個(gè)人簡介:
姓名:Bernard Blum
國籍:以色列
Occupation :?Teacher / Professor at Xiamen University School of Management
職業(yè):教師、廈門大學(xué)管理學(xué)院教授
Years in China :?7?years
在華居住時(shí)間:7年
How did your journey in China begin?
你的中國之旅是如何開始的?
I planned most of my life, however China was never on my radar. Living and working in China was totally unplanned but incredibly fascinating and worthwhile in every sense.
我會(huì)規(guī)劃人生,但是中國從來沒有出現(xiàn)在我的視線中。來中國工作生活是完全出于偶然,但這一切都值得且令人神往。
I’m one of the millions of people whose lives were radically changed by the global financial crisis. I worked as a head of a department of tourism and culinary arts in an academic college in Jerusalem. It was interesting, satisfying, fulfilling… and I thought that was a career for life. But then… Bang! The global economy collapsed and 50% of the departments at the college closed, mine included. Two years later, that was it!
全球金融危機(jī)徹底改變了數(shù)百萬人的生活,我就是其中一員。我曾在耶路撒冷的一所學(xué)術(shù)學(xué)院擔(dān)任旅游和烹飪藝術(shù)系的系主任。這份工作十分有趣,我也很滿意,成就感滿滿……而且我把它當(dāng)作終身的職業(yè)。但后來……砰!全球經(jīng)濟(jì)崩潰,學(xué)院一半的系都關(guān)閉了,其中就包括我所在的系。兩年過去了,還是老樣子。
Now what? One of my brothers, David, had a couple of friends who worked in Xiamen at the time. I was a little hesitant at first, but I contacted them, and they highly recommended coming over for six months to teach. I wrote to some universities in Xiamen and was amazed that they all offered me a teaching position! This was so refreshing in comparison with the vast majority of the world. I was very excited and enthusiastic about this new undertaking.
接下來怎么辦?我有個(gè)兄弟叫 David,他有幾個(gè)朋友在廈門工作。起初我有點(diǎn)猶豫,最后我還是聯(lián)系了他們,他們強(qiáng)烈建議我過來上半年課。我給廈門的幾所大學(xué)寫了信,令我驚訝的是,它們都給我提供了一個(gè)教職!在世界上絕大部分國家,這絕對(duì)是件新鮮事。我無比熱衷于這份新工作,并感到非常興奮。
I chose Xiamen university due to various recommendations and its beautiful campus and location. It’s such a different experience from my previous teaching in Israel and Europe. It is quiet, disciplined and respectful; not that things are chaotic in Israel or Europe but the Chinese classroom culture is certainly unique. An initial period of one semester has currently developed into over 7 years! So, in retrospect, the global financial crisis was a positive game changer for me. One door closed and China opened up opportunities that I never dreamed about.
我之所以選擇廈門大學(xué),是因?yàn)橛性S多人推薦,而且廈大校園風(fēng)景怡人,位置優(yōu)越。這與我之前在以色列和歐洲的教學(xué)體驗(yàn)不同。廈大的環(huán)境非常安靜,師生守紀(jì),互相尊重。并不是說以色列和歐洲的學(xué)校很混亂,但中國的課堂文化肯定是有其獨(dú)特性的。我已經(jīng)在廈大待了 7 年多!回過頭來看,全球金融危機(jī)帶給我的是積極的改變。一扇門關(guān)閉了,中國為我打開了另一扇門,這是我夢(mèng)寐以求的機(jī)會(huì)。
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?你最喜歡中國的什么呢?
Xiamen is a truly beautiful city, a blend of old and new. It has fascinating markets which I adore, the smells, the huge varieties of foods are so different from the Mediterranean. The surrounding seas, mountains, terrain and general ambiance of the area is wonderful. I just find being around absorbing the atmosphere soothing and pleasant, even in the hustle and bustle of the city, the temples, street food, etc. are a continuous stimulation. Xiamen is perfectly situated in China, with great infrastructure, open spaces and cleanliness. The weather is almost ideal, except for the hot humid summer months and the occasional tropical storms, but it’s all part of the experience. I even experienced mega typhoon Meranti back in 2016 which was scary at the time, however with immaculate alacrity and public enthusiasm the city was repaired with such precision and speed. Unbelievable!
廈門真是一座美麗的城市,現(xiàn)代和傳統(tǒng)在這里交融。這里有迷人的市集,我很喜歡??諝庵袕浡南阄?、各種各樣的食物,與地中海地區(qū)是如此不同。周圍有海洋、山地,還有這里的環(huán)境都很棒。我覺得置身于這種環(huán)境之中會(huì)感到放松,令人愉悅,即使在喧囂的城市中,寺廟、街頭小吃也能帶給我持續(xù)的興奮感。廈門在中國的地理位置非常好,基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施完備,空間開闊,環(huán)境整潔。除了夏季炎熱潮濕,偶爾會(huì)有熱帶風(fēng)暴侵?jǐn)_,這里的氣候幾乎是理想的,這些都構(gòu)成了我在廈門的別樣體驗(yàn)。我在 2016 年甚至經(jīng)歷了超強(qiáng)臺(tái)風(fēng)莫蘭蒂,當(dāng)時(shí)的情況是非常可怕的,然而政府迅速響應(yīng),人民齊心協(xié)力,廈門以很快的速度恢復(fù)如初。這簡直難以置信!
I’ve met and befriended many many great locals and foreigners too from such diverse countries, cultures, religions and even ages! It’s refreshing! Essentially all people have similar aspirations, dreams and ambitions irrespective of their backgrounds. Stereotypes are stereotypes and untrue. Many people associate mega and overcrowded cities to China which is true, however few people are aware of the natural beauty and vast geographical areas of China, the tropical versus desert zones, the ethnic diversity with their corresponding dress codes and cultures, the ultra-modern buildings in comparison to the ancient architecture, the ease of electronic payments, online life in general and the determination to achieve, advance, progress, obtain and succeed in life. There is a beat in China which defines the country in such a contrasting way to the West. It is amazing how many Chinese people want to learn English and how much the Chinese know about western culture in comparison to how little we know about Chinese culture. What a country!
我結(jié)識(shí)了許多友善的當(dāng)?shù)厝撕屯鈬?,他們來自不同的國家,擁有不同的文化、宗教信仰,年齡也各不相同。令人耳目一新!不管他們的背景如何,幾乎所有人都有相同的愿望、夢(mèng)想和雄心。有些人對(duì)中國有著刻板印象,但這只是刻板印象,與事實(shí)并不相符。許多人認(rèn)為中國的城市龐大而擁擠,這是事實(shí),然而很少有人知道中國有著絕美的自然景觀和廣袤的土地,包含熱帶地區(qū)與沙漠地帶,民族組成也呈現(xiàn)多樣性,每個(gè)民族都有其獨(dú)特的衣著和文化。中國還有超現(xiàn)代建筑,與傳統(tǒng)建筑形成強(qiáng)烈對(duì)比。中國人民還能享受到便利的電子支付,互聯(lián)網(wǎng)融入生活,他們有著實(shí)現(xiàn)理想、不斷前進(jìn)、取得進(jìn)步、獲得成功的決心。中國有自己的節(jié)奏,與西方的截然不同,他們用自己的方式?jīng)Q定前進(jìn)的道路。令我驚訝的是,有許多中國人想要學(xué)習(xí)英語,中國人對(duì)西方文化的了解比西方人對(duì)中國文化的了解多得多。這是多么棒的一個(gè)國家!
What fascinated you the most about living in China??
生活在中國,最吸引你的是什么?
In short almost everything! Everything is different in China in comparison with a western culture, the food, the lifestyle, habits, body language, communication and values, etc.
幾乎所有的東西都吸引著我!中國文化與西方文化完全不同:不同的飲食習(xí)慣、生活方式、愛好、身體語言、交流方式和價(jià)值觀等等。
I try (I admit it, perhaps I ought to try harder) to speak Chinese, but I try! The tones and pronunciation in Chinese are essential. Often Chinese people say to me TING BU DONG, meaning they don’t understand me, it’s SO frustrating. Communication is a challenge to put it mildly, but with the help of friends, we always find a way to work things out.
我試著(我承認(rèn),也許我應(yīng)該更努力)說中文,我盡力了!中文的聲調(diào)和發(fā)音非常重要。中國人經(jīng)常對(duì)我說“聽不懂”,他們不明白我的意思,這真的讓人很沮喪。委婉地說,溝通是一個(gè)挑戰(zhàn),但在朋友的幫助下,我們總能找到辦法解決溝通上的問題。
I’m vegetarian and teach about food. I find the food delicious in China, but it took a while for my stomach to adjust to these new flavors. However, today the Chinese diet ranks very high in my books, I’ve even mastered the art of using chopsticks without the food dropping on my clothes, that too took a while.
我是素食主義者,教學(xué)內(nèi)容也和食品相關(guān)。我發(fā)現(xiàn)中國的食物很美味,但我的胃需要一段時(shí)間來適應(yīng)這些新口味。中國飲食在我心中有很高的地位,我甚至學(xué)會(huì)了使用筷子時(shí)不讓食物掉在衣服上這門藝術(shù),當(dāng)然這也花了一定時(shí)間。
Culinary differences do exist! To my Mediterranean culture, people here eat so early, especially lunch and dinner which I eat at 14:00 and 20:00 respectfully. I enjoy iced water whereas here in China people drink hot water in the scorching heat. I love raw vegetables, however everything is cooked here and we are a coffee drinking nation in comparison to the love of tea here. Finally, I’m asked countless times every day “if I’ve eaten” and then numerous times “if I’m full” How can one not fall in love with China?
飲食習(xí)慣的差異確實(shí)存在!和地中海文化不同,我都是在14:00吃午餐,20:00吃晚餐,而這里的人們午餐和晚餐吃得很早。我喜歡喝冰水,而在中國,即使烈日當(dāng)空,人們也習(xí)慣喝熱水。我喜歡吃生的蔬菜,但這里的東西都是熟的。而且以色列人愛喝咖啡,而中國人喜歡喝茶。最后,我每天都會(huì)被問到無數(shù)次“你吃了嗎”,又會(huì)被問到無數(shù)次“你吃飽了嗎”。這讓人怎么能不愛上中國?
What is your unique China story?
你在中國有什么獨(dú)特的故事?
I think China is a place that one literally grows to love and appreciate. After an initial period of culture shock, adjustments and resetting one’s mind, China becomes for many people a second home.
中國是一個(gè)讓人逐漸愛上并感激的地方。經(jīng)歷了最開始的文化沖擊,然后逐步調(diào)整心態(tài)后,中國已經(jīng)成為了許多人的第二個(gè)家。
At the end of each academic year, I often said to myself “Time to go home, it’s been fun”, but I’m a guest in China and when is it enough? Obviously I haven’t reached that point yet! For me at work, via my department and students there is a sense of gratitude and appreciation for my teaching which I truthfully value. The diversity of people I meet and befriend encouraged me to extend my stay in China for a longer period than I initially planned – significantly longer!
在每個(gè)學(xué)年結(jié)束時(shí),我經(jīng)常對(duì)自己說:“是時(shí)候回家了,我已經(jīng)收獲了足夠的快樂?!钡耶吘故强途铀l(xiāng),真的已經(jīng)足夠了嗎?很明顯,還遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)不夠!我真的很珍惜在工作中,我的部門和學(xué)生對(duì)我教學(xué)的感激和贊賞。我還結(jié)識(shí)了各種各樣的人,這也促使我在中國待的更久,比我最初計(jì)劃的時(shí)間還要長——而且長得多!
About Bernard’s hometown
介紹一下 Bernard 的家鄉(xiāng)
In a way Israel and China couldn’t be more different! However, apart from the obvious differences in size and geographic location; Israel is a tiny country with a population of about 8 million in the Mediterranean and Middle East. Looking at this again I believe there are considerable similarities. Both China and Israel speak ancient old languages, both value education to the extreme, both are technologically advanced, Chinese and Israeli culture value common factors such as families, care for the elderly and young, the list goes on and on. In China, I’ve never experienced any hostility towards me and that is truly a wonderful experience.
以色列和中國簡直是千差萬別!面積和地理位置上有明顯差異,以色列是一個(gè)位于地中海和中東地區(qū)的小國,人口約800萬。但是中國和以色列還有相當(dāng)多的相似之處。兩國都講著古老的語言,都極其重視教育,都有先進(jìn)的技術(shù)。在文化上,有些東西是中國和以色列都會(huì)重視的,如對(duì)家庭、老人和兒童的照顧,這樣的例子不勝枚舉。在中國,別人從未對(duì)我產(chǎn)生敵意,這確實(shí)是一種很棒的體驗(yàn)。
When and if anyone asks me, so Bernard would you recommend visiting or working in China? My answer is an unequivocal absolute YES, go for it, you’ll never regret it! Have an adventure in life!
如果有人問我會(huì)不會(huì)推薦來中國旅游或工作,我的回答絕對(duì)是肯定的。去吧,你永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)后悔。給自己的人生來一場(chǎng)冒險(xiǎn)!
作者:Bernard 翻譯:潘澤彬
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