From one tropical paradise to another, our intern Jevon shares his unique story about living in China.
我们公司的实习生Jevon从他的热带天堂故乡巴巴多斯来到另一个热带天堂厦门，向我们分享了他在中国生活的独特故事。

How did your journey in China begin?
你的中国之旅是怎样开始的?

My journey here would have started around 2 years ago in August of 2019 when around this time I wanted to pursue a master’s degree and I felt like there was no better place to do it than China given the particular field that I’m in.
我的旅程大约从两年前开始，也就是 2019 年 8 月，当时我想攻读硕士学位，鉴于我研究的领域，我觉得没有比中国更合适的地方了。

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？

The beaches here are great and it is definitely tropical! What I like about Xiamen is that it’s a bustling city amongst a very tropical landscape and the city’s government does an amazing job with preserving the nature around us while also developing at a break-neck speed. This could be said for China on a whole as I travel through different cities, I see how the government does an amazing job of providing the necessary resources and developments needed for a major city but they do it in a way that does not damage the environment around and they also successfully integrate a beautiful cityscape with amazing natural scenery.
这里的海滩很棒，有着浓郁的热带风情！我喜欢厦门，因为这是一座充满热带风情的繁华城市，并且正处于飞速发展中。政府在保护周边自然环境方面做得十分出色。我喜欢中国，在中国的不同城市旅游时，我发现政府在不破坏周边环境的前提下，为大城市带来了必要的资源、推动了城市的发展。他们还把美丽的都市风景和惊艳的自然风光完美地融合在一起，这些成就都十分了不起。

What fascinated you the most about living in China?
生活在中国，最吸引你的是什么?

The fact that no one uses cash and that everything is digital! Additionally, I definitely appreciate how close-knit families are in China. For me personally, I am lucky to have an extremely close family back home and I know that’s not the case for a lot of people but here it warms my heart when I see grandparents spending tons of time with their grandkids.
所有东西都是数字化的，没有人使用现金！此外，我非常欣赏中国家庭之间的亲密关系。就我个人而言，我很幸运有一个非常亲密的家庭——我知道很多人不一定是这样——因此，在中国看到祖父母经常和孙辈们待在一起时，我感到十分温暖。

Could you list some of your favorite spots in your city?
你能列举一些你最喜欢的城市景点吗?

If I had to decide I would say that I love Gulangyu island, the Botanical Gardens, Nanputuo Temple and all of the beaches here.
如果非要做出选择的话，我会选择鼓浪屿、植物园、南普陀寺和这个城市所有的海滩。

Finally, what is your unique China story? Tell us something that you experienced that made you love living here even more.
最后，关于你独特的中国故事是什么呢?讲述一些让你更想待在中国的经历。

During my winter break in January 2020, I went to visit some friends in multiple cities throughout china and since this was my first time traveling domestically here. My first stop was Hangzhou which I loved with my second and final stop being Wuhan. However, this coincided with the COVID-19 outbreak and the time which led to me being stuck in the city for approximately 3 months. During this time I experienced first-hand the resilience of Chinese people and also their hospitality. As expected, I had tons of worries, fears and questions during this time but they were immediately answered by the people in charge around me and they were extremely helpful.
2020 年 1 月的寒假，我开始第一次中国之旅，去多个城市拜访了我的朋友们。杭州是我去的第一站，我很喜欢这个城市。武汉是我的第二站，也是我的最后一站。那时，恰逢新冠肺炎疫情爆发，我在这座城市滞留了大约 3 个月。在这段时间里，我亲眼见证了中国人的韧性，也亲身体验了中国人的热情好客。当然，那时我的内心也充满了担心、恐惧和焦虑，但这些情绪很快得以化解——身边的负责人及时给予了我莫大的帮助。

Some background on his home country.
介绍一下Jevon的祖国背景。

Barbados is a small island which is approximately 166 square miles which is 4 times smaller than the size of Xiamen! With a population of around 270,000 people, the island is most known for its friendliness, amazing beaches, constant sunshine. Fun fact: Major pop-star Rihanna is also from Barbados and would have attended the same high school as Jevon!
今年刚毕业于厦门大学王亚南经济研究院的Jevon来自北美的一座海岛——巴巴多斯，巴巴多斯面积只有约 166 平方英里，比厦门的面积小 4 倍！小岛拥有约 27 万人口，以其热情的人民、迷人的海滩和充足的阳光而闻名。有趣的是：流行歌手蕾哈娜（Rihanna）也来自巴巴多斯，而且很可能和Jevon上同一所高中！

作者：Jevon 翻译：邓忠悦

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