【老外看泸州（一）】作者：Charlie Eichacker

    When my students  here ask me how I think of Luzhou, I always tell them I like it, and they are always surprised. “It’s so small,” they say. They are right. Luzhou is small, especially compared with my hometown of Washington D.C.

    “But it’s easy to take the buses,” I respond. “It only takes me thirty minutes to cross the city.” I love Luzhou. That is the truth. I have lived here for almost two years and I have learned that the food is od, people are friendly, and, yes, it’s easy to take the bus across the city.

    I came to China as an English teacher in July 2009 for a few reasons. First, I have an American college education and wanted to help share my experiences from America with people of another country. Coming here, I’ve often tried to make my students realize that not all Americans are like the characters in Hollywood movies. I’m a shy guy, and this always surprises Chinese people. They expect me to be loud, rich, and funny, but really I am quiet, and my American organization gives me only 1500 renminbi per month, and my jokes are often difficult to explain to people who are still learning English.

    Second, I wanted to learn about a different culture. I want to write. I want to travel. I want to be a travel writer, and I want to understand the world better. Many Americans know very little about the world. It’s a problem, I think. If people from different cultures understood each other better, than the world would be a more peaceful place. So if I learn more about Chinese culture, then I will be able to help many Americans understand China better when I return home.

    This is why I like Luzhou. It really is a perfect city for me. If I lived in a bigger city like Chengdu or Chongqing or Kunming or Beijing, then I would probably know many more foreigners and it would be much more difficult for me to meet Chinese people or practice Chinese language. But I know few foreigners in Luzhou, so most of my friends here are the teachers, students, and other Chinese people I meet here. They have all helped me understand China better.

    A bigger city would also have more traffic and more crowded stores, restaurants, and teahouses. But in Luzhou, I am able to take the bus across town in twenty or thirty minutes. I live in the Campus of  the College, and it is convenient that I can get to work in a short time. When I want to eat in a restaurant, I never have to wait for a table. When I want to relax, it’s very easy to find a nice teahouse near the Changjiang River. Of course Luzhou is also very clean and filled with trees, and this makes it even more relaxing.

    When I first came to Luzhou in 2009, living here was difficult sometimes. Because there are not many foreigners who live here, people often stare at me and say “laowai” or “hello!” These situations make me feel different and when I feel different I miss home. But usually people are friendly, and I’ve tten used to life here. I’m used to Chinese food and using chopsticks. I quite like Chinese food, and food with chili pepper especially. Huiguorou is my favorite dish, but I also like huoguo, shaokao, and mapo doufu.

    And I’ve tten used to being different. In America, we think difference is a od thing. We have people from many different countries, and I forget what it’s like to feel curious about foreigners. Realizing that I am “special,” I have tten used to all the attention I get here. I will leave China this summer, and I’ve slowly realized that I will actually miss all the attention. I won’t be special at all when I return to the U.S.

    I’ll also miss Luzhou. It’s been my home for the last two years, and it’s been a od home. So Luzhou, thank you for welcoming me as your guest. I will speak well of you to my friends and family in America. When I return to China, I will definitely return to Luzhou.

Charlie Eichacker
14/4/2011

    翻译：

    当我在泸州的学生问我对泸州的感受时，我总告诉他们我很喜欢泸州，他们也总感觉很惊讶，说：“泸州很小”，他们说得不错，尤其是跟我的家乡华盛顿相较而言，泸州确实很小。

   “但是泸州坐车很方便，”我回答。“只需花费半个小时就能逛遍城区。”我热爱泸州，这是事实。我已经在这儿生活了差不多，熟知这里的东西很好吃，泸州人也很友好，还有就是坐车也很方便。

   2009年7月，我作为一名英语教师来到了中国，之所以要到中国来，原因如下：首先，我受过美国大学教育，愿意同其他国家的人共同分享一个美国人的经历。来到这里，我尽可能地让我的学生认识到不是所有的美国人都喜欢好莱坞电影里的角色。我是个腼腆的人，这一点总是令一些中国人感到惊讶。他们希望我说话大声点、语言丰富幽默点，但我总是很安静，我的美国公司每个月只发薪1500元人民币。我的玩笑，幽默对那些还正在学英语的人来讲是很难被理解的。

    其次，我想了解不同的文化。我喜欢写作、喜欢旅游，想当一名游记作者，想更好地了解世界。许多美国人对于除美国以外的世界知之甚少，我认为这是个问题。如果来自不同文化背景的人们能够更好地相互理解，那么这个世界就会更加和谐。因此，如果我了解更多的中国文化，就会在回国后，帮助许多美国人更好地了解中国。

   这就是为什么我喜欢泸州的原因了。于我而言，它真的是一个完美的城市。如果我生活在诸如像北京、昆明、成都、或重庆这样的大城市，就会认识更多的外国人，也就可能很少接触到中国人而练习说中文。但我在泸州只认识很少的外国人，因此我在这里的大多数朋友和其他所遇的中国人，都是老师、学生，他们都在更好理解中文方面给过我很多帮助。

   大城市可能交通更为发达，商店、饭店、茶楼人气更旺，但是，我能够在二三十分钟内走遍泸州城。我住在泸州医学院校区，经常到其城北校区去，能够在短时间内到达那里，觉得很方便。当我想在饭馆里吃饭的时候，从来不需要等位子，当我需要休闲的时候，在长江边上找个小茶馆是很容易的。当然，泸州很干净，绿树成荫，看起来更加惬意。

   2009年我刚来泸州的时候，生活有时还很困难，因为生活在这里的外国人不是很多，人们经常盯着我看，喊我“老外”或者是对我说：“hello” ，这种场面让我感自己很与众不同，每当这时我就很想家。但是人们通常都是很友好的，我已经习惯了这里的生活了，习惯了中餐、习惯了使用筷子。我很喜欢中国食物，特别是放有辣椒的食，我最喜欢的一道菜是回锅肉，也喜欢吃火锅、烧烤以及麻婆豆腐。

   我也慢慢习惯了与众不同。在美国，我们认为与众不同是件好事。美国有许多来自不同国家的人，我忽略了对外国人感到惊奇的感觉是什么。意识到自己在泸州很“特殊”，也就逐渐习惯了在这里的得到的所有关注。今年夏天我就要离开了，一回到美国我就根本不会感到自己很特别了。

   我也会想念泸州的。这里曾经是我两年的家，是个很好的家园。因此，泸州，感谢你把我当做客人的热情欢迎。我也会对美国的家人和朋友大大赞扬你，当我回到中国的时候，我肯定还会回泸州的。

Charlie Eichacker
2010年4月14日

编辑：马庆娟

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