欧洲|2022家外之家征文6 | FAITH IN XIAMEN Chinese|中国|Faith|消息|工作|征文

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Faith & Chinese businessmen
I am a diplomat. And with postings in Vienna, Brussels and Berlin, I considered myself “Eurocentric”.
我是一名外交官，曾在维也纳、布鲁塞尔和柏林任职，那时认为欧洲是我的工作中心。
Coming to Xiamen was a difficult choice. But this is my last foreign posting and I wanted to be where my siblings could easily visit me. Also, I was so curious about China – and why I heard so many negative things about it.
来厦门是一个艰难的抉择。这是我最后一次出国工作，所以我想去兄弟姐妹们容易看望我的地方。再者，我十分好奇——为什么关于中国的负面消息铺天盖地？
With much prodding from the then Philippine Consul General in Xiamen and from former assignees, I chose Xiamen over Berne. Still, when people heard that I would proceed to Xiamen for a foreign posting, they quipped, “Why China?”. But China (Xiamen) it is. I flew in with my family, armed only with “nihao” and “xiexie ni” from months of learning Mandarin.
在时任菲律宾驻厦门总领事和派驻人员的劝说下，我选择前往厦门工作，而不是伯尔尼。他们得知这一消息的时候，打趣道：“咋是中国？” 没有原因，就是中国（厦门）。我和家人一起飞往厦门，学习汉语几个月后，我们只会讲“你好”和“谢谢” 。

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Faith at work. At CIF IT 2021 with Beijing PE
Landing at Xiamen Gaoji International Airport, I told myself “Ah, this looks like Europe”. I saw order and efficiency. The tall buildings were impressive. Transportation was efficient. The big parks were attractive. I was told that Consulate people who have children settled in Shangli area, near the Manila Xiamen International School (MXIS). Aided by an English-speaking real estate agent and our solicitous local hires, we found an apartment near the sea and close to the mountains. Wow!
飞机着陆于高崎机场时，我不由得惊叹：“哇，这里简直是欧洲。 ”无不体现着秩序与效率。高楼大厦令人赞叹，交通运输高效迅速，大公园风景怡人。我得知有些领馆工作人员和他们的孩子住在上李，马尼拉厦门国际学校 (MXIS) 附近。在一位会讲英语的房地产中介和热心肠的当地领馆员工帮助下，我们找到了一处山边公寓，邻近大海。太棒了！
Xiamen, of course, became my home ground. With the Philippines being Guest Country of Honor of the China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT) for two consecutive years, the sprawling Xiamen International Convention and Exhibition Center became my playground (although still confused between XICEC Hotel and Seaside Hotel). In between works were walks by the seaside and culinary outings.

欧洲|2022家外之家征文6 | FAITH IN XIAMEN

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