Name : Melody

姓名：梅洛

Country of Origin : France

国籍：法国

Bonjour! Hello everyone, my name is Melody and my Chinese name is 梅洛 (Méiluò the same characters as grape variety Merlot).

Bonjour！大家好，我叫 Melody，中文名是“梅洛”（有一种葡萄也叫梅洛）。

I’m French and a Hunanese daughter-in-law! I’ve been attracted to China’s history, cuisine and language since I was a child… But what first made me fall in love with China was the giant pandas. My nickname is actually Panda because I have dark circles under my eyes, just like my dad. Now that I’m a grown-up, he still calls me that! When I was little, my dad showed me pictures of pandas for the first time and I fell in love and wanted to learn more about them.

我是法国人，也是个湖南媳妇儿！我从小就被中国的历史、美食、文字……吸引，但最初让我爱上中国的是大熊猫。我有一个小名，就是熊猫。因为我黑眼圈很重，跟我爸爸一样。现在我都那么大了，他还是这么叫我。小时候，爸爸第一次给我看大熊猫的照片，我就爱上了它们，想要更多地去了解它们。

Where do pandas live? In China! At the age of seven, I started to take a special interest in China and when I grew up, I was determined to go there!

大熊猫的家在哪里？是中国！7 岁的我就这样开始对中国产生了特别的兴趣，并且立志：长大之后一定要去中国！

My special bond with China started with the giant pandas. Whenever I get the chance, I go to Chengdu in Sichuan to see my giant panda friends. I was also lucky enough to participate in the Worldwide Giant Panda Keeper Volunteer Program in December that year where we spent more than two weeks learning about professional husbandry and were given various challenges. At that time, I thought I was in a dream because I was going to be a giant panda nurse!

我和中国的特殊缘分因大熊猫而起。我一有机会就会去 四川成都看看我的大熊猫朋友。我还有幸参加了当年12月的“全球大熊猫奶妈奶爸体验活动”，我们花两个多星期学习了很多专业饲养知识，接受了各种各样的挑战。那时候的我以为自己在做梦，因为我要当大熊猫的奶妈了！

I found Chinese culture particularly fascinating, so I tried my best to learn Chinese. It turned out that the more I learned, the more Chinese characters amazed me. When I first saw them, I felt like I was looking at a painting, as if each character contained a deep meaning and a story to tell. Now I have lived in China for a total of 12 years! It feels like time has passed so quickly, and I truly love living here. I am now living in Xiamen and I have made many Chinese friends here. They are kind and welcoming. I climb mountains with them, do tai chi together on the mountain and have tea and chat.

我渐渐发现中国文化特别迷人，于是拼命地学起了中文，越学越觉得汉字太神奇了。第一次看到汉字的时候感觉像是在看一幅画，好像每个汉字都包含一个深刻的意义，想要讲一个故事。现在的我已经在中国累计居住12 年了！感觉时间过得好快，我真心地热爱在中国的生活。我现在住在厦门，在这里交了很多中国朋友，他们善良又热情。我跟他们一起爬山，在山上一起打太极拳，一起喝茶聊天。

Many Chinese people claim that I am a “fake foreigner” and that my habits and personality are more Chinese. Haha. My family came to China a few times to see me and it seems that my influence has made us all fall in love with Chinese culture. Our home is basically furnished in Chinese style and my brother’s wife is also Chinese. My dad is a big fan of Bruce Lee and collects all his films.

很多中国人说我是个“假老外”，觉得我的习惯与性格更像中国人。哈哈，我的家人也来中国看了我几次，似乎是受我的影响，我们一家人都爱上了中国文化。我们家的陈设基本是中国风格。我弟弟的太太也是中国人，我爸爸是李小龙的铁杆粉儿，收藏了他所有的电影。

When I got married, my family came from France to Hunan and I was very touched. Later on, my French mother and Chinese mother-in-law got along like sisters. Both mothers love to dance. They danced together in Hunan, and my husband and I danced with them. It was a warm and important moment for me. I still remember the two mothers laughing, even though they didn’t speak the same language, but they didn’t need an interpreter.

我举行婚礼的时候，我的家人都从法国来到湖南，我非常感动。后来我的法国妈妈和中国婆婆相处得像姐妹一样。两个妈妈都喜欢跳舞。她们在湖南切磋彼此的舞蹈，我和老公也跟着手舞足蹈起来。那个时刻对我来说温暖而又重要。我还记得两个妈妈开怀大笑的情景，虽然她俩语言不通，但是她们不需要翻译。

I was very happy in China because I met my husband here.

Both of us appreciate the culture of each other’s countries. Although we have different nationalities, language, customs and traditions, we don’t care about that, and our happiness is the most important thing.

I feel that my connection with China is genuine fate. China is my second home.

To read more about Melody’s China story you can find her recently published book “我在中国挺好的” edited by Shanghai Educational Publishing house.

我在中国过得很幸福，还因为遇到了我的老公。

我和老公都欣赏彼此国家的文化。虽然有不一样的国籍、语言、风俗习惯，但是我们对这些并不在意，两个人的幸福感是最重要的。

我认为我跟中国真的有缘分，中国是我第二个家。

想了解更多关于 Melody 的中国故事，您可以阅读她近期出版的书《我在中国挺好的》，由上海教育出版社编辑。

作者：Melody “梅洛” 翻译：Luz and Jevon

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

Email: luz@mts-tech.com