作者：Meeta Bhagtani
翻譯：潘澤彬
校對(duì)：Luz、Joanne、Zuzana、James
Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be calling China home. Hello everyone! My name is Meeta Bhagtani and I am from India. I am a teacher and I have been living in Xiamen, China for over 5 years now.
即使我的夢(mèng)境再瘋狂，也從未想過中國(guó)會(huì)成為我的家。大家好！我叫 Meeta Bhagtani，來自印度。我是一名教師，在廈門居住了 5 年多。
My husband, Nitin Karamchandani was based in the US for a decade. His best friend, famously known as Xavier, was Chinese. Xavier was a junior in his college who could not speak any English and had come to the US to study at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. Only Nitin could understand his broken English, and he helped Xavier survive college. Xavier’s parents often visited the US and were very happy to meet Nitin. After graduation, Xavier moved back to his hometown Xiamen in China. They lost touch. Life moved on, and we got married. Nitin still regrets that his best friend could not attend our wedding, but he’s also happy, as Xavier was blessed with a baby girl that very day.
我的丈夫叫 Nitin Karamchandani，在美國(guó)工作了 10 年。他最好的朋友 Xavier 是中國(guó)人。Xavier 當(dāng)時(shí)是一名大三學(xué)生，就讀于美國(guó)羅得島州普羅維登斯的約翰遜與威爾士大學(xué)，幾乎不會(huì)講英語。只有 Nitin 能聽懂他那蹩腳的英語，也只有他能幫助 Xavier 適應(yīng)大學(xué)生活。Xavier 的父母經(jīng)常來美國(guó)，他們見到 Nitin 很高興。畢業(yè)后，Xavier 回到他的家鄉(xiāng)廈門，Nitin 便和他失去了聯(lián)系。生活依然繼續(xù)，我和 Nitin 結(jié)婚了。最好的朋友不能參加我們的婚禮，Nitin 感到非常遺憾，但他也很高興，因?yàn)槲覀兘Y(jié)婚當(dāng)天，Xavier 喜得千金。
After two years, Xavier called: “Bro, I’m getting married! You and Meeta have to be here.” Xavier was getting married to his high school sweetheart, Carol. Of course, we were going to attend his wedding. All the arrangements were done, the flights were booked, and we were ready to travel. We landed in Xiamen and Xavier was at the airport to receive us. We met his family. All our friends were there too. It was a reunion for us. There was amazing hospitality, traditional rituals and ceremonies that we got to see, and most importantly, his beautiful daughter.
兩年后，Xavier 打來電話：“兄弟，我要結(jié)婚了！你和 Meeta 一定要來?！盭avier 要和他高中時(shí)的女友 Carol 結(jié)婚了。我們當(dāng)然得去參加他的婚禮。一切安排妥當(dāng)，機(jī)票也訂好了，準(zhǔn)備出發(fā)。飛機(jī)降落在廈門，Xavier 在機(jī)場(chǎng)迎接我們。我們見到了他的家人，所有的朋友也都來了，真是一場(chǎng)大團(tuán)聚。我們感受到了他的熱情好客，領(lǐng)略了中國(guó)傳統(tǒng)婚禮，見到了他漂亮的女兒。
Xiamen was breathtaking. It was beautiful, clean, and green. It had clear blue skies with beautiful landscapes. The air was fresh and pollution-free, far better than most cities. There was excellent connectivity throughout the city with affordable transportation. Our stay here was amazing. The people were so warm and welcoming.
廈門這座城市干凈綠色，美得令人窒息。湛藍(lán)的天空下處處是怡人的風(fēng)景。空氣清新無污染，比大多數(shù)城市好得多。交通便利，經(jīng)濟(jì)實(shí)惠，通達(dá)全城。呆在這里的感覺真是太棒了，人們非常熱情，讓我們感受到了溫暖。
Xavier’s parents knew Nitin very well, and this time they offered him a job here in Xiamen. It was a very good opportunity for him in his career. Nitin was ready to move, but I was hesitant, scared, and apprehensive. Was it worth moving to another country? Nobody there speaks English. The food is different. And there was so much more on my mind. I was nervous, and the first thing I googled was if Xiamen has Walmart, Carrefour, Sam’s Club, Costco, and all the possible grocery stores I ever knew, or else how was I going to cook? I was so reliant on homecooked food, and guess what? The answer was yes, and half of my worries about basic survival vanished. We were one step closer.
Xavier 的父母認(rèn)識(shí) Nitin，他們?cè)趶B門給 Nitin 找了一份工作，這對(duì)他的職業(yè)生涯來說無疑是一個(gè)很好的契機(jī)。Nitin 已經(jīng)做好搬家的準(zhǔn)備，但我依然猶豫不定，內(nèi)心充滿恐懼與憂慮。搬到國(guó)外真的值得嗎？那里的人不講英語，飲食也很不一樣，我擔(dān)心的事情還有很多。我感到非常不安，連忙打開谷歌搜索廈門是否有沃爾瑪、家樂福、山姆會(huì)員店、好市多，以及所有我知道的超市，因?yàn)榍蓩D難為無米之炊呀，我依賴在家做飯。你猜怎么著，答案是肯定的，廈門能滿足我們基本的生活，我的憂慮消散了大半。我們離廈門更近了一步。
Slowly, we got to know Xiamen better. It was all thanks to Xavier; he was extremely helpful and assured us that we’d be fine here. We trusted him, and the rest is history.
慢慢地，我們對(duì)廈門有了更深的了解。多虧了 Xavier，他幫了我們很大的忙，給我們吃了定心丸，向我們保證在廈門一切順利。我們信任他，接下來的事大家都知道了。
His parents were so loving and caring. His family became our family. We even knew his extended family, his uncles, aunts, cousins, and even his friends. They were all very friendly, always ready to help, and would go the extra mile for us especially knowing that we couldn’t speak their dialect. Even though we are far away from our families, they never let us feel alone. They have always been there for us, laughing, sharing, and making more beautiful memories with us.
他的父母非常慈愛，對(duì)我們照顧有加，我們親如一家。他的七大姑八大姨、兄弟姐妹，甚至朋友，我們也都認(rèn)識(shí)。他們都很友好，毫不吝嗇幫助我們，因?yàn)槲覀儾粫?huì)講閩南話，他們會(huì)為加倍努力讓我們理解。雖然我們與家人相隔萬里，但我們從未感到孤獨(dú)，因?yàn)槲覀冊(cè)谶@里與他們一起歡笑，一起分享，創(chuàng)造許多美好的回憶。
We even learned Mandarin and taught them some English too so that communication would be easier and more fun. I learned to use Taobao and I cannot imagine my life without it now. I got used to cashless transactions and home deliveries. The public transport was so convenient. The infrastructure and the G trains cut travel time in half; it was astonishing then, but it’s a part of our lives now. We have gotten so used to these comforts. Every time Nitin used to travel back to the US, I didn’t have to worry, as Xiamen is a very safe city, and if I needed anything, Xavier and his family were always a phone call away.
我們學(xué)習(xí)普通話，也會(huì)教他們英語，這樣交流起來就會(huì)更容易，更有趣。我學(xué)會(huì)了使用淘寶，現(xiàn)在我無法想象沒有淘寶的生活。我已經(jīng)習(xí)慣了無現(xiàn)金交易和送貨上門服務(wù)，公共交通真的非常方便。完善的基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施和高鐵將旅行時(shí)間縮短了一半，這在當(dāng)時(shí)令我十分震驚，但現(xiàn)在它們已經(jīng)融入我的生活。我們已經(jīng)習(xí)慣了舒適。每次 Nitin 回美國(guó)的時(shí)候，我都不必?fù)?dān)心，因?yàn)閺B門是一個(gè)非常安全的城市。如果需要的話，只要一通電話，Xavier 和他的家人就能來幫我們的忙。
We wanted to be here in China for our first Chinese New Year to experience the rich culture and traditions. We spent the Chinese New Year with Xavier and his family in their hometown in Pinghe somewhere near Zhangzhou, Fujian. We even visited the famous Chinese temple with them as a part of their religious customs. Everyone in his hometown came to visit us and welcomed us to their hometown. In no time, we knew all his family in Pinghe. We were no longer “l(fā)aowai,” meaning foreigners. We were just “Nitin 和 Meeta”
我們想在中國(guó)過農(nóng)歷新年，體驗(yàn)豐富多彩的文化傳統(tǒng)。我們和 Xavier 一家在他們老家漳州平和歡度春節(jié)。我們還一起去當(dāng)?shù)刂乃聫R拜拜，他老家每個(gè)人都來拜訪我們，歡迎我們的到來。我們很快就認(rèn)識(shí)了他在平和的家人。我們不再是“老外”，而是普通人“Nitin”和“Meeta”。
Then came COVID-19. We were traveling to India to meet our parents during the Chinese New Year holiday. The situation here in China got grim, and we had to extend our stay in India for 2 months. That was when we started missing Xiamen: the perfect sunrise from my apartment and the beautiful beaches, quick getaways and the hot springs, our long walks, the serene mountains that enhance Xiamen’s beauty, and the family that we had here. We started missing home! And it was then that we realized, Xiamen, had become our new home!
然后疫情爆發(fā)，春節(jié)假期我們回印度見父母。中國(guó)的疫情越來越嚴(yán)峻，我們不得在印度多呆 2 個(gè)月。我們開始想念廈門了：在公寓里迎接的美妙的日出，在美麗的海灘玩耍，來一場(chǎng)說走就走的旅行，泡溫泉，進(jìn)行長(zhǎng)時(shí)間散步，還有幽靜的高山，在廈門的家人，這些都令廈門更加美好。我們開始想家了！那時(shí)，我們意識(shí)到，廈門已經(jīng)成為了我們的新家！
We have so many wonderful memories here and each one of them is dear to me. We have met amazing people who then became our friends and are now a part of our family. They say that home is where the heart is. Xiamen is where my heart is.
廈門記錄著我們?cè)S多美好的回憶，每一個(gè)回憶我都視若珍寶。我們遇到了很棒的人，他們后來成為了我們的朋友，現(xiàn)在是我們的家人。我的心在廈門，家就是心之所在。
We moved to Xiamen, China in May 2017 from the US, and since then we have called Xiamen our new home.
2017 年 5 月，我們從美國(guó)搬到了中國(guó)廈門，從那時(shí)起，廈門成為了我們的新家。
I was born and brought up in Mumbai, India. Mumbai is the financial capital of India. It is home to three UNESCO world heritage sites, namely, the Elephanta Caves, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, and the distinctive ensemble of Victorian Art Buildings.
我在印度孟買出生長(zhǎng)大。孟買是印度的金融中心，是聯(lián)合國(guó)教科文組織三項(xiàng)世界遺產(chǎn)的所在地，分別是象島石窟、賈特拉帕蒂·希瓦吉·馬哈拉杰終點(diǎn)站和維多利亞哥特裝飾藝術(shù)建筑群。
It is called “The City of Dreams,” as migrants from every part of the country move here in search of a better life. The city is also home to the famous Bollywood cinema industry. The city has a multicultural vibe, a thriving nightlife, and access to food from different cultures of India. The local trains are best known as the lifeline of Mumbai.
孟買被稱為“夢(mèng)想之城”，全國(guó)各地的人們相聚這里，追求更好的生活。這座城市也坐落著著名的寶萊塢電影基地。孟買擁有多元的文化氛圍，繁華的夜生活，還有印度不同文化的食物。孟買的火車交通被譽(yù)為孟買的生命線。
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