作者：Marc Alexander
翻譯：余欣陽
校對：Luz、Joanne、Zuzana、James
My name is Marc Alexander, and I am from Leeds, in England. I am working in China as a teacher, and am about to start studying a masters degree as well.
我叫馬克-亞歷山大，來自英國利茲。我在中國當老師，也即將開始我的碩士生涯。
The screams, the terrible screams. That’s what I heard the first night we had with our newborn baby. Or at least that’s what I would be saying had I woken up. As it was, I, perhaps somewhat ironically, slept like a baby, only to jump up at 8 am, frantically wake up my exhausted wife, and ask her to feed the baby. She calmly informed me that she had fed the baby at two-hour intervals all night, whilst I danced through the fields of slumber.
尖叫聲，可怕的尖叫聲。這就是我的小嬰兒剛出生那晚我聽到的?；蛘呖梢哉f就是那可怕的尖叫聲把我吵醒。然而事實，也許有點諷刺的是，我安睡得像個孩童。直到早上8點才跳起來，瘋狂地叫醒我筋疲力盡的妻子，要她喂孩子。她平靜地告訴我，她整晚每隔兩小時就給孩子喂一次奶，而我卻在睡夢中徜徉！
I’ll admit I have tried to wake up more, but as Emil Cioran once said, ‘We are all geniuses when we sleep.’ In that regard, I’m Einstein.?
我承認我試圖不睡得那么沉，但正如埃米爾-喬蘭（Emil Cioran）曾經說過的，“我們在睡覺的時候都是天才”。在這一點上，我是愛因斯坦。
So it was that 7 months and some days ago, my son was born in Xiamen, a place 9,570 kilometres away from where I was born and raised. My ‘home away from home’ is simply my son’s home. He hasn’t ever been beyond the city limits, and with Covid hotspots sporadically springing up around the country who knows when he will.
就這樣，七個月零幾天前，我的兒子在廈門出生了，這個地方離我出生和成長的地方有9, 570公里遠?！拔以谥袊募?”僅僅是我兒子的家。他從來沒有離開過廈門，而且隨著全國各地新冠疫情的不斷反復，誰知道他什么時候才能踏出這座城市呢。
It is saddening that he still hasn’t seen the rolling green fields of England, nor the snowy winter plains of Siberia where my wife is from. Even more heartbreaking are the conversations through a phone with his grandparents, who are missing every ooh, aah, and waah that he produces.
令人難過的是，他還沒有看到過英國連綿不斷的綠色草坪，也沒有看到我妻子所在的西伯利亞的冬季雪原。更令人心碎的是他只能通過電話與他的祖父母的對話，而他們還聽不到他發(fā)出的呀呀學語。
However, the downs are offset incredibly by living here in Xiamen. When I first arrived here 5 years ago from the north of China, the first thing I noticed were the palm trees lining every road and community. It is a balance that Xiamen has fine-tuned, with nature permeating the city in subtle ways to create a harmony between people and the natural world.
然而，生活在廈門，這些不利因素被完美抵消。當我五年前從中國北部第一次來到這里時，我注意到的第一件事就是每條道路和社區(qū)兩旁的棕櫚樹。這是廈門的一種平衡，自然以微妙的方式滲透到城市中，在人與自然之間創(chuàng)造一種和諧。
Balance is what we all hope for. As a Libra, I guess it is what I am destined for. My life in China is all about finding that balance between being a foreigner with different views and ideas, to accepting the local culture and tradition.?
平衡是我們所有人都在追求的。作為一個天秤座，我想這也是我的命中注定。我在中國的生活就是要在作為一個有不同觀點和想法的外國人與接受當?shù)匚幕蛡鹘y(tǒng)之間找到平衡。
Living here, it is easy to find that balance. There is a strong expat community that supports and offers some familiar home comforts, coupled with vibrant local scenes and events that help to integrate with the local community.?
生活在這里，很容易找到這種平衡。這里有一個完備的外籍人士社區(qū)，向我們提供支持，帶來平易近人的家庭慰問，再加上充滿活力的當?shù)貓鼍昂突顒?，有助于與我們更好地融入當?shù)厣鐓^(qū)。
That really is what helps to make Xiamen, and China in general, a home rather than a place that I live – the people. Personal relationships aside, the generosity and hospitality of the local people are unparalleled. As two foreigners raising a child in China, there are a lot of expected and unexpected hurdles to overcome, yet every time we attempt to tackle a new obstacle, we are helped by anyone and everyone.?
這里的居民確實是使廈門，乃至整個中國成為一個家，而非一個簡單的居住地。撇開私交不談，當?shù)厝说目犊秃每褪菬o與倫比的。作為兩個在中國養(yǎng)育孩子的外國人，有許多想得到的和想不到的障礙需要克服，然而每次我們試圖解決一個新的障礙時，總會有人給我們提供幫助。
It definitely took work on our part, though, to help make this place a home. Learning the language was the first, and hardest, step. To anyone wishing to feel a belonging in China, I sincerely suggest that you learn the language. It is not only a way to communicate with the local people, but also an insight into Chinese culture and their way of thinking.
不過，要使這個地方成為一個家，我們自己的努力也是必不可少的。學習語言是第一步，也是最難的一步。對于希望在中國有歸屬感的人，我真誠地建議你學習中文。這不僅是一種與當?shù)厝藴贤ǖ姆绞剑彩菍χ袊幕退麄兯季S方式的一種洞察。
I would like to say a wise man, but in all reality, he was a drunk in a bar who somehow stumbled upon an insightful combination of words amid the slurs, once told me that learning the language is like being on a train, and only once you have mastered the language can you say that you have reached the destination. On the train you can enjoy the view, see things from afar, but only once you are there can you truly understand. Then he started talking about different brands of baijiu and I swiftly exited the room before drunken chaos ensued.
我想提及一位有智慧的人，但實際上，他只是酒吧里的一個醉漢。他偶然在污言穢語中發(fā)現(xiàn)了一個精妙絕倫的詞語組合。他曾經告訴我，學習語言就像坐火車，只有當你掌握了語言，你才能說你已經到達了目的地。在火車上，你可以欣賞風景，看到遠處的事物，但只有當你到了那里，你才能真正理解。然后他開始談論不同品牌的白酒，我在醉酒的混亂之前迅速離開了房間。
His words stuck with me, though, and there have been many more wise people – and not so wise – along the way that have opened my eyes to a completely different world than the Anglo-centric one that I grew up in. For that, I am eternally grateful as it really has helped shape me to be the person I am now. I am also thankful that this is what my son will be blessed with too.
不過，他的話讓我記憶猶新，一路走來，還有許多有智慧的人–也有不那么聰明的人–讓我看到了一個完全不同于我成長的以英語為中心的世界。對于這一點，我永遠感激，因為它確實幫助塑造了我，使我成為現(xiàn)在的人。我也很感激我的兒子也將有機會經歷這一切。
For the Chinese, Xiamen is often quoted as an idyllic, sleepy seaside town. Place Xiamen in England, and it would be the second-biggest city by population behind only London, so it still has the sprawling metropolis feel to it. Despite this, one of my favourite things about Xiamen is its tendency to always surprise with pockets of tranquility amidst the bustle of the city. Whether it is a stretch of beach to relax upon and drift among the sounds of the waves on the shore, or atop one of the many mountains adorning both the island and the mainland, there is always a chance to find some serenity.
對于中國人來說，廈門經常被引用為一個田園詩般的、沉睡的海濱城市。如果把廈門放在英國，它將是僅次于倫敦的第二大城市，所以它仍然有無垠的大都市感覺。盡管如此，我最喜歡廈門的一點是，它總能在城市的喧囂中給人以驚喜，給人以寧靜的感覺。無論是在一片海灘上放松，在岸邊的海浪聲中漂流，還是在島上和大陸的眾多山峰之一，總有機會找到一些寧靜的地方。
When standing in one of these places with my small family, I also feel a kind of inner peace that a simple traveller would not. It is that peace of belonging, a sense that I am actually home, and a quiet excitement for watching my son grow up in such a beautiful and blessed place.
當我們一家三口站在這些地方時，我也感受到一種內心的平靜，這是一個簡單的旅行者所沒有的。這是一種歸屬感的安寧，一種我實際上已經回家的感覺，以及看著我的兒子在這樣一個美麗和幸福的地方成長而感到的滿足感。
Luckily the screams have died down, and are now replaced by bright eyes taking in everything that Xiamen has to offer. Every single thing my son experiences here in Xiamen is for the first time, and as far as first times go, I have to say he is incredibly lucky.
幸運的是，尖叫聲已經平息，現(xiàn)在取而代之的是一雙明亮的眼睛，凝望著廈門的一切。我兒子在廈門經歷的每一件事都是第一次，就第一次而言，我不得不說他是非常幸運的。
My Hometown, Leeds is a large city in Yorkshire, in the north-east of England. Leeds is home to about 1 million people, and is considered one of the ‘northern powerhouse’ cities in the UK. It is a vibrant city surrounded by some of the most beautiful nature in the UK in the form of the Yorkshire Dales. Were someone to visit, I would heartily recommend taking a trip in one of the water taxis along the canal to soak in the sights of the city.?
利茲是英格蘭東北部約克郡的一個大城市。利茲約有100萬人口，被認為是英國的 “北方動力源”城市之一。它是一個充滿活力的城市，被英國最美麗的自然風光—約克郡山谷—所包圍。如果有人來參觀，我會衷心地推薦乘坐水上出租車沿運河旅行，沉浸在城市的風景中。
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