大伙房書院黃蘊心 the best present | Public Speaking Age 11-12

霄裡崖線 / 家鄉繪本創作
指導老師：黃小真(Jenny)、鄭惠齡

Title：The best present I have ever received is (2min)
Hello, everyone! I’m Liz.
大家好，我是Liz。
Today, I want to share with you
今天我要和大家分享
the best present I’ve ever received.
我收過最棒的禮物。
It’s not something that was given to me,
這不是別人送給我的，
but something I helped create:
而是我和大家一起創作的禮物——
a picture book that my classmates and I made this year.
一本我和同學今年一起畫的繪本，
It’s for our hometown, Xiaoli in Taoyuan.
獻給我們的家鄉——桃園霄裡。

Xiaoli is a beautiful place,
霄裡是一個非常美麗的地方，
with natural springs where people used to do their laundry.
有許多湧泉浣衣池。
People would come from all around, far and near,
人們從四面八方來到這裡，
to collect clean water, wash vegetables, clothes,
提水、洗菜、洗衣、
and even quilts— all for free!
甚至洗被，都是免費的。
In the past,
以前
even water buffaloes would bathe there after hard working.
水牛辛苦犁田後也會在裡面泡澡。
It was like a peaceful paradise, wasn’t it?
這真像一個世外桃源，不是嗎？

But as new buildings went up,
但隨著新大樓興建，
the springs dried up one by one.
湧泉一個接一個乾涸了，
The water changed its path.
水脈改變了路徑。
Less and less water
愈來愈少的水
flowed into the springs, ponds, and rice fields.
流進了浣衣池、埤塘、甚至稻田。
People stopped gathering at the springs to wash and chat.
人們不再聚集在這裡洗衣聊天。
We kids lost our favorite place
我們小孩失去了一個好地方
to play in the water during summer.
可以在夏天玩水。
Even the temple by the spring
連旁邊的土地公廟
started fading from our memories.
也漸漸淡出了我們的記憶。

All of this makes me feel really sad.
這一切讓我非常難過。
So I hope that this picture book
所以我希望這本繪本〜
which tells the story of Xiaoli
這本講述霄裡故事
and was completed on my 11th birthday
在我11歲生日完成的繪本，
can be also a gift to my hometown.
也能成為我家鄉的禮物。
A gift that might inspire change.
讓「她」有機會改變。