Occupation :?Emerging fashion designer
職業(yè):時裝設計師
Years in China :?4?years
在華居住時間:4年
Hello! My name is Joyce and I come from Belgium. I’ve been living in China now for about 4 years. In the beginning, I got a job as an English teacher and at the moment I am trying to start my own business in fashion and writing a book in my spare time. They’re both a risk and I’m not sure if things are going to work out in the end, but I find enormous joy in doing those tasks and that’s what matters, right?
大家好!我叫 Joyce,來自比利時。我已經(jīng)在中國生活 4 年了。一開始,我的工作是一名英語老師,目前我正試圖從事時尚相關的工作,并用業(yè)余時間寫一本書。這畢竟是一次冒險,我不確定最后是否會成功,但我能從中獲得巨大的樂趣,這才是最重要的,不是嗎?
My journey to China began at a young age. When I was a little girl, I was always very interested in China and its culture. It seemed like a whole other magical world to me. When I got older, that dream of travelling to China kind of vanished because of my adult responsibilities.
我的中國之旅從我小時候就開始了。我還是個小女孩的時候,就對中國文化非常感興趣。對我來說,它似乎是一個完全不同的神奇世界。我長大后,由于肩負成年人的責任,那種去中國旅行的夢想漸漸消退。
Fast forward to 2018, when I went through a really rough time in my life. I quit my job which I hated. I had no other work experience, so I didn’t have many options. I also lost my boyfriend of 3 years which led me into a depression. It felt like my life was turned upside down. Then one day, the thought of travelling to China came back into my mind. I didn’t have anything to lose anymore, so I took a big leap of faith and decided to come to China. A lot of my friends and family thought I was crazy to travel to China and they didn’t understand why. Luckily, my parents and brother never doubted me for a second and supported me through the whole journey, even when knowing how hard it would be having me so far away. Missing my family is for sure the hardest part of being in China. It made me realize how much I love them. In the end I realized, losing my job and boyfriend have been the best things that have happened to me!
2018 年,我經(jīng)歷了人生中非常艱難的時期。我辭去了我討厭的工作,因為沒有其他工作經(jīng)驗,所以我沒有很多就業(yè)選擇。我還與相戀 3 年的男友分手,這讓我陷入了抑郁。感覺我的生活變得一團糟。直到有一天,去中國旅行的想法又出現(xiàn)在我的腦海中。我已經(jīng)沒有什么可失去的了,所以我抱著很大的信念,來到中國。我的很多朋友和家人覺得我瘋了,竟然想去中國,他們不明白為什么。幸運的是,我的父母和哥哥從未質疑過我,他們在整個旅程中支持我,即使知道我離家那么遠,日子會有多艱難。在中國,最難熬的時候就是想家的時候,這讓我意識到我是多么愛我的家人。不過從結果來看,失去工作和男友或許是最好的事情!
So in April 2018 I took the next airplane to Kunming, Yunnan. And guess what, after 3 years, I’m still in Kunming. I just love it here! I like living in Kunming because of its nature. I have Romani roots and there’s a saying in our community that goes: ‘gypsies don’t do well inside concrete walls.’ That definitely applies to me. It’s also very easy to travel to other places in Yunnan which are absolutely beautiful! My favorites are Dali and Lijiang. But to be honest, I still have a lot of places I wish to visit in Yunnan.
2018 年 4 月,我乘坐飛機來到云南昆明。你猜怎么著,3 年后,我仍然在昆明。我就是喜歡這里!我喜歡住在昆明,因為我喜歡這里的自然環(huán)境。我有羅姆人(吉卜賽人)的血統(tǒng),在我們的族群里有一句話是這樣說的:“吉卜賽人不適合在室內工作。”這句話說的絕對是我。去云南的其他地方旅行也很方便,景色也是絕美!我最喜歡大理和麗江。但說實話,我還想去云南的許多其他地方。
Another thing I really like is that Chinese citizens are really kind! I love making small conversations with strangers, from young to old. It’s fascinating how something that’s so insignificant can put a smile on my face. Lastly, I love food and China has definitely broadened my taste pallet! Take me out to a hot pot restaurant and I’ll be like the happiest child. I have a sweet tooth and my Chinese grandma makes the best ‘八寶飯’, also I have learned to love the ‘over the bridge noodles’.
我喜歡中國的另一點就是,中國人民真的很善良!我喜歡和陌生人聊天,無論是小孩還是老人。如此微不足道的事情卻能讓我臉上露出笑容。最后,我喜歡美食,而中國無疑拓寬了我的味蕾!我喜歡吃火鍋。如果帶我去一家火鍋店,我就會像小孩子一樣開心。我還喜歡吃甜食,我的中國奶奶做的“八寶飯”最好吃,我還喜歡“過橋米線”。
Some other things I like about China are the dancing ladies out in the street, the chaos of e-bikes riding through the streets and the convenience of WeChat and Taobao which don’t exist in my country.
我還喜歡中國的許多事情,比如在街上跳舞的女士,電動車混亂地穿過街道,還有微信和淘寶帶來的便利,這些在我的國家都不存在。
My unique story: When I came to China in 2018, I was alone and I was pretty scared. But at the same time, that gave me the power to believe in my own choices and for the first time in my life, follow my dreams. After a few months, I was doing pretty well on my own, I was genuinely happy and didn’t need anything more. Then, in December 2018, I met my Chinese husband!
接下來說說我的獨特經(jīng)歷。2018 年我只身一人來到中國,當時非常害怕。但同時,這也給了我力量,讓我堅信自己的選擇,這是我生命中第一次追尋自己的夢想。幾個月后,我適應地非常好,過地非常開心、非常滿足。2018 年 12 月,我在中國遇到了如今的丈夫,他是中國人!
I wasn’t interested in dating, but he really showed a lot of interest in me and he didn’t stop pursuing me. Until this day, he still does the same. I knew he was the one because I’ve never felt so safe and relaxed with someone. So we started dating. After a year he travelled with me to meet my family and then proposed to me on the Eiffel tower in Paris. 2 months later we were officially married. His family has welcomed me with open arms and I can feel they genuinely care for me. Right now, we’re living in our beautiful house with 2 adorable dogs and a cat.
我對約會不感興趣,但他真的對我表現(xiàn)出極大的耐心,從來沒有停止對我的追求。即便到今天,也是如此。我知道他是我的真命天子,和他在一起非常有安全感、非常放松。之后我們便開始約會。一年后,他跟我一起去見我的家人,然后他在巴黎的埃菲爾鐵塔上向我求婚。2 個月后,我們正式結婚了。他的家人張開雙臂歡迎我,我能感覺到他們的關心?,F(xiàn)在,我們住在漂亮的房子里,養(yǎng)著兩只可愛的狗和一只貓。
What I appreciate the most about him is he taught me to slow down in life and enjoy the little things. Whereas in the past I would worry about my job, my reputation and appearance, I now enjoy the beautiful trees outside our house, walking the dogs to the park and my husband’s silly perks. I realized that besides my husband, pets and our house I don’t need much more to be happy. I want to use this opportunity to say thank you to him for always believing in me and making me a better person. I love you.
我最欣賞他的地方是,他讓我學會放慢生活節(jié)奏,享受小確幸。以前我很在意工作、名譽和外表,而現(xiàn)在我懂得享受屋外的花草樹木,閑暇時會帶狗狗去公園散步,丈夫也會時不時為我準備一些傻傻的小驚喜。我意識到,幸福很簡單,只要一位丈夫、幾只寵物和溫馨的小窩。我想利用這個機會向他說聲謝謝,感謝他一直信任我,讓我成為一個更好的人。我愛你。
Lastly, I want to share with people the lesson I learned from my journey: Always follow your heart, because its voice is with you for your whole life. So you’d better listen to what it has to say. Ignore all the other voices.
最后,我想與大家分享從旅程中學到的東西:始終跟隨你的心,因為它的聲音伴隨著你整個生命歷程。所以你最好用心聆聽它的話語,忽略其他所有的雜音。
作者:喬伊斯 翻譯:潘澤彬
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