作者：Gerhard Uys (Ace)
翻譯：潘澤彬
校對：Luz、Zuzana、Joanne
Back in 2017, whenever I heard the word ‘China’ I associated it with an enormous country with countless people and buildings and polluted air everywhere. I wanted to explore this enormous country, but I was also afraid of the unknown.
回到 2017 年，每當我聽到“中國”這個詞，我都會聯(lián)想到一個龐大的國家，那里有數(shù)不清的人和建筑，受污染的空氣彌漫各個角落。我想探訪這個龐大的國家，但我也對未知充滿恐懼。
Then my brave cousin took a leap of faith and headed to the country of ‘noodles and big buildings’. He was surprisingly happy in China and sent me pictures of nature and clean cities and even beautiful blue skies! After a few video calls and some impressive photos, I was convinced that I would also make China my home for a year or two or three.
我的表弟十分勇敢，他滿懷信心，奔赴這個“面條與高樓大廈”之國。出乎意料的是，他在中國非常幸福，給我發(fā)來了許多照片：美麗的自然風光、干凈整潔的城市，甚至還有湛藍的天空！幾通視頻電話、幾張印象深刻的照片，讓我堅信中國將是我未來兩三年的家。
In September of 2017, I arrived in the city where I found a job as an English teacher. The city was called Hefei, and located close to the middle of the enormous country. The September weather was warm and there was so much life to be seen everywhere. I looked at the bright lights, the delicious food, the hard-working people, the blue bicycles, the green, well-maintained parks and I knew that I was in the right place!
2017 年 9 月，我來到了一座城市，找到了一份英語老師的工作。這座城市叫做合肥，位于中國的中部。9 月的天氣很暖，生趣盎然?？粗髁恋臒艄狻⒚牢兜氖澄?、辛勤工作的人們、藍色的自行車、郁郁蔥蔥、精心修繕的公園，我感到自己真是來對了！
I immediately began learning Chinese, and found the language as hard and as fascinating as the culture. I had found a purpose and a goal in China – learn and explore and grow, understanding the culture and the language a little better every day.
我立即開始學習中文，中國的語言和其文化一樣難，但也一樣迷人。我找到了在中國生活的目標——學習、探索和成長，每天更加了解中國的語言和文化。
After a few months in China I was able to buy in Chinese and even understood quite a few things people said in the streets. I found a park with ping-pong tables and went there almost every morning to play ping-pong and learn Chinese. Life was good and every day was a challenging and beautiful experience.
我在中國的待幾個月后，買東西時已經(jīng)能用中文交流了，街上人們講話，我也能聽懂不少。我發(fā)現(xiàn)了一個公園，里面有乒乓球桌，我基本每天早上都會去那里打乒乓球，學習中文。生活是美好的，每一天都充滿挑戰(zhàn)，每一天都是美麗的體驗。
Teaching English in China was challenging for me at first. The students had almost no understanding of English and it was hard to maintain order when they could barely understand one word I was saying. However, I pushed through and learned some basic Chinese phrases to make my classes run smoothly. After about four months of teaching, with many tears and laughter and frustration and success, I was awarded a certificate for quality teaching. Life was turning out to be a richer and richer experience.
在中國教英語，起初對我來說是個挑戰(zhàn)。學生們基本聽不懂英語，一個字都聽不懂，所以我很難維持課堂秩序。然而，我堅持了下來，學會了一些基本用語，上課也更加順利。四個月的教學時光，伴隨著許多眼淚和歡笑、挫折和成功，最終我獲得了優(yōu)質教學證書。生活體驗變得越來越充盈豐富。
After about a year in Hefei and exploring the cities in Anhui province, I decided to venture to other cities in China. I took the train from Hefei to Beijing and from Beijing all the way to Sanya, the southernmost city in China. The train trip lasted more than 40 hours in total! The long trip was a great chance to meet some interesting passengers and see many rivers and houses and lakes and mountains from the comfort of my bunk bed in the train.
在合肥生活一年來，探訪了安徽省其他城市，我決定走出安徽，前往中國的其他城市探險。我坐動車從合肥到北京，再一路向南，直到最南端的城市三亞。旅途長達 40 多小時！這趟旅程讓我認識了一些有趣的乘客，動車的雙層臥鋪十分舒適，一路上河流、房屋、湖泊和山脈盡收眼底。
I arrived in Sanya and was amazed to see crystal clear water and white beaches. People were sunbathing and swimming and drinking from coconuts with happy smiles (mostly) on their suntanned faces. I thought I had taken the wrong train and gone to some remote island country, but no, I was still in China.
到達三亞，我看到清澈的海水和白色的海灘，感到些許驚訝。人們在做日光浴、游泳、喝椰汁，他們大多都曬得黝黑，臉上洋溢著歡樂的笑容。我以為我坐錯了車，來到了某個偏遠的島國，但事實是這里仍是中國。
I returned home after a year in China, and my family and friends were surprised to hear how enjoyable my time in China was. They were inspired to visit too in the near future and see for themselves what today’s China is all about. I greeted most of my friends and family in South Africa, and after a month I was yet again on my way to China, my new home away from home.
在中國待了一年后，我回到祖國家鄉(xiāng)，向家人和朋友講述我在中國的生活是多么愉快，他們都感到很驚訝。他們希望在不久的將來也能來到中國，親眼看看當今的中國是何種面貌。我問候了南非的家人和朋友。一個月后，我再次踏上了前往中國——家外之家的旅途。
Life in China continued to be a fruitful and blessed experience. I made more friends, improved my ping-pong and Mandarin skills daily, and felt more at ease with my unfamiliar surroundings.
生活在中國，我收獲頗豐，幸福安寧。我結識了很多朋友，乒乓球和普通話水平每天都在提高，在陌生的環(huán)境中也不再那么忐忑了。
I have now been in China for almost five years, and I am still happy and content to be here. I have visited more than 15 different cities in different provinces, eaten a wide variety of strange and delicious foods, made countless friends from all over the world and climbed remarkable mountains. I have swum in beautiful lakes and mountain ponds, run on beautiful tracks, and even entered a Chinese outdoor game show where I won a fridge! Looking back on it all, I have to say that often, facing your fears and exploring the unknown can turn out to be a rewarding experience indeed.
我在中國已經(jīng)待了將近五年，仍然感到幸福和滿足。我去過不下15個城市，它們分布在不同的省份；我還嘗過各種奇怪但美味的食物，結識了無數(shù)來自世界各地的朋友，攀登過不一般的山峰。我在波光粼粼的湖泊和山塘中游泳，在美麗的賽道上奔跑，甚至參加了一檔戶外比賽節(jié)目，贏得了一臺冰箱！回顧這一切，我不得不說，盡管去直面恐懼，探索未知吧，這將成為你人生中一項寶貴的體驗，令你受益匪淺。
