國籍:墨西哥
Occupation :?Masters student at Xiamen University
職業(yè):廈門大學(xué)碩士生
Years in China :?2?years
在華居住時(shí)間:2年
How did your journey in China begin?
你的中國之旅是如何開始的?
Like many people, I came here to study the language. However, whenever people ask me why I started studying Chinese, I suddenly find myself unable to simply explain it. Chinese language was an easy way for me to divert my attention for a while when I was hospitalized. I was “the sick kid” ever since I turned 16, and as the nerd I have always been, I was genuinely worried about my brain getting mushy so I started studying the allegedly most complicated language in the world. I would spend most of my days on that hospital bed just reading, watching YouTube videos about science and languages, and you know, the occasional travel vlogs, but mostly just thinking about how beautiful life could be if I ever had the chance to travel around the world. Whenever I wasn’t in the hospital, I was enrolling in different language courses in my hometown, and my parents thought that since I couldn’t properly study a bachelors at the time, I might as well study Chinese at my university’s Confucius Institute.
像許多人一樣,我來到中國是為了學(xué)習(xí)中文。然而,每當(dāng)人們問我為什么學(xué)習(xí)中文時(shí),我發(fā)現(xiàn)自己無法用簡單的言語解釋清楚。我住院的時(shí)候,我通過學(xué)習(xí)中文來轉(zhuǎn)移注意力。從 16 歲開始,我就變得非常容易生病。而且我是“書呆子”,我真的很擔(dān)心我的大腦會變得不靈光,所以我就開始學(xué)習(xí)這個(gè)傳說中世界上最難的語言。我在醫(yī)院病床上的大部分時(shí)間都是在閱讀,看 YouTube 上關(guān)于科學(xué)和語言的視頻,偶爾也看旅行視頻。我當(dāng)時(shí)在想,如果我有機(jī)會環(huán)游世界,生活會是多么美好。每當(dāng)我不用住院的時(shí)候,我就報(bào)名參加不同的語言課程。我的父母覺得,既然我當(dāng)時(shí)不能好好地學(xué)習(xí)本科課程,不妨讓我在大學(xué)的孔子學(xué)院學(xué)習(xí)中文。
Shortly after I turned 22, I was inexplicably healthy. Doctors stopped medicating me thankfully and I no longer had anything that held me back from pursuing my dreams. By chance, the teachers at my Confucius Institute told me to get a scholarship to go to China. So, I did and it was even better than I expected. As soon as I landed in here, I fell in love with China.
我 22 歲那年,健康狀況莫名好轉(zhuǎn)了。醫(yī)生停止了對我的藥物治療,我追求夢想的道路不再有任何阻礙了。一次偶然的機(jī)會,我所在孔子學(xué)院的老師讓我申請獎(jiǎng)學(xué)金去中國留學(xué)。于是我照做了,情況比我想象的還要好。我一踏上中國的土地,就愛上了這個(gè)國度。
What do you like most about your city and China as a whole??
你所在的城市,哪一點(diǎn)最吸引你?你最喜歡中國的什么呢?
There’s something about Xiamen. Maybe it’s the people, maybe it’s the beach, maybe it’s the very chill vibe that the whole city has, but life in here is sort of like living in a tropical private resort. The city is full of wonderful treasures. There are endless parks you can go on hikes during the weekend, ancient temples in which you can see the monks coming back from a nearby milk tea shop, and the other examples of how the city is just an international hub, yet still holds the charm that small cities have. Xiamen has everything you could think of.
廈門確實(shí)有吸引我的地方,也許是這里的人,也許是這里的海灘,也許是整個(gè)城市所具有的非常輕松的氛圍,有點(diǎn)像生活在一個(gè)私人熱帶度假村。這座城市到處都是美妙的寶藏。周末你可以去數(shù)不清的公園遠(yuǎn)足;在古老的寺廟,你可以看到剛從附近奶茶店回來的僧侶。還有許多例子說明這座城市是一座國際大都市,并且還保留著小城市的魅力。廈門擁有你能想到的一切。
(My only complaint is the local food, but that’s just me being Mexican)
(我唯一不習(xí)慣的是當(dāng)?shù)厥澄?,可能是因?yàn)槟鞲缛说目谖恫煌?/p>
I think China is the most misunderstood country in the world. Language barrier aside, there’s just too many misconceptions about what the country is like in reality. I remember thinking I’d see factories all over the cities, and that people might be a little distrustful of foreigners. What I found was completely the opposite. China has the most welcoming, friendliest people I have ever had the pleasure to meet. Chinese people are proud of their culture and country, and rightfully so. It has amazing natural landscapes, impressive ancient culture and architecture, and, honestly, China is like 30 years ahead in the future. I don’t think I want to use cash ever again.
我認(rèn)為中國是世界上被誤解最深的國家。撇開語言障礙不談,人們對這個(gè)國家的實(shí)際情況有太多誤解。我到中國之前,以為中國的城市里到處都是工廠,而且中國人可能會對外國人有點(diǎn)不信任。但我發(fā)現(xiàn)情況完全相反。中國人民是我遇到過的最熱情、最友好的人民。中國人對他們的國家和文化感到驕傲,這也是理所當(dāng)然的。中國有令人驚嘆的自然景觀,令人印象深刻的古代文化和建筑。而且說實(shí)話,中國好像已經(jīng)領(lǐng)先30年了,因?yàn)槲以谥袊呀?jīng)不使用現(xiàn)金了。
What fascinated you the most about living in China??
生活在中國,最吸引你的是什么?
One word: safety.
一個(gè)詞:安全。
But also: hotpot.
還有:火鍋。
What is your unique China story?
你在中國有什么獨(dú)特的故事?
I first lived in Hangzhou for a few months in 2017. I think I will never forget how I was greeted by the city and its people. There was something uniquely serene about it. I first got off the subway at a station near the West Lake. Honestly, I’m a little embarrassed to admit this, but the first thing I thought when I got off the subway was: “damn, people in here are so good looking”.
2017 年,我第一次來杭州,在那兒住了幾個(gè)月。我永遠(yuǎn)不會忘記,這座城市和這里的人民是如何歡迎我的。杭州有一份獨(dú)特的寧靜。我首先在西湖附近下了地鐵。說實(shí)話,我有點(diǎn)不好意思說,我下了地鐵后的第一反應(yīng)是:“哇,杭州人也太好看了?!?/p>
Having no idea where I was because I never even bothered googling the city, I took the first bus that I knew would take me to my hostel. When I got on the bus, I noticed there was music playing, and I knew what song it was. It was my favorite Chinese song, “The Foreigner”, by Lijian. As I was trying to wrap my mind around the incredible coincidence I was living, I looked outside the window and saw the absolutely most breathtaking scenery I have ever seen in my life: the West Lake. I felt like in a movie, it was too good to be truth.
我不知道自己身在何方,我甚至懶得用谷歌搜索這個(gè)城市。我坐上了會把我?guī)У铰灭^的第一輛巴士。我上了車,車上放著音樂,我聽出了那是什么歌,是我最喜歡的中國歌曲——李健的《異鄉(xiāng)人》。我試圖整理思緒,讓自己相信這個(gè)難以置信的巧合。這時(shí)我向窗外望去,看到了我一生中見過的最令人贊嘆的風(fēng)景:西湖。我感覺就像在電影里一樣,這一切似乎是虛幻的。
This is my second time in China, and I have made sure to make the best out of it. I have travelled as much as I can, met as many interesting people as I possibly can, I’ve camped on the beach, sung karaoke with strangers, been interviewed on TV, stayed up all night to see the sunrise by the beach, volunteered in rural areas, hosted events in three different languages. Every day has been a new adventure, and somehow it just keeps getting better. As corny as it may sound.
第二次來中國,我已經(jīng)徹底習(xí)慣了這兒的生活。我盡可能去旅行,盡可能多地遇到有趣的人。我在海灘上露營,與陌生人唱卡拉 OK,接受電視臺采訪,在海灘邊熬夜看日出,在農(nóng)村做志愿者,用三種不同語言主持活動。雖然聽起來很老套,但每一天的確都是一場新的冒險(xiǎn),而且每天都在變得更好。
Some background on his hometown
介紹一下他的家鄉(xiāng)
My hometown’s name is Chihuahua. I don’t know what came first, the place or the dog. I hate those dogs.
我的家鄉(xiāng)在墨西哥奇瓦瓦市,沒錯(cuò),也就是那個(gè)“吉娃娃”。我不知道你們聽到這個(gè)名字,會首先想到狗還是這座城市?!拔也幌矚g那些狗”。
作者:荷馬?翻譯:潘澤彬
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