征文17 ▏Marytha: A college trip sparked my love for China

       
家外之家 2021
征文17 ▏Marytha: A college trip sparked my love for China

个人简介:

Name : Marytha Johnson

姓名:Marytha Johnson

Country of Origin : USA (United States of America)

国籍:美国

Occupation : Teacher

职业:教师

Years in China : About four in total

在华居住时间:大约4年

Hey Everyone! Welcome to my story. Be prepared for wonder, miracles, and unnecessary flamboyance. So, how did I get to China ehhh? Well, I came two different times for two very different reasons.

嘿,大家好!欢迎聆听我的故事。这是一个精彩而又神奇的故事,我会讲的天花乱坠,请你们做好准备。我是怎么来到中国的呢?好吧,我来过中国两次,每次来的原因都不同。

Marytha个人照片

The first time I came to China, I was in college. Ohhh, young me was so cute! She had a big adorable smile, eyes unfettered by the world’s woes, practical step-by-step dreams, and a goofy uncontrollable laugh. Got to love her! Anyway, I went to a really small, middle of nowhere, liberal arts college – so naturally, it was full of students from all over the world. You should know my college really loves to gloat about two things: its commitment to “mentored undergraduate research” and its noble mission to develop “independent minds within a global community.” All that first gloat means is that your senior year is a non-stop library reel with an occasional cut scene of your bed.

我第一次来中国是在大学时期。哇,我年轻的时候好可爱!笑得多么灿烂可人,眼神里看不到世俗的纷争,止不住地傻笑。我还有许多切实的梦想,想要一步一步地实现。你们一定会喜欢上我的!总之,我上了一所非常小的、偏僻的文理学院——当然,那里有许多来自世界各地的学生。你知道我母校真的很喜欢夸耀两件事:致力于实行“导师指导本科生研究”制度,肩负“为全世界培养独立思想”的崇高使命。第一件事意味着,你整个大四时光都得围绕图书馆不停地转,偶尔才有片刻时间休息。

Marytha在西藏
Marytha doing some rooftop studying in Tibet

The second gloat, though, is the magic carpet I flew to China on. You see, my school encourages every student to travel abroad, and they really lay it on thick. At first, I was nonchalant about the whole thing – too at home to see my blessings. Luckily by the lure of free food and those tiny little cakes, I got suckered into the barrage of travel fairs. Convinced by the finger foods and cool stories – I planted my Wooster flag and finally decided to TRAVEL THE WORLD!

然而第二件事就像一张魔毯,指引我飞往中国。你看,我的母校鼓励每个学生出国旅游,他们真的很重视。起初,我并没有关注这件事——只立足国内,忽略了这等好事。但幸运的是,我参加了许多旅行展会,因为那里有免费的食物和小蛋糕。我被那些小食和很酷的旅行故事吸引了——行李插上伍斯特学院的旗帜,我决定环游世界!

Marytha在哈尔滨
Marytha dancing with sculptures at the Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival in Harbin

Those unfettered eyes wanted to see everything and go everywhere, shiny things over here, yummy food over there, history, splendor, you name it! I was all in now, and I wanted it ALL, but I only had one semester worth of don’t get stranded in a foreign country because you are broke money. The utilitarian in me wanted to make the most of this chance, so I thought, “what would be the hardest place, if I didn’t go right now, to go to later in life?” At the time, my college self thought: I only have a couple of friends from China, it’s so far away, they speak another language, they didn’t even use letters, all of those digits for that plane ticket, and it’s probably crazy crowded with all those people. Yep, I definitely will not go there later. And TADA that’s how I decided to go to China!

那双无拘无束的眼睛想领略一切,走遍任何地方。这里的东西耀眼夺目,那里的食物令人垂涎,还有灿烂的历史,无尽的辉煌,应有尽有!我现在全力以赴,我想要一切,但我只有一个学期的资金,所以不想要身无分文而被困在国外。从功利的角度出发,我想充分利用这个机会,所以我想,“现在不去,以后很难有机会再去的地方是哪里?”当时,还在上大学的我想:我只有几个来自中国的朋友,但是他们太远了,还说着另一种语言,甚至不使用字母,机票上的数字告诉我,这太疯狂了,我要去到处都是中国人的地方。是的,我以后绝对没有机会再去中国。当当当当!这就是我决定去中国的原因!

Marytha与朋友们唱歌
Marytha’s first KTV experience in Beijing

And that’s it! I was in Beijing the following semester studying Chinese language and history. Oh yeah, the second time was much more straightforward. I knew I was ending a 10-year long unhealthy and codependent relationship. In this process, I asked myself, “if you could be doing anything in the world, what would you be doing?”. Guess what I said… “teaching English in China.” My inner skeptic came out with a “hmmm really.” I was serious, and now I am here in Xiamen teaching English. It’s a Spring Festival miracle!

就是这样!接下来的一学期我在北京学习汉语和中国历史。没错,第二次要直截了当的多。我知道我将要结束一段长达 10 年的不正常而且相互依赖的关系。在这个过程中,我问自己,“如果你可以随心所欲,你会做什么?”猜猜我说了什么……“在中国教英语。”内心带着些许怀疑,我最终觉得“嗯,这个选择没错”。我是认真的,现在我在厦门教英语。一个全新的开始!

Marytha与朋友一起骑车
Marytha’s first bike ride along HuanDao Road in Xiamen

I am from Louisville, Kentucky. You can find fast horses, mint juleps, and big hats at the Annual Kentucky Derby. Louisville is also home to the Muhammad Ali Center and Louisville Sluggers – the world’s most popular bat for breaking car windows.

我来自美国肯塔基州路易斯维尔。在一年一度的肯塔基赛马会上,你可以欣赏快马、品尝薄荷酒和试戴大帽子。路易斯维尔也是拳王穆罕默德·阿里中心的所在地和路易斯维尔棒球棒的起源地——世界上最受欢迎的可以击碎车窗的棒球棒。

作者:Marytha 翻译:潘泽彬

If you would like to contribute your story, feel free to contact us.

Email: luz@mts-tech.com

prev
next
关注公众号
微博首页