體驗美式佛州春假 Spring break Florida style
Florida, the southernmost state in the US mainland, has bestowed many gifts upon the world. It’s the birthplace of the modern air conditioner, site of the largest Disney World and home to a rotating cast of eccentrics, who supply endless amusement to observers the world over.
佛羅里達州位於美國本土最南端，這裏是全世界自然物產最豐富的地區之一。它是現代空調的誕生地，全球最大迪士尼樂園所在地，這裏還有形形色色特立獨行的“奇葩”，他們爲觀察我們這個世界提供了源源不絕的樂趣。
Remember that guy arrested last year for beating one of his employees with a real, live lizard? Yup, that was Florida. And the pilot who illegally flew a gyrocopter to the US Capitol? You can thank Florida for that gem too.
還記得去年有人因爲用一隻活生生的蜥蜴咬自己的僱員而被捕的新聞嗎？是的，這發生在佛羅里達。還記得一名飛行員曾非法駕駛旋翼機衝到美國國會大廈麼？這也是佛羅里達的一大“功績”。
Yes, the Sunshine State has done a lot for humanity, including tickling its collective funny bone. But as many American college students can tell you, its biggest contribution may be the phenomenon known as “spring break”.
確實，陽光州爲人類做了不少貢獻，包括它的全民幽默感。不過正如一些美國大學生會告訴你的，它最大的貢獻要數創造了一種叫“春假”的現象。
It’s that special time each year when college students are liberated from class for one full week, to rest and prepare for the exam season ahead. Or not. Nowadays, it’s a tradition for students to abandon their dorm rooms for Florida’s white-sand beaches–and, en route, abandon most of their clothes and common sense too.
每年的某個特定時期，大學生都能有一整週的假期，他們養精蓄銳，爲接下來的考試季做準備，或者就是玩玩玩。現如今的春假，這樣的生活已經變成了一項傳統：學生們撇下宿舍，蜂擁到佛州的白色沙灘，盡情脫掉外衣，忘乎所以。
Spring break evolution
春假的進化史
In springtime, Florida becomes the host of a beachside bacchanal for college students, but not so long ago, it was a relatively low-key tourist destination. The rise of the modern spring break and the rise of Florida as a tourist destination went largely hand-in-hand.
春天的佛羅里達成了大學生狂歡的海濱勝地，不過不久之前，這兒還是個人氣不怎麼高的旅遊景點。現代春假的興起幾乎和佛羅里達成爲旅遊勝地相伴相生。
According to research from the University of New Orleans, college swim teams discovered Florida’s vacation potential back in the 1930s. But other destinations, like Bermuda, remained more popular for college getaways. World War II changed that. With German U-boats patrolling offshore, American students were less inclined to go overseas for spring vacations. Florida’s time had arrived.
據美國新奧爾良大學的研究顯示，早在20世紀三十年代，大學游泳隊們就發現了佛羅里達作爲熱門度假地的潛力。不過當時像百慕大羣島這樣的景點，作爲逃離學校的旅遊勝地則更受歡迎。二戰改變了這種狀況。由於德國U形潛水艇在近海巡邏，美國學生不傾向於出國度春假了。佛羅里達時代就此開啓。
By the 1950s, novels like Where the Boys Are and articles like Time magazine’s “Beer & The Beach” had established spring break as an excuse to party, and Florida as its capital.
直到20世紀五十年代，《男孩在哪裏》這樣的小說和《時代週刊》刊登的如《啤酒&沙灘》這類文章爲春假聚會找到了理由，佛羅里達順勢成了派對之都。
With that anarchic spring break spirit comes an iconic spring break style, one that reflects Florida’s own eccentricities. It’s messy and wild and borderline tasteless–fashion’s rebellious answer to prim-and-proper college attire.
和無法無天的春假精神相伴而生的是春假的標誌性風格，它反應了佛州的獨特性。它凌亂、狂野，居於無品味的臨界點上——是時尚對一本正經的大學生裝束的反擊。
