個(gè)人簡(jiǎn)介：
Name :?Christopher Weeks
姓名：Christopher Weeks
Country of Origin :?United Kingdom
國(guó)籍：英國(guó)
Occupation :?Foreign Language Kindergarten Teacher
職業(yè)：幼兒園外文教師
Years in China :?8 (5.5 in mainland and 2.5 in Taiwan)
在華居住時(shí)間：八年（五年半在大陸，兩年半在臺(tái)灣）
How did your journey in China begin?
你的中國(guó)之旅是怎樣開始的?
On January 1st 2013, I was sitting with a friend eating brunch in Manchester, nursing a particularly bad hangover, and reflecting on the previous year. I made a promise that in 2013, I would move to a different country for work.? On February 2nd, I landed in Madrid, Spain, which is a different story. On July 17th 2013, I landed in Fuzhou, Fujian ready to start “a year, maybe two in China” working as an English teacher at a training school. I moved across the strait to Taipei for a few years before returning back to Fuzhou, and eventually moving to Xiamen, a city I first visited in October 2013. 8 years later, I still have no plans to go back to the UK.
2013 年 1 月 1 日，在曼徹斯特一夜宿醉過后，我和一個(gè)朋友正坐著吃早午餐，并反思過去的一年。我曾下定決心要在 2013 年搬到另一個(gè)國(guó)家工作。于是 2 月 2 日，我降落在西班牙馬德里，這又是另外的故事了。2013 年 7 月 17 日，我降落在福建福州，準(zhǔn)備在一所培訓(xùn)學(xué)校當(dāng)一年或者兩年的英語老師。之后我又搬到海峽對(duì)岸的臺(tái)北住了幾年然后回到福州，最終于2013 年 10 月首次來到廈門。8 年過去了，我依舊沒有回英國(guó)的打算。
What do you like most about your city and China as a whole?
你所在的城市，哪一點(diǎn)最吸引你？你最喜歡中國(guó)的什么呢？
The cafes. I have always enjoyed the cafes of the cities I have lived in (Fuzhou, Taipei, Xiamen). They have been home to my constant journey of learning and forgetting Mandarin, writing lesson plans and playing board games. I have seen the quality of the cafes in terms of taste and environment improve over the years and Xiamen has an abundance of nice places to relax and have a latte or single origin coffee.
咖啡館。我總是很喜歡我居住城市（福州、廈門、臺(tái)北）的咖啡館。他們基本上可以算作我的家了，我在那里學(xué)習(xí)普通話，學(xué)了又忘，忘了又學(xué)，還在那里準(zhǔn)備教案和玩桌游。這些年來，我看到咖啡館的味道和環(huán)境質(zhì)量都有所改善。廈門有許多放松的好去處，可以喝好喝的拿鐵或是單品咖啡。
What fascinated you the most about living in China?
生活在中國(guó)，最吸引你的是什么?
Initially, the reason I came, was because I knew no one who had been here, and I wanted to work and travel somewhere a bit different. I originally dreamed of living in Shanghai, until I have grown older and weary of the “people mountain people sea,” three-hour queues to eat at Hai Di Lao and unable to find a seat easily in cafes. Xiamen for me is the perfect size and population. These days, I just love to wander and explore, as you never know what surprises hide around the corner or down an alley. I am fortunate to know people who guide me to places I would have never have discovered myself, and I hope one day to say I have visited every cafe on the island.
最初，我來這里的原因是因?yàn)槲也徽J(rèn)識(shí)來過這里的人，而我又想去一個(gè)與眾不同的地方工作和旅行。我最初夢(mèng)想住在上海，直到我上了年紀(jì)，開始厭倦“人山人海”，害怕在海底撈排三個(gè)小時(shí)的隊(duì)吃飯，在咖啡館里找不到座位。廈門的大小和人口對(duì)我來說就很完美?，F(xiàn)在，我就喜歡到處閑逛和探索，因?yàn)槟阌肋h(yuǎn)不知道拐角處或小巷里藏著什么驚喜。我很幸運(yùn)認(rèn)識(shí)了一些小伙伴，他們帶我去了一些我自己永遠(yuǎn)都不會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)的地方。我希望有一天能說我去過島上的每一家咖啡館。
Could you list some of your favorite spots in your city?
你能列舉一些你最喜歡的城市景點(diǎn)嗎?
I love going up to the Sightseeing Tower, north of Bai Lu Zhou Park. and next to the Mountain to Sea Trail. Though the building is shut at night, if you are on the viewing platform in front of it at 10:30 p.m, you can see the “l(fā)ight off” show, as all the building lights gradually turn off around Xiamen, which is quite fun.
我喜歡去白鷺洲公園北面的觀光塔，它緊挨著廈門山海健康步道。雖然觀光塔晚上不開門，但如果晚上 10:30 你在前面的觀景臺(tái)上，就能看到“熄燈”秀，因?yàn)閺B門周邊的大樓燈都逐漸熄滅了，非常有趣。
What is your unique China story?
關(guān)于你獨(dú)特的中國(guó)故事是什么呢?
The reason I love living in China itself is it is rarely boring, and every day has the potential to be interesting, be it for better or worse. Instead of a particular story, here are a few unique moments.
我喜歡生活在中國(guó)原因是，它幾乎不會(huì)讓我覺得無聊，每天都可能變得有趣，或大或小。所以這里我就不講一個(gè)具體的故事，而是分享幾個(gè)特別的瞬間。
? Being hit on the head by a woman with an umbrella while dressed as a panda after a Halloween activity after we tried to join in square dancing.
? 在一次萬圣節(jié)活動(dòng)后，我們打扮成熊貓的樣子試圖加入廣場(chǎng)舞，卻被一個(gè)女人用傘打了頭。
? Watching an ayi scream as a rat ran around my apartment kitchen, only for my American flat mate to stomp on it. RIP Ratty.
? 一位阿姨看到有只老鼠在我廚房跑來跑去后大聲尖叫，然后是我的美國(guó)室友過來一腳把它踩在腳下。小老鼠走好。
? Signing my autograph and having my photo taken, because a drunk Chinese gentleman thought I was Lionel Messi.
? 一位喝多了的中國(guó)男士堅(jiān)信我是里利昂內(nèi)爾·梅西，跟我要了簽名，還和我合影留念了。
? Going for a quiet drink and it turning into a nightclub outing, full of pillow fights and feathers covering the nightclub.
? 想出去隨便喝一杯，沒想到變成了夜店大作戰(zhàn)，大家都在枕頭大戰(zhàn)，羽毛飛得滿天都是。
? Watching a security guard spit in a man’s face on Shenzhen Metro, because the man spat on the floor in the metro station.
? 在深圳地鐵上，看著一名保安朝一名男子臉上吐痰，因?yàn)檫@名男子在地鐵站的地板上吐痰。
? Seeing a goat solve a math problem.
? 看到一只山羊解一道數(shù)學(xué)題。
? Watching my laptop cable melt and set on fire after plugging it in a hostel in Shanghai.
? 在上海一家旅店，當(dāng)我把手提電腦的插頭接上之后，電腦開始熔化起火。
? Having a bust made of my head in 20 minutes on the street in the pouring rain of Hangzhou.
? 在杭州的瓢潑大雨中，我在街上用 20 分鐘做了一個(gè)半身雕像。
? Going to see the beautiful views from Huangshan, only to have fog and visibility of 5m.
? 去黃山看美景，卻碰上大霧天，能見度只有 5 米。
? Meeting an ex African professional soccer player on the Great Wall of China.
? 在中國(guó)長(zhǎng)城上遇見一位前非洲職業(yè)足球運(yùn)動(dòng)員。
? Being the first foreigner an elderly woman in her eighties had ever seen.
? 作為一個(gè)八十多歲的老年婦女見過的第一個(gè)外國(guó)人。
? Exploring Fuzhou post typhoon after the river banks burst.
? 臺(tái)風(fēng)吹垮了河堤，探索臺(tái)風(fēng)之后的福州。
? Seeing a mermaid rescue a man in a business suit to the tune of Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On.”
? 看到一條美人魚用席琳·迪翁《我心永恒》的曲調(diào)拯救一個(gè)穿著西裝的男人。
? A journey back from Shenzhen to Fuzhou, which involved eight people in a six-seater vehicle, dropped off at a service station, and running to get a bunk on a coach, and being trapped behind toilet fumes for eight hours.
? 一次從深圳回福州的旅程，我們八個(gè)人擠在一輛六座汽車?yán)?，然后在一個(gè)服務(wù)站下車。接著跑上一輛長(zhǎng)途汽車，找到鋪位，在臭氣熏天的環(huán)境里呆了八個(gè)小時(shí)。
? Seeing my old teaching assistants start families and speaking in English with their children.
? 看到我曾經(jīng)的助教組建家庭，并用英文和她的子女交流。
Some background on his home country：
介紹一下Christopher的故鄉(xiāng)：
The first ever UK branch of KFC was opened in Preston in 1965. That predates McDonalds by about a decade.
Email: luz@mts-tech.com
Home away from home?is a collection of the unique stories written by foreigners in China and compiled by MTS. Join us on this journey of exploring 100 different stories showcasing what it truly means to live in China!《家外之家》是一本外國(guó)人在中國(guó)的獨(dú)特故事集，由外國(guó)人撰寫，精藝達(dá)公司征集匯編。歡迎外國(guó)朋友積極參與，和我們一起探尋100個(gè)不同的故事，展示生活在中國(guó)的真正意義！
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It has been?5 months?already since the “Home Away from Home” essay contest began! We appreciate all the foreign friends who have participated writing?55 unique stories?about their experience as expats in China.?On October 31st, the voting system closed, and after thorough counting of likes, reads and votes, today is the time to announce the?5 winners! Drumroll please...感謝大家?5 個(gè)月以來對(duì)《家外之家》征文比賽的關(guān)注！開賽至今，我們一共征集到了?55 篇外國(guó)人在華故事，我們非常感謝此次積極參與征文活動(dòng)的外國(guó)朋友。2021 年 10 月 31 日，網(wǎng)站投票通道也已關(guān)閉。通過計(jì)算社交媒體點(diǎn)贊數(shù)、閱讀數(shù)、以及網(wǎng)站投票數(shù)，經(jīng)過激烈角逐,?5 名參賽者最終脫穎而出
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