杜克大学研究生为还贷上演“蜗居”

杜克大学研究生为还贷上演“蜗居”

杜克大学研究生为还贷上演“蜗居”

杜克大学研究生为还贷上演“蜗居”

杜克大学研究生为还贷上演“蜗居”

杜克大学研究生为还贷上演“蜗居”

杜克大学研究生为还贷上演“蜗居”

杜克大学研究生为还贷上演“蜗居”

　　The Duke university graduate student who spent TWO YEARS living in his van so he could avoid more student loan debt杜克大学研究生为避免更多学生贷款、两年来住货车

　　Ken Ilgunas paid off a $32,000 student loan and finished a second degree with money to spare by secretly living in his van for two years。肯·艾古纳斯两年来悄悄住在自己的小货车里，以此节省的钱他用以还清了3万2千美金的学生贷款、还拿到了自己的第二个学位。

　　By braving roadside public toilets, a bean-heavy diet and mice scampering where he slept, the native New Yorker gained a masters degree at Duke University and a lifetime of incredible memories。肯是土生土长的纽约人，这两年来他忍受了恐怖的公共厕所、吃的食物以豆子为主、睡的地方还有老鼠，但他最终拿到了杜克大学的硕士学位，也有了一段难忘的人生经历。

　　But one of the many downsides was that he couldn't tell other students, in case they reported him to security who would have kicked him off the campus parking lot。所有这些不快中，最让他难过的是他不能告诉同学自己住哪儿。以防有人向学校保安报告，他就会被赶出停车场。

Ilgunas made the dramatic decision after he graduated with 'unmarketable' English and history majors in 2005 and was rejected from 25 paid internships。肯2005年本科毕业于水牛城大学英语和历史双专业，成绩并不出彩。随后他投递的25份实习工作都被拒，他才做出了住货车的决定。

　　Fearing his $8-an-hour job pushing carts at Home Depot wouldn't help him pay off his $32,000 University of Buffalo undergraduate degree loan, Ilgunas became 'frantic'。那时，他在家具超市里做运货的工作，他觉得自己无法靠这个偿还那3万2千美金的本科贷款，非常抓狂。

　　'That was a wake-up call,' he told Business Insider. 'I had no idea what I was getting into at the time. I didn't even know what interest was when I was 17. I just think that's awfully indicative of the incredibly poor personal finance education young people have at that time in their lives.'“那时我意识到了问题的严重性，”他告诉记者说，“我不知道自己将面临什么，我17岁选大学专业的时候也不晓得自己喜欢什么。我只是觉得一个年轻人太穷实在不怎么好。”

　　Instead of asking his parents for the cash or declaring forbearance, he moved interstate, enrolled in a liberal arts graduate course at Duke University and bought a $1,500 van。他没有问父母要钱还债，也没有沮丧，他搬到了另一个州，买了一辆1500美金的小货车，开始在杜克大学学习自由主义艺术的研究生学位。

　　Determined to get his degree debt-free and inspired by the frugal

　　philosophy of Henry Thoreau, he lived out of his 1994 Ford Econoline van - fitted out like a dorm-room - on the campus parking lot。他决定自己的研究生学位绝不能再贷款负债，同时也受到《瓦尔登湖》作者亨利梭罗的启发，他住在了自己1994年产的小货车里。把里面装饰成了宿舍的样子，平常就停在学校的停车场里。

　　While he saved a lot of money, van-dwelling had its drawbacks。尽管剩下了很多钱，但住在货车里的确有诸多不便。

　　'Mice would move into my ceiling upholstery, washing pots and pans became so inconvenient I stopped washing them altogether, and the bathroom was a quarter-mile sprint from my parking space,'老鼠会钻进车厢顶里，洗锅子和碗具也很不方便，我只能一个一个单独洗。厕所距离我停车的地方大概有400米(四分之一英里)

　　Freezing winters, hovering campus police and living in a confined space tested Ilgunas’ limits over two years。两年来，极冷的冬天、巡逻的校警和密闭的空间都在挑战肯的极限。

　　He survived by cooking in a makeshift kitchen, eating simple meals of beans and cereal, and showering at the gym。他用简易锅具煮饭、吃豆子和麦片度日、洗澡也在健身房凑合。

　　He kept his van-dwelling a secret from fellow students and security, and took a range of casual range of jobs。他不敢告诉同学自己的秘密，平常就打一些零工当做家用。

　　But Ilgunas said his simple mission became a life-changing experience. And he got his degree, debt-free。但肯最终将这一切变成了改变他一生的体验。他也拿到了他的硕士学位，不用再还贷款了。