanings into it, but for the time being, I will just leave it alone and keep it for future reference.