個人簡介：
Name :?Raj
姓名：Raj
Country of Origin :?Singapore, of 3rd Generation Singaporean Indian
國籍：新加坡，第 3 代新加坡籍印度人
Occupation :?Interior Designer
職業(yè)：室內(nèi)設計師
Years in China :?21 Years
在華居住時間：21 年
How did your journey in China begin?
你的中國之旅是如何開始的？
The first time I step foot on Chinese soil was in 1997 when I went to Beijing for a work trip regarding the design of a hotel there. Coming here for the first time helped to dispel a lot of the misconceptions in my head and the rumors that I heard about living here. I heard that China was so crowded absolutely everywhere, that people misbehaved, that there were no proper toilets!? Well, of course, it was all wrong.
我第一次踏上中國的土地是在 1997 年，我當時去北京出差，為一家酒店進行設計。第一次來到這里，打消了我腦海中存在的許多誤解，那些關于在中國生活的傳言也不攻自破了。我聽說中國哪里都很擁擠，人們行為粗魯，也沒有體面的廁所！當然，這是完全錯誤的。
For the first years, I would travel constantly in and out of China for work, getting a visa was quite easy, but I officially decided to settle here in 2008 when I moved to Ningxia, where I stayed for two years. Ningxia is a state just off of Inner Mongolia; it is part of?Xibei?and has a large Muslim population.
最初的幾年，由于工作，我會不斷往返中國，獲得簽證相當容易。2008年，我正式?jīng)Q定在中國定居，我搬到了寧夏，在那里待了兩年。寧夏是緊鄰內(nèi)蒙古的一個自治區(qū)，屬于西北，生活著許多穆斯林。
Being there in the early 2000s reminded me of 1970s Singapore with dusty roads, no taxis, really cheap amenities and extremely friendly locals. Their kaorou ( 烤肉 meat barbeque), served in a huge pan, is very famous. In winter, the nights were so long and cold that locals would fight the cold with 78% alcohol baijiu (白酒 is a Chinese colorless liquor high alcohol in volume), it tasted like diesel to me! But wearing many layers was not enough; this was their way to fight the cold.
21 世紀初的寧夏讓我想起了上世紀 70 年代的新加坡，道路塵土飛揚，沒有出租車，基礎設施非常簡陋，但當?shù)厝朔浅Ｓ押?。他們的烤肉非常出名，通常用超大平底鍋來盛。冬天，夜晚漫長而寒冷，當?shù)厝藭?78 度的白酒（白酒是具有中國特色的酒，無色，酒精含量很高）來御寒，對我來說，白酒的味道就像柴油一樣！這就是他們御寒的妙招，把自己裹的里三層外三層是不夠的。
Another impressive fact of Ningxia was the desert storms. Do you remember that scene of “Mission Impossible 6” where Tom Cruise runs across a hotel and there is a desert storm passing through? Well, it was just like that in Ningxia. They would announce there was a desert storm coming; and I was terrified, I had not experienced anything like it before! It was beautiful, a real desert experience. Spring was even exciting with array of blooming flowers everywhere.
寧夏還有一件事，給我留下了深刻印象，那就是沙塵暴。你還記得《碟中諜6》中湯姆·克魯斯跑過一家酒店時，沙塵暴呼嘯而過的場景嗎？嗯，寧夏也是如此。他們宣布沙塵暴即將來臨，當時我很害怕，因為從未經(jīng)歷過沙塵暴！沙塵暴很美，我真正體會到了黃沙漫天的場景。春天更是令人興奮，到處鮮花盛開。
After Ningxia, I headed to Shanghai for a short while and then my former?HBA?colleague that I worked for asked me if I wanted to come to Xiamen to?run the company. I heard Xiamen was and island city, surrounded by the sea like Singapore, so I leapt at the opportunity. June 6th 2012 is when I landed in Xiamen and I have been here ever since! It’s been almost ten years, I never left!
離開寧夏之后，我在上海待了一段時間，以前在?HBA（赫希貝德納聯(lián)合設計顧問公司）?工作時的同事問我是否愿意來廈門工作。我聽說廈門是一個島嶼城市，像新加坡一樣四面環(huán)海，所以我抓住了這個機會。2012 年 6 月 6 日，我來到廈門，從那時起我就一直在這里了。已經(jīng)快十年了，我從來沒有離開過廈門！
What do you like the most about Xiamen?
你最喜歡廈門的什么？
The beauty of Xiamen never stops to amaze me and I constantly fall in love with this city every single day. Interestingly enough, I was raised in a Minnan village in Singapore, so my mom and dad spoke Minnan language, the local dialect of Xiamen! Moreover, I was exposed to a Chinese way of life from an early age.
廈門的美麗令我感到驚艷，我每天都會愛上這座城市。有趣的是，我是在新加坡的一個閩南村莊長大的，所以我的父母都會說閩南語，也就是廈門的方言！而且，我從小就像中國人一樣生活。
The first time I came to Xiamen I was staying in a hotel-villa behind Nanputuo Temple and I heard the monks chanting beautifully in the early morning, I felt like I was in Shangri-La! If you stay near Xiada (Xiamen University) and hear the morning chanting, it is definitely something you’ll never forget, it’s so spiritual.
我第一次來廈門的時候，住在南普陀寺后面的酒店別墅里，每天清晨都能聽到僧侶們美妙的誦經(jīng)聲，感覺自己身在香格里拉！如果你住在廈大（廈門大學）附近，聽到清晨的誦經(jīng)聲，肯定會讓你終身難忘，洗滌心靈。
That day, I came out in the street and overheard a conversation in Minnan language the same language my family spoke back in Singapore! I was so glad I understood everything! I immediately engaged in conversation with the locals and it was amazing, they still get surprised every time and it definitely has made my experience and adaptation to Xiamen so much easier.
那天，我在街上無意中聽到人們用閩南語交流，我的家人在新加坡時也說這種語言！我竟然能聽懂，太棒了！我開始和當?shù)厝私涣鳎@太神奇了，他們每次都會感到非常驚訝，這也令我在廈門更加順利，也更加適應廈門的生活。
Language note by Raj: The hardest language to learn is Kejia (Hakka) that is spoken by everyone in Longyan, you can learn Cantonese if you are going to stay in Guangdong province, but Minnan language in Xiamen is similar to the one spoken in Taiwan, the Minnan language spoken in Quanzhou is a bit slang, so I can’t understand so much.?So I encourage everyone in Xiamen to learn Minnan dialect, it is not difficult at all!
Raj 的語言小貼士：最難學的語言是龍巖人說的客家話，如果你要留在廣東，可以學粵語。廈門的閩南語和臺灣的差不多，泉州的閩南語包含一些俚語，所以我聽不太懂。所以我鼓勵大家來廈門學習閩南語，一點都不難！
What is your unique China story?
你在中國有什么特別的故事？
To be frank, I found another Singapore in Xiamen! Remarkably, the culture around me in Singapore is closely related to Xiamen so it was here I learnt a lot of the sharing of cultures and I can appreciate our Chinese heritage in Singapore. It’s been my 10 years in Xiamen and yes it’s my second home now; I don’t think I will ever be leaving at all!
坦白說，廈門就是另一個新加坡。新加坡的文化與廈門緊密相連，有許多共通之處，在新加坡也能欣賞到中國的文化遺產(chǎn)。我在廈門已經(jīng)待了 10 年，是的，它現(xiàn)在是我的第二故鄉(xiāng)，我想我永遠都不會離開！
The people here are extremely friendly and when I converse in Minnan language they feel so pleased! First they speak to me in Mandarin, then I reply in Minnan, and when they see my foreign face they go: “You?!?!” and I go: “Yes!” We sit down and chat during the weekends and I learn so much about our common history and culture.
這里的人們非常友好，我能用閩南語跟他們交流，他們非常高興。他們會用普通話跟我講話，然后我用閩南語回答。他們看到我的外國面孔時，會說：“你真的是外國人？”我會回答：“是的！”周末，我在跟他們聊天中學到了很多我們共同的歷史和文化。
Realistically, I didn’t expect people here to understand me when I speak, but they do! It is almost the same language, it is rather simple! It is super easy for me to fit in and I didn’t expect to stay here for so long, but my work as an interior designer here is my passion!
講真，我不指望當?shù)厝四苈牰抑v話，但他們聽懂了！這兩種語言幾乎一模一樣，相當簡單！對我來說，融入這里超級容易，我也沒想到會在這里待這么久，但這里的室內(nèi)設計師工作是我的熱愛！
Most of my design projects are referred by friends and business partners. I like working this way as I understand where they come from and how difficult it is to get a designer that listens to your needs and understands your vision, and that is what I do. In other words, we have lots of fun doing this!
我的大多數(shù)設計項目是由朋友和商業(yè)伙伴介紹的。我喜歡這種工作方式，因為我知道他們的來歷。要知道，找到一個能傾聽你的需求并理解你的想法的設計師是多么困難，而這正是我能提供的服務。換句話說，我們樂在其中！
On top of that, I also find many activities to engage in that make my experience in Xiamen so enjoyable. Engaging in outdoor sports and in the activities organized by the local animal shelter and volunteering in some of Guanren Community Projects are some of my hobbies.
除此之外，我參加了許多活動，這讓我在廈門的生活更加幸福。我喜歡參加戶外運動和當?shù)貏游锸杖菟M織的活動，我還喜歡在官任社區(qū)當志愿者。
Here are some of my rescued furry relatives. Ell (Left), who is handicapped, was rescued one late evening in 2018. I thought she was injured and brought her to the vet to realize she had lost 3 paws and had been abandoned for some time which prompted me to ponder over the stray dogs’ welfare and the TNR programme. I was then head-hunted to work in Dubai but instead decided to stay in Xiamen.
以上是我拯救的一些毛茸茸的小家伙，它們就像我的親人。左邊的是 Ell，她患有殘疾，是在 2018 年的一個深夜獲救的。我當時以為她只是受傷了，帶她去看獸醫(yī)，才知道她已經(jīng)失去了 3 只爪子，已經(jīng)被遺棄了一段時間。這讓我開始關注流浪狗，關注 TNR （流浪貓絕育）項目。后來，我被挖角到迪拜工作，但我拒絕了，還是決定留在廈門。
Raj volunteering in animal rescue foster campaign with the Afu Expat Rescue Group of Xiamen.
Raj 與廈門阿福之家流浪動物保護中心合作，加入動物救援領養(yǎng)行動。
This charity group is now renamed “Paws”. Raj is the brains behind the logo for his friend Lee, founder of Paws.
這個慈善團體現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)更名為 “Paws”，創(chuàng)始人 Lee 是 Raj的朋友，Raj 為 Paws設計logo。
I would say, in Xiamen I care about the community and the multi-national people living here. They are our friends and become part of our family. There won’t be any instance that I would not volunteer when the need arises even when I’m overloaded with my projects as I always find time.
我想說，我非常關心廈門的社區(qū)以及生活在這里的各國人民。他們是我們的朋友，是我們的家人。只要有需要，我都會挺身而出，從事志愿工作。即使我手上有做不完的工作，我也總能抽出時間。
作者：Raj?翻譯：潘澤彬
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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》是一本外國人在中國的獨特故事集，由外國人撰寫，精藝達公司征集匯編。歡迎外國朋友積極參與，和我們一起探尋100個不同的故事，展示生活在中國的真正意義！
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 個月以來對《家外之家》征文比賽的關注！開賽至今，我們一共征集到了?55 篇外國人在華故事，我們非常感謝此次積極參與征文活動的外國朋友。2021 年 10 月 31 日，網(wǎng)站投票通道也已關閉。通過計算社交媒體點贊數(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
