個人簡介:
Name :?Aziz Sipho Matthews
姓名:Aziz Sipho Matthews
Country of Origin :?South Africa
國籍:南非
Occupation :?English Teacher and Trainer
職業(yè):英語培訓教師
Years in China :?5?years
在華居住時間:5年
Greetings to anyone who might be reading this. It’s been a while since I’ve written anything meaningful so let me start off by telling you a little bit about myself. I first came to China roughly five years ago which was 1 year after I had finished university. Uncertain of what I wanted to do with the rest of my life, one thing I was certain of was that a change was needed. I began looking into various opportunities abroad and stumbled upon the option of teaching English in China. Having travelled to most parts of the world, I thought: “What could be more different than China, right?”
正在閱讀這篇文章的朋友,你們好。我已經有段時間沒寫過特別有意思的東西了,所以讓我先簡單介紹一下自己。我第一次來到中國是五年前,那時我剛大學畢業(yè)一年。當時我不確定未來想做什么,但有一件事是確定的,那就是我需要改變。我開始在國外尋找各種機會,偶然間我發(fā)現可以去中國教英語。我走遍了世界上的大部分地方,心想:“還有什么地方比中國更與眾不同呢?”
After doing some research, I discovered the city of Xiamen. The pictures were mesmerizing and it was probably as close to the sea as one could get. I have a deep connection to the ocean so everything seemed ideal. Next thing I knew my bags were packed and I landed in Beijing Daxing International Airport. Immediately the culture shock of living in China hit me. The sense of mass confusion was overwhelming at first but there was always someone to help out in some way or form until eventually I made it to Xiamen. I moved into my “one-bedroom” apartment and began to become acclimatized to the people of China, my students and job, and of course, the weather. Shortly after I experienced my first typhoon and it was definitely super! Meranti was massive and seeing Mother Nature in all its destructive glory was an eye opener like none other. This began my journey in China.
經過一番研究,我發(fā)現了廈門這座城市。那里的風景令人著迷,它離大海很近。我與海洋有著很深的聯系,所以一切似乎都很理想。接下來我收拾行囊出發(fā),飛抵北京大興國際機場。不過一開始,我就立刻遭受到了文化沖擊,我感到非常迷茫,但一路上總有人以各種方式幫助我,直到我抵達廈門。我搬進“一居室”公寓,開始適應當地人、我的學生和工作,當然還有天氣。不久之后,我經歷了第一次臺風,那絕對稱得上是超級臺風。臺風莫蘭蒂來勢兇猛,大自然毀滅性的傷害令人瞠目。自此,我的中國之旅正式開始。
It’s difficult to put into words what I love most about Xiamen but one thing I’ve come to love over the past 5 years is definitely its people. The food, the culture, the interaction between what is considered local and foreign, have all created an experience that has been remarkable to say the least. The city itself seems to expand and change at an unimaginable rate which almost forces one to stay on their toes. I came to China for change after all and I can see that change in Xiamen on almost every block. I can’t wait to explore more of this gorgeous city and look forward eagerly to what might change next.
我很難用語言表達最喜歡廈門的什么,但在過去 5 年中,我無疑非常喜歡廈門人。這里的食物、文化以及當地與外國的交流,都創(chuàng)造了一種非凡的體驗。這座城市本身似乎在以一種難以想象的速度擴張和改變,讓人們保持警覺。畢竟我來中國是為了改變,在廈門的每個街區(qū)都能看到改變。我迫不及待的想探尋這座城市的芳華,熱切期待接下來可能發(fā)生的變化。
I think there is nothing particularly unique about my experience in China. There have been good times and bad times. I’ve fallen in and out of love and had a chance to meet people from all over the world. Those experiences both good and bad are cherished nonetheless and I guess that’s what makes my experience of China and Xiamen unique. One thing I can say though is that I have developed a love, whether fortunate or unfortunate is yet to be seen, for baijiu. Niu Lan Shan in particular has become somewhat of a staple and those that know me personally can attest to that. In Xiamen, there seems to be a bit of a drinking culture amongst both locals and foreigners which is something I can relate to coming from Cape Town, South Africa.
我在中國的經歷沒有什么特別的,有美好的時光,也有難熬的日子。我曾戀愛,也曾失戀,也有機會結識來自世界各地的人。這些經歷,無論好壞,都值得珍惜,它們讓我在中國和廈門的體驗變得獨特。但我想說,我已經愛上了白酒,不知道這是好事還是壞事。牛欄山已經成為我的日常飲品,認識我的人可以證明這一點。在廈門,當地人和外國人似乎都有飲酒文化,這與我在南非開普敦的感受相同。
South Africa is often fondly referred to as “the Rainbow Nation”. This is largely due to the fact that South Africans come in all shapes, sizes and colors. My hometown, Cape Town, is great example of this. “The Mother City”, as we sometimes call it, was historically established as a refreshment station for the Dutch, British, Spanish and Portuguese, in their search for spices from “the East”. Along the way many sailors, slaves, and indentured laborers decided to stay and mix with the local population and so Cape Town was born. The city began to thrive and people moved into the hinterland forming the country we now know as South Africa. This mixing of people and therefore culture, for better or for worse, has been what I have come to truly appreciate in life so I’d like to thank Master Translations for this opportunity to share a little bit of my story with you. I hope you enjoyed it.
南非的昵稱是“彩虹之國”。這主要是因為南非人有各種膚色,體格不一。我的家鄉(xiāng)開普敦就是一個很好的例子。我們有時稱開普敦為“母親之城”,歷史上曾是荷蘭人、英國人、西班牙人和葡萄牙人尋找“東方”香料的驛站。一路上,許多水手、奴隸和契約勞工決定留在這里,與當地人居住,于是開普敦就誕生了。這座城市開始繁榮,人們開始移居內陸,建立了如今的南非。這種人與文化的融合,無論好壞,都是我生命中真正欣賞的東西。最后我要感謝精藝達給我這個機會與你們分享我的故事,希望你們喜歡。
作者:Aziz 翻譯:潘澤彬
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