Name : Raj

姓名：Raj

Country of Origin : Singapore, of 3rd Generation Singaporean Indian

国籍：新加坡，第 3 代新加坡籍印度人

Occupation : Interior Designer

职业：室内设计师

Years in China : 21 Years

在华居住时间：21 年

How did your journey in China begin?

你的中国之旅是如何开始的？

The first time I step foot on Chinese soil was in 1997 when I went to Beijing for a work trip regarding the design of a hotel there. Coming here for the first time helped to dispel a lot of the misconceptions in my head and the rumors that I heard about living here. I heard that China was so crowded absolutely everywhere, that people misbehaved, that there were no proper toilets!  Well, of course, it was all wrong.

我第一次踏上中国的土地是在 1997 年，我当时去北京出差，为一家酒店进行设计。第一次来到这里，打消了我脑海中存在的许多误解，那些关于在中国生活的传言也不攻自破了。我听说中国哪里都很拥挤，人们行为粗鲁，也没有体面的厕所！当然，这是完全错误的。

For the first years, I would travel constantly in and out of China for work, getting a visa was quite easy, but I officially decided to settle here in 2008 when I moved to Ningxia, where I stayed for two years. Ningxia is a state just off of Inner Mongolia; it is part of Xibei and has a large Muslim population.

最初的几年，由于工作，我会不断往返中国，获得签证相当容易。2008年，我正式决定在中国定居，我搬到了宁夏，在那里待了两年。宁夏是紧邻内蒙古的一个自治区，属于西北，生活着许多穆斯林。

Being there in the early 2000s reminded me of 1970s Singapore with dusty roads, no taxis, really cheap amenities and extremely friendly locals. Their kaorou ( 烤肉 meat barbeque), served in a huge pan, is very famous. In winter, the nights were so long and cold that locals would fight the cold with 78% alcohol baijiu (白酒 is a Chinese colorless liquor high alcohol in volume), it tasted like diesel to me! But wearing many layers was not enough; this was their way to fight the cold.

21 世纪初的宁夏让我想起了上世纪 70 年代的新加坡，道路尘土飞扬，没有出租车，基础设施非常简陋，但当地人非常友好。他们的烤肉非常出名，通常用超大平底锅来盛。冬天，夜晚漫长而寒冷，当地人会喝 78 度的白酒（白酒是具有中国特色的酒，无色，酒精含量很高）来御寒，对我来说，白酒的味道就像柴油一样！这就是他们御寒的妙招，把自己裹的里三层外三层是不够的。

Another impressive fact of Ningxia was the desert storms. Do you remember that scene of “Mission Impossible 6” where Tom Cruise runs across a hotel and there is a desert storm passing through? Well, it was just like that in Ningxia. They would announce there was a desert storm coming; and I was terrified, I had not experienced anything like it before! It was beautiful, a real desert experience. Spring was even exciting with array of blooming flowers everywhere.

宁夏还有一件事，给我留下了深刻印象，那就是沙尘暴。你还记得《碟中谍6》中汤姆·克鲁斯跑过一家酒店时，沙尘暴呼啸而过的场景吗？嗯，宁夏也是如此。他们宣布沙尘暴即将来临，当时我很害怕，因为从未经历过沙尘暴！沙尘暴很美，我真正体会到了黄沙漫天的场景。春天更是令人兴奋，到处鲜花盛开。

After Ningxia, I headed to Shanghai for a short while and then my former HBA colleague that I worked for asked me if I wanted to come to Xiamen to run the company. I heard Xiamen was and island city, surrounded by the sea like Singapore, so I leapt at the opportunity. June 6th 2012 is when I landed in Xiamen and I have been here ever since! It’s been almost ten years, I never left!

离开宁夏之后，我在上海待了一段时间，以前在 HBA（赫希贝德纳联合设计顾问公司） 工作时的同事问我是否愿意来厦门工作。我听说厦门是一个岛屿城市，像新加坡一样四面环海，所以我抓住了这个机会。2012 年 6 月 6 日，我来到厦门，从那时起我就一直在这里了。已经快十年了，我从来没有离开过厦门！

What do you like the most about Xiamen?

你最喜欢厦门的什么？

The beauty of Xiamen never stops to amaze me and I constantly fall in love with this city every single day. Interestingly enough, I was raised in a Minnan village in Singapore, so my mom and dad spoke Minnan language, the local dialect of Xiamen! Moreover, I was exposed to a Chinese way of life from an early age.

厦门的美丽令我感到惊艳，我每天都会爱上这座城市。有趣的是，我是在新加坡的一个闽南村庄长大的，所以我的父母都会说闽南语，也就是厦门的方言！而且，我从小就像中国人一样生活。

The first time I came to Xiamen I was staying in a hotel-villa behind Nanputuo Temple and I heard the monks chanting beautifully in the early morning, I felt like I was in Shangri-La! If you stay near Xiada (Xiamen University) and hear the morning chanting, it is definitely something you’ll never forget, it’s so spiritual.

我第一次来厦门的时候，住在南普陀寺后面的酒店别墅里，每天清晨都能听到僧侣们美妙的诵经声，感觉自己身在香格里拉！如果你住在厦大（厦门大学）附近，听到清晨的诵经声，肯定会让你终身难忘，洗涤心灵。

That day, I came out in the street and overheard a conversation in Minnan language the same language my family spoke back in Singapore! I was so glad I understood everything! I immediately engaged in conversation with the locals and it was amazing, they still get surprised every time and it definitely has made my experience and adaptation to Xiamen so much easier.

那天，我在街上无意中听到人们用闽南语交流，我的家人在新加坡时也说这种语言！我竟然能听懂，太棒了！我开始和当地人交流，这太神奇了，他们每次都会感到非常惊讶，这也令我在厦门更加顺利，也更加适应厦门的生活。

Language note by Raj: The hardest language to learn is Kejia (Hakka) that is spoken by everyone in Longyan, you can learn Cantonese if you are going to stay in Guangdong province, but Minnan language in Xiamen is similar to the one spoken in Taiwan, the Minnan language spoken in Quanzhou is a bit slang, so I can’t understand so much. So I encourage everyone in Xiamen to learn Minnan dialect, it is not difficult at all!

Raj 的语言小贴士：最难学的语言是龙岩人说的客家话，如果你要留在广东，可以学粤语。厦门的闽南语和台湾的差不多，泉州的闽南语包含一些俚语，所以我听不太懂。所以我鼓励大家来厦门学习闽南语，一点都不难！

What is your unique China story?

你在中国有什么特别的故事？

To be frank, I found another Singapore in Xiamen! Remarkably, the culture around me in Singapore is closely related to Xiamen so it was here I learnt a lot of the sharing of cultures and I can appreciate our Chinese heritage in Singapore. It’s been my 10 years in Xiamen and yes it’s my second home now; I don’t think I will ever be leaving at all!

坦白说，厦门就是另一个新加坡。新加坡的文化与厦门紧密相连，有许多共通之处，在新加坡也能欣赏到中国的文化遗产。我在厦门已经待了 10 年，是的，它现在是我的第二故乡，我想我永远都不会离开！

The people here are extremely friendly and when I converse in Minnan language they feel so pleased! First they speak to me in Mandarin, then I reply in Minnan, and when they see my foreign face they go: “You?!?!” and I go: “Yes!” We sit down and chat during the weekends and I learn so much about our common history and culture.

这里的人们非常友好，我能用闽南语跟他们交流，他们非常高兴。他们会用普通话跟我讲话，然后我用闽南语回答。他们看到我的外国面孔时，会说：“你真的是外国人？”我会回答：“是的！”周末，我在跟他们聊天中学到了很多我们共同的历史和文化。

Realistically, I didn’t expect people here to understand me when I speak, but they do! It is almost the same language, it is rather simple! It is super easy for me to fit in and I didn’t expect to stay here for so long, but my work as an interior designer here is my passion!

讲真，我不指望当地人能听懂我讲话，但他们听懂了！这两种语言几乎一模一样，相当简单！对我来说，融入这里超级容易，我也没想到会在这里待这么久，但这里的室内设计师工作是我的热爱！

Most of my design projects are referred by friends and business partners. I like working this way as I understand where they come from and how difficult it is to get a designer that listens to your needs and understands your vision, and that is what I do. In other words, we have lots of fun doing this!

我的大多数设计项目是由朋友和商业伙伴介绍的。我喜欢这种工作方式，因为我知道他们的来历。要知道，找到一个能倾听你的需求并理解你的想法的设计师是多么困难，而这正是我能提供的服务。换句话说，我们乐在其中！

On top of that, I also find many activities to engage in that make my experience in Xiamen so enjoyable. Engaging in outdoor sports and in the activities organized by the local animal shelter and volunteering in some of Guanren Community Projects are some of my hobbies.

除此之外，我参加了许多活动，这让我在厦门的生活更加幸福。我喜欢参加户外运动和当地动物收容所组织的活动，我还喜欢在官任社区当志愿者。

Here are some of my rescued furry relatives. Ell (Left), who is handicapped, was rescued one late evening in 2018. I thought she was injured and brought her to the vet to realize she had lost 3 paws and had been abandoned for some time which prompted me to ponder over the stray dogs’ welfare and the TNR programme. I was then head-hunted to work in Dubai but instead decided to stay in Xiamen.

以上是我拯救的一些毛茸茸的小家伙，它们就像我的亲人。左边的是 Ell，她患有残疾，是在 2018 年的一个深夜获救的。我当时以为她只是受伤了，带她去看兽医，才知道她已经失去了 3 只爪子，已经被遗弃了一段时间。这让我开始关注流浪狗，关注 TNR （流浪猫绝育）项目。后来，我被挖角到迪拜工作，但我拒绝了，还是决定留在厦门。

Raj volunteering in animal rescue foster campaign with the Afu Expat Rescue Group of Xiamen.

Raj 与厦门阿福之家流浪动物保护中心合作，加入动物救援领养行动。

This charity group is now renamed “Paws”. Raj is the brains behind the logo for his friend Lee, founder of Paws.

这个慈善团体现在已经更名为 “Paws”，创始人 Lee 是 Raj的朋友，Raj 为 Paws设计logo。

I would say, in Xiamen I care about the community and the multi-national people living here. They are our friends and become part of our family. There won’t be any instance that I would not volunteer when the need arises even when I’m overloaded with my projects as I always find time.

我想说，我非常关心厦门的社区以及生活在这里的各国人民。他们是我们的朋友，是我们的家人。只要有需要，我都会挺身而出，从事志愿工作。即使我手上有做不完的工作，我也总能抽出时间。

作者：Raj 翻译：潘泽彬

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