Name : Andrew

姓名：Andrew

Country of Origin : United States of America

国籍：美国

Occupation : Call Center Supervisor

职业：呼叫中心主管

Years in China : 4.5

在华居住时间：4年半

How did your Journey in China Begin, what is your unique China Story?

你的中国之旅是怎样开始的？关于你独特的中国故事是什么？

My first time to visit this side of the world was in May 2015 as a school trip through Taiwan and Shanghai for 2 weeks. This was the first time I had ever been so far from home and really traveled abroad. It was amazing to see so many differences first hand and dispel so much myths that my friends and family had believed about this place. I returned through a second business course visiting many NGO’s (Non-Governmental Organizations) and R&D (Research & Development) departments of some companies such as Johnson & Johnson and Lenovo. These two class trips to China were my first steps into a country I would fall in love with. After graduating from college with 2 majors, International Business & Chinese (had no predetermined intentions of moving to China), I then took an Internship with one of the visited companies called Intex for 2 months as a call center agent. My internship finished in 2016 and I went back home to contemplate what I would do for the rest of my life. I decided I liked Xiamen a lot and I ended up moving back, originally to further study the Chinese language taking up some classes at Huaqiao University in Jimei. After 3 months of furthering my Chinese I went home for Christmas where I then met with a consultant of Intex from the Los Angeles office and was offered a job in Xiamen Haicang in 2017. And here I am today in 2021 visiting my favorite Xiamen bars such as Fanzone and restaurants such as Aye Manuela while cracking jokes on the weekend at Big Big Comedy. Eventually change will come, but when it does I will always treasure and never forget my China story.

2015年5月，我第一次来到地球的另一边（中国），当时我去台湾和上海进行为期两周的学校旅行。这是我第一次离家这么远，真正出国旅行。我可以亲眼目睹中美间如此多的差异，为家人和朋友揭开这个国度的神秘面纱，这太棒了。我第二次来到中国是因为一门商务课程，我当时访问了许多NGO（非政府组织）以及强生和联想等公司的研发部门。这两次旅行让我对这个国家有了好感。大学毕业后，我主修国际商务和汉语两个专业（当时没想过要搬来中国），之后我在一家名为 Intex 的公司实习了 2 个月，担任呼叫中心代理。我在 2016 年结束实习，回家思考我将来要做什么。我很喜欢厦门，所以我搬到这里，本来是为了在集美的华侨大学进修汉语。不过，在3 个月的汉语进修结束后，我回家过圣诞节，在那里我遇见了 Intex 洛杉矶办事处的顾问，2017 年我获得了一份在厦门海沧的工作。现在，我会去厦门我最喜欢的酒吧，像是Fanzone，还有最喜欢的餐厅，像是Aye Manuela。周末我会去 Big Big Comedy 讲笑话。未来充满不确定性，不过，不管怎样，我都会好好珍惜，永远都不会忘记我的中国故事。

What do you like Most about China as a whole? 

你最喜欢中国的什么？

China as whole I think is great because of how convenient everything is using QR codes for absolutely everything. I feel everything here is generally safer, especially when out late. I love driving but with the ease of transportation all over China I don’t mind taking trains, subways and DiDi’s to get around.

买任何东西都可以扫码付款，真的非常方便。在中国，即使你很晚还在户外，也是十分安全的。我喜欢开车出行，但因为中国各地的交通都很便利，所以我也会乘坐火车、地铁和滴滴出行。

What do you like the most about Xiamen?

你最喜欢厦门的什么？

The open space. I’ve always lived by the ocean and being in Xiamen that is still my favorite part. The life here, in my opinion, is slow and calm. I often refer to this city as a “retirement city” and who knows it may just become that for me. The hospitality of the people here is far beyond any I have seen in my hometown. When I first arrived to China I only committed to 2 years… and here we are 5 years later. I love my work, the people I work with and I love the interactions I have with the people of Xiamen.

我喜欢厦门开阔的空间。虽然我一直住在海边，但厦门仍然是我最喜欢的地方。在我看来，这里的生活缓慢而平静。我经常把这座城市称为“退休城市”，谁知道未来我会不会在这座城市退休呢。这里的人们有着我家乡从未有过的热情好客。我第一次来到中国时，我只想待两年……而今年已经是第五个年头。我热爱我的工作，热爱与我共事的人，也热爱与厦门人民的互动。

A little Background on his hometown:

介绍一下 Andrew 的故乡：

I believe everyone has their own view of what Los Angeles is known for… Hollywood, Celebrities, Theme Parks, Music, Concerts, Movies, Sports, Beaches, Traffic etc. But for me it’s Family.

我相信每个人对洛杉矶都有自己的印象……好莱坞、名人堂、主题公园、音乐、音乐会、电影、体育、海滩、交通等。但对我来说，这是我的家。

作者：Andrew 翻译：潘泽彬

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