Name : Mitchel Africa

姓名：Mitchel Africa

Hometown : San Pedro, Philippines

家乡：菲律宾圣佩特罗

Occupation : Educator

职业：教师

Years in China : 9 years

在华居住时间：9年

How did your journey in China begin?

你的中国之旅是怎样开始的?

My initial journey to China is in fact a remarkable story. Back in The Philippines, I am a registered nurse and it was actually my mom who was initially supposed to come to Xiamen to teach. However, since she was settled in her occupation for a long time, she instead recommended me to take up the offer. At that time I, was waiting on my nursing certification so it seemed like a great idea. I already was teaching at a Korean institution and had my TOEFL certification so they offered me the job in her place. I didn’t know Xiamen at that time, I had only heard about major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and the metropolitan cities you would see in the media, so Xiamen was a completely new city for me. So, in 2012 I became a Science teacher at Manila Xiamen International School. I am grateful that I took the job because working at an international school could be said to be one of the best decisions I ever made. My colleagues and students feel like a family and Xiamen now feels like home.

我的中国之旅意义非凡。我在菲律宾是一名注册护士，实际上最初应该是我母亲来厦门教书的。但是，因为她干这行太久了，不想改变现状，就推荐我去厦门教书。我当时正在等待我的护理证书，所以这似乎是一个很棒的机会。我曾在一家韩国机构当过老师，也获得了托福证书，所以我才能代替母亲来厦门教书。那时我还不知道厦门，只听说过北京、上海和媒体上看到的大城市，所以厦门对我来说很陌生。2012 年，我成为马尼拉厦门国际学校的一名科学老师。我很庆幸接受了这份工作，因为这可以说是我做过最好的决定之一。我的同事和学生就像一个大家庭，厦门也有种家的感觉。

What do you like most about your city and China as a whole?

你所在的城市，哪一点最吸引你？你最喜欢中国的什么呢？

I am an adventurous person who loves to try new things and Xiamen offers plenty of activities to choose from such as surfing, badminton, hiking amongst others. What I like about living here, specifically the area I currently live in, is that it’s between the mountain and the sea so it feels extremely relaxing and picturesque. The city lets me explore new places and I love discovering new stuff. My students often ask me to join them in different activities such as biking, hiking, sports tournaments, etc. The city never gets redundant and I always get to try new outdoor activities, watersports, going to the beach to name a few. Additionally, all areas of Xiamen feel extremely safe and people are super easy-going here, making it a foreign-friendly space, even if you don’t speak Chinese.

我是一个喜欢冒险的人，喜欢尝试新事物。在厦门可以做很多事情，冲浪、羽毛球、徒步旅行等。我喜欢住在这里，特别是我现在居住的地方，在山海之间，风景如画，感觉非常惬意。这座城市有许多新地方等着我去探索，有许多新事物等着我去发现。我的学生经常邀请我参加各种活动，骑自行车、徒步旅行、体育比赛等。这座城市永远不会变得无趣，我总是可以尝试新的户外活动、水上运动、海滩玩耍等等。此外，厦门的所有地区都非常安全，这里的人超级随和。即便你不会说中文，厦门也是一个适合外国人居住的城市。

What fascinated you the most about living in China?

生活在中国，最吸引你的是什么?

I love exploring the Chinese culture, which I would say is very rich. The lifestyle that Chinese people live is extremely easy going. Additionally, the architectural design is amazing. It feels like every Chinese city gives you a completely different feel. The futuristic skyline in Shanghai vs. The Great Wall and intricate hutong lanes in Beijing are only one example of this contrast between cities. Thanks to the international school I work at I was able to explore not only China but other countries around the world. Being in The Philippines I mainly stayed there in my bubble. However, here I was able to travel with my students and their parents and explore different cultures. I never knew that I would have this kind of life.

我喜欢探索丰富多彩的中国文化。中国人的生活方式极其闲适。此外，建筑设计令人惊叹。每个中国城市给你的感觉都完全不同。上海极具未来主义的天际线与北京长城以及纵横交错的胡同，形成了强烈的对比。因为我是在国际学校工作，所以我不仅可以探索中国，还可以探索世界其他国家。在菲律宾，我的社交圈子非常局限。然而，在这里我能和学生以及他们的父母一起旅行，探索不同的文化。我从来没想过我会过上这样的生活。

What is your unique China story?

关于你独特的中国故事是什么呢?

The fact that I work here unlocks a lot of possibilities for me. In my time here, I got to travel around China. Because of rugby and school, I was able to go to more than 10 different cities. When I travel, I want to have a purpose, I hardly travel only for leisure and I want to make it purposeful for not only me but my students as well. I’m not only a teacher by trade, teaching is also a passion and my life. That’s what the experience in Xiamen and China have brought to me, it let me discover myself. It let me discover if I really wanted to be a nurse or a teacher and I discovered my passion for teaching. Everything I do is all about learning. Additionally, I get to volunteer with the Guanren community center, in their rooftop garden, summer camp and other charity events. I even got to do a lecture there about sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals.

这份工作给我带来了许多可能。在这段时间里，我走遍了中国。因为参加橄榄球比赛以及学校活动，我得以游览十多个城市。我想让我的旅行充满意义，不只是为了放松，我想让它成为一个对我和学生都有意义的旅行。教师不仅是我的职业，也是我的热情所在，生命所在。这就是在厦门和中国的经历带给我的财富，它让我发现自己。它让我明白自己真正想做的，是护士还是老师，也挖掘了我对教学的热情。我所做的一切都是为了学习。此外，我还在官任社区中心、官任社区阳台菜园、夏令营和其他慈善活动中做志愿者。我甚至做过一个关于可持续性和可持续发展目标的讲座。

Fun fact about his hometown：

介绍一下Mitchel Africa的故乡：

San Pedro is a small town in The Philippines and the fun fact is: Xiamen is represented by egrets and in San Pedro, our mascot is a chicken. There’s a huge statue of a chicken with an egg under it. When I left San Pedro, I was like the chicken and now I’ve evolved to become an egret.

圣佩特罗是菲律宾的一个小镇。有趣的是，厦门以白鹭为代表，而在圣佩德罗，我们的吉祥物是一只鸡。有一座巨大的雕像，是一只鸡，下面有一颗鸡蛋。我离开圣佩德罗时，我就像一只小鸡，现在我已经进化成一只白鹭了。

作者：Mitchel Africa 翻译：潘泽彬

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