大家好，我的名字叫Rob,我在中国工作和生活。我从新西兰来，但是没有在新西兰生活16年了，这其中的大部分时间都在亚洲度过。我在中国大部份的工作时间都在西安，我是西安外事学院的一名外教。
I have lived in larger, more cosmopolitan cities like Shanghai and Ningbo, too, but I prefer Xi'an. In the time I have been in China I have grown to think of China as my home and Xi'an as my city.
我在中国更大，更国际化的城市像上海，宁波等都工作和生活过，但是我更喜欢西安。在中国这么长的时间，我觉得中国就是我的家乡，西安就是我的城市。
From the very day I arrived at the Xi'an University, I knew I was in a good place. It's one of China's leading private universities and has grown and thrived on the back of marketization of China's higher education and privatization policies. It is owned and managed by a group of personalities who have shown a genuine willingness to support our joint venture. My direct colleagues in the project have formed a close-knit team that we describe as a "family".
自从我到西安外事学院的第一天起，我就知道这是一个好地方。这个学校是中国最优秀的私立大学中的一份子，它随着中国高等教育的市场化和国际化一同成长。 学校有一批非常专业的教职员工全身心地支持我们的中外合作项目。我和这个项目的同事们相处得像家人一样融洽。
As for the students, to be honest, they are the ones who haven't managed to secure places in leading state schools because of their scores in the national college entrance exams. But our experience tells us that just because their exam scores were low doesn't mean they cannot get good jobs. Our way of teaching and the rigor of learning ensure that the youngsters leave with good qualifications, skills and confidence to fully engage and participate in consolidating China's economy. That's how our work team contributes to building a stronger China.
谈到我们的学生，坦白说，因为他们的高考成绩，他们基本上都是没有能够以更优异的成绩进入中国一流公立大学的孩子，但是我们的经验已经告诉我们没有好成绩，不能进入一流大学，并不意味着他们未来不能找到理想的工作。我们通过特别的教学方式和严格的管理确保这些孩子能够带着良好的知识和技能以及国际认可的证书，充满自信地参加到中国快速发展的经济中去。这也是我和我的团队能为建设更强大的中国贡献的力量。
I have a driver's license issued in China and have been driving in the country for eight years. It may sound strange but driving in Xi'an is not difficult if you drive like everyone else. If you're thinking about driving in China, get a big car (there's a kind of pecking order and Cherry QQs are at the bottom) and get an aftermarket horn (or twin set-up) because unfortunately you will always be on it.
我有中国驾驶执照，并且在中国已经有八年的驾驶经验了。这个听起来可能对很多人来说有点奇怪，但是在西安，只要你和别人一样开车，驾驶并不是一件困难的事情。如果你考虑在中国开车，开一个大一点的车（这里的道路秩序有时候是以车辆的大小来决定的，奇瑞QQ这样的车排在队尾）；然后还要有响亮的喇叭，因为很不幸的你大部分时间都需要用到。
In Xi'an, the horn is not for sounding out other cars as much as it for warning pedestrians, electrical bicycle riders and three-wheeled cart drivers who seem not to have much knowledge of road rules. Driving in Xi'an is definitely not what I would call pleasurable but I have not met with an accident or been booked for a driving offence.
在西安，汽车鸣喇叭不是为了让周围的其他车赶到害怕，而是为了让行人，自行车，电动自行车和三轮车等等其他交通工具让开，这些车辆和行人不会完全遵守交通规则。我并不觉得在西安开车是种愉悦，但是我还没有发生过交通事故或者有交通违章情况发生。
Getting my favorite items, too, is not a problem nowadays. Before Taobao, a shopping website, I used to get all my clothes sent over from New Zealand by my mom. I'm 186-cm tall and weigh 110 kg, and though finding clothes of my size in China was possible, the choice (of colors) was very limited. Then came Taobao and as it grew so did my confidence in finding things I needed and missed. Clothes, shoes, bread machine, necessities, favorite New Zealand foods (even the famous yeast extract "Marmite") are now just a mouse click away.
买到我喜欢的东西也不再是很大的困难了。在有了淘宝网站以前，我的衣物都需要我母亲从新西兰寄来。我有1.86米高，110公斤重，哪怕我能在商店找到适合我尺寸的衣服，款式和颜色的选择都是很有限的。等到淘宝网站开通和日益成熟后，我需要和熟悉的东西都是只要点下鼠标就好了。我买过衣物，鞋子，面包机，甚至新西兰著名的Marmite酱。
Now I have regular sellers and we have become friends! I know that "brick and mortar" shopping in China has come a long way but, for me, the speed, convenience and security of Taobao is unbeatable. Thank you Taobao for making my life easier and convenient.
我有固定的卖家，我们甚至发展了朋友关系。我知道在中国，出去购物还是人们生活中很大的一部份，但是对我来说，网上购物的便捷，快捷和安全都让我离不开了。感谢淘宝让我的生活简单和方便了很多。
My life in Xi'an and in China has been wonderful. I follow a very simple philosophy that may not work for everybody but has worked fine for me wherever I have lived around the world: Learn the language (or enough of the language to get through a typical day), learn the culture of local people (this will help you explain and accept what is happening is different from what you are used to), keep the words "could have" "should have" and "would have" out of your vocabulary, try to make your colleagues part of your extended family, and don't get too worked up (or least let people see you worked up) about things you have no real control over.
我在西安，在中国的生活一直都很不错。我遵循简单的生活哲学，这个理论也许不是对所有人都有用，但是对我来说在全世界都通行无阻。这个哲学就是：学习当地的语言（至少让你日常生活没有问题的词汇和表达）；学习当地的文化（它可以帮助你解释和接受在你所不熟悉的环境里发生的事情）；少用应该，应当这样的词汇；努力和你的同事交朋友，让他们变成你在中国家庭的一部分；最后，不要太在意你不能控制的事情（或者至少不要让别人觉得你太在意）。
I know it's easy to say so but difficult in practice, but try we must!
我知道一切都是说起来容易，做起来难，但是只要我们愿意努力，在中国的工作和生活都可以很愉快。
(China Daily 10/01/2011 page5) （《中国日报》2011年10月1日第5页）
链接：
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2011-10/01/content_13830157.htm
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