2 people who lived in a van share lessons they learned while on the road

2 people who lived in a van share lessons they learned while on the road

Transcript¹

Kat Valentino and her son ended up living in a van several years ago. Along the way they met Vincent Mosemann. Since 2017, they have all lived in an apartment in Oregon.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Time now for StoryCorps. In 2014, Kat Valentino was living in a motel² with her family. Eventually, they ended up living in their van. They spent years on the road stopping in parking lots and campgrounds, meeting other people living the same way. That's how they met 27-year-old Vincent Mosemann. At StoryCorps, Kat and Vincent talked about what brought them together.

KAT VALENTINO: We were in such dire³ straits that it was throw everything in the van and go. We had no way to cook food, no bed. We had a pile of blankets on the floor in the back of the van, and all three of us slept like puppies⁴ in a basket. There wasn't any tomorrow or next week. There was just right now.

VINCENT MOSEMANN: For me, I was working full time, but I wasn't getting a whole lot of money. I was like, how am I going to afford an apartment? When I told my mom I wanted to move into the van, she said, I feel like you're running away from your life. I told her I feel like I'm running towards it, but I was worried about being in the middle of the desert with no safety net. Then I met you, and now I kind of joke you're like my adopted mom.

VALENTINO: Your road mom (laughter).

MOSEMANN: My road mom, yeah. You had your feet on the ground longer than I did. So it was nice to be able to reach out to someone.

VALENTINO: And be fed by someone (laughter).

MOSEMANN: And be fed, yes.

VALENTINO: One of the realizations⁵ I came to is that the people who have the least are the most generous.

MOSEMANN: Yeah. I didn't feel like I was just out there trying to figure everything out by myself. And living on the road, you have to slow down because if you don't, you're going to miss the little butterfly floating around or you're going to miss the fact that the hummingbird⁶ is in your camp.

VALENTINO: Exactly. So what do you think the biggest lesson you learned was?

MOSEMANN: That I can stand on my own two feet, but that doesn't mean I can't ask for help.

VALENTINO: We had been pushed by circumstance. But regardless of what happens, we know that we can handle it now.

(SOUNDBITE OF BLUE DOT SESSIONS' "SAGE⁷ THE HUNTER")

MARTIN: That's Kat Valentino and Vincent Mosemann for StoryCorps. Vincent, Kat and her son have lived in an apartment together in Oregon since 2017, and they still get homesick for the road. Their conversation will be archived at the Library of Congress.

(SOUNDBITE OF BLUE DOT SESSIONS' "SAGE THE HUNTER")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 motel   

n.汽车游客旅馆

参考例句：

• Late that night he landed at a motel.那晚他到了一家汽车旅馆。
• The motel manager showed the guests to their room.汽车旅馆经理把旅客领到他们房间。

3 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

4 puppies   

n.（常指不满一岁的）小狗(puppy的复数)；小狗，幼犬( puppy的名词复数 )；浅薄自负的年轻男子

参考例句：

• a litter of puppies 一窝小狗
• The bitch bore six puppies. 母狗生了六只小狗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 realizations   

认识，领会( realization的名词复数 )； 实现

参考例句：

• Popular realizations of MPI standard are CHIMP and LAM and so on. 目前，公用的MPI实现有CHIMP、lam等。
• The author presents some realizations from the certificate assurance work. 本文介绍了笔者在ISO9001质量体系认证工作中的几点体会。

6 hummingbird   

n.蜂鸟

参考例句：

• The hummingbird perches on a twig of the hawthorn.小蜂鸟栖在山楂树枝上。
• The hummingbird is the only bird that can fly backward.蜂鸟是唯一能倒退向后飞的鸟。

7 sage   

n.圣人，哲人；adj.贤明的，明智的

参考例句：

• I was grateful for the old man's sage advice.我很感激那位老人贤明的忠告。
• The sage is the instructor of a hundred ages.这位哲人是百代之师。