At first I thought I’m not a travel expert. I don’t know what I’m doing. I’ve never traveled. How could I possibly have this job. from Samantha Brown
一開始我想，我不是什麼旅遊專家，我不知道我在做什麼，我不曾旅行，我怎麼可能會得到這份工作。
擔任旅遊頻道主持人長達十三年，Samantha Brown現在踏遍全世界；但誰想的到，念音樂劇的她，一開始也是在紐約當餐廳小妹起家，在當主持人前，曾在百老匯演戲？
為了追尋音樂劇的夢想，她從家鄉新罕布夏州(New Hampshire)來到紐約，無奈沒有經紀人，只能零星接各式的工作，她自嘲：”I was a really good waitress in New York City.” 不斷的嘗試讓她接了拍廣告的工作，廣告最後被旅遊頻道看到，而Samantha因為她開朗的個性、鄰家女孩的氣質，成為Travel Channel 新節目的主持人。”So, all that work in waitressing slowly but surely paid off. “(所以，當餐廳服務生的時間和努力並沒有白費)
When I got the job I mean I was petrified because I really had absolutely no idea what I was doing. (我拿到這份工作時真是嚇壞了，因為我完全不知道我在做什麼)
一開始，Samantha對自己也有許多質疑，不常旅行、沒當過主持人，但她接下了挑戰，也如她所說的，緩慢的、一點一滴地累積經驗和實力。”You’re the girl next door experiencing it for the first time most of the people who are watching the show. “，什麼事情對她來說都是新的，就像看節目的觀眾一樣，也就是這樣的氣質和作風讓她深得電視台喜愛，一接接了十三年。
她的節目包含《暢遊歐洲》、《暢遊拉丁美洲》、《豪華大飯店》、《Girl Meets Hawaii》、《Great Vacation Homes》、《珊曼莎的悠閒週末》和《珊曼莎暢遊亞洲》等。
I never ever in a million years thought I would have a job that was better than the one that I actually dreamed of for myself. (我從沒想過，有一天我會找到比我夢想中的工作更棒的職業)
對她來說，這是最棒的職業，因為：
I get to spend time in other people’s lives and I get to learn from them and about myself in the process and I love that. I love just someone’s everyday life…when you’re in another part of the world, someone’s everyday life is extraordinary and then you think how extraordinary your own life is.
(我能有時間看看其他人的生活，從中學習，也在過程中了解自己。我就是喜歡「日常生活」，當你在世界的另一端，某人的日常生活可能非常精采，但你會因此發現，你自己的人生也不差)
在旅行的過程中，她能看到不同人的「日常生活」，也因此發現她自己人生的精采之處。當然，在光鮮亮麗、四處遊山玩水、吃吃喝喝的外表下，這份工作也有眾多辛苦、困難之處：一年工作大約230天，有時一天工作達14小時；每天住旅館，儘管是五星級飯店，”imagine someone coming into your bedroom and rearranging the contents of the furniture every 2 days.”，住在飯店裡仍是一種折磨，更別說永遠的孤獨、遠離家庭、愛你的人等等。
成功對Samantha來說是什麼？
Success has to be a combination of doing what makes you happy makes you passionate. (成功，必須建立在做讓你開心、讓你有熱情的事情上)
對她來說，和不同的人相處正是她的熱情所在。最後，她誠摯的建議：
The idea of making mistakes, be yourself, don’t try to be somebody else and just really be true to who you are. I think that is absolutely the key, absolutely. (勇於犯錯、做自己、不要作其他人，忠於自我，就是成功的關鍵)
快來欣賞Samantha幽默風趣的言談和精彩的人生故事：你該認識的女人:Smantha Brown
影片英文小提示
1. (2:42處) “Slowly but surely you get your groove…”
groove 有壕溝、凹槽的意思，但這裡比較口語的意思是: ” a state in which you are able to do something well and easily especially because you are doing it often” 最佳狀態、得心應手的狀態，例如: “He’s a great pitcher when he’s in a groove.”
2. (4:30處)”and that gives me time to sort of get my bearings…”
one’s bearings 的意思是”the knowledge of where one is; the knowledge of how one is oriented to one’s immediate environment.“是 個有點抽象的概念，就是知道你在哪，你身處的環境等等，例如：
” After he fell, it took Ted a few minutes to get his bearings. Jean found her compass and got her bearings almost immediately.“
3. (5:53處)”I basically become a real homebody”
homebody 這個字幾乎已成”宅男、宅女”的翻譯了，不過意思或許有些微的不同，homebody: “A person who enjoys the warmth and simple pleasures of being at home.” 基本上就是喜歡居家生活的人
4. (6:09處) “People are surprised to know that hotel rooms can actually be my nemesis.”
nemesis 在希臘神話中，Nemesis是復仇女神，也可指”an opponent or enemy that is very difficult to defeat”，難以擊敗的對手或敵人，例如: “Batman is the Joker’s main nemesis and always foils his wicked plots.”
5. (6:46處)”you’re constantly rebooting the minutia of your life…”
minutia 指細節、瑣事
Source: Women You Should Know Video Profile: Samantha Brown
Photo source: 1. Travels with Samantha Brown 2. Samantha Brown Does DC