学文网Bilingual Time talked to Josh Annells about his experience of living in China and life in general for foreigners in this part of the world.
《双语时代》和乔什・安奈尔斯谈论了有关他在中国的生活经历，以及外国人在这个世界一角的大体生活情况。
Bilingual Time: When you first came to China, how did you learn to settle in?
Josh: The thing is, when I first came to China I was studying at Beijing Normal University, so I already had a room sorted out before I got here, and getting food was really easy because on campus they had lots of restaurants and they had a vegetable market.
Bilingual Time: Could you speak Chinese when you first got here?
Josh: I knew some Chinese. I'd studied it for a year. But it was a shock when I got here and actually had to speak it for real. I think lots of my Chinese teachers were used to hearing foreigners speak Chinese. They understood you even if you were saying it wrong. Once I got out here I found that I actually had to speak much better because, otherwise, people wouldn't understand me. They are not used to hearing foreigners speak Chinese. So, that was kind of difficult at first.
Bilingual Time: Why did you study Chinese?
Josh: I always enjoyed studying languages at school so I wanted to have more of a challenge and study a really difficult language. I also wanted to do something different from everyone else. I knew that coming to China was part of the course and I liked the idea of doing that. That was a big part of what made me want to do the course.
Bilingual Time: For people who don't come here to study, what would be the best way to work out how to do things?
Josh: It would help if you had friends here. This time when I came out to China I went and stayed with a friend of mine who had been living in China for about two years. It's good if you know someone who has been in the country for a while and they understand how things work. I couldn't imagine just coming and living here totally on my own without knowing anyone or knowing nothing about the country or the language. That would be pretty intimidating.
Bilingual Time: I suppose most people who come to China already know someone here.
Josh: They do, or they have a job with a company which will take care of them.
Bilingual Time: What about work? How did you find a job?
Josh: I didn't. (Laughs) It's easy enough. There are websites which advertise job offers. There's lots of English teaching work out here in China. The first job I got was actually through a friend of mine. That happens a lot in China.
Bilingual Time: Is the foreign community in Beijing small?
Josh: I guess that's true, yeah. The foreign community is kind of small. Everyone knows each other.
Bilingual Time: When was the first time you came to China?
Josh: It was 1999. There was a lot less foreigners in Beijing then. I think even during this last year I have been here there are more foreigners. There are a lot more bars now too. There's a lot more tattoo parlours. It's quite strange. They have been springing up everywhere.
Bilingual Time: Did you ever go to one?
Josh: I didn't...what were we talking about again?
Bilingual Time: Forget it. If you were to describe to people back home what life is like for foreigners in China, what would you say?
Josh: I'd say it's pretty good. We have a very high standard of living out here. We have a pretty jet-set lifestyle.
Bilingual Time: Do you have a jet-set lifestyle?
Josh: Ok, maybe not! But you know, we go around taking taxis everywhere and...you know!
Bilingual Time: What kind of people come to China?
Josh: There's a pretty wide cross-section of foreigners coming to China now. You got students and professionals...there are the people who are interested in China and who know the language, they know a little about the culture and then you get people who just come here to make money and live pretty insulated lives in foreign compounds. You get people who stay here for years and years and still don't speak any Chinese.
Bilingual Time: I think there are also some people who are not just interested in China but just want to go somewhere different.
Josh: Oh yeah, that's true all right. There are people who just like travelling and living in interesting places.
Bilingual Time: Do you think that's a good life? Could you do it long term?
Josh: I don't think it should be done long term. You've seen the guys who have done it for a long time; they're pretty, er, (laughs)...because all the old guys, apart from the ones working at highly paid jobs, I've yet to meet an old guy here who wasn't kind of crazy.
《双语时代》：当你第一次来中国的时候，你是如何学着安顿下来的？
乔什：事情是这样的，当我第一次来中国的时候，我是在北京师范大学学习，因此，在我来这儿之前有一个房间已经安排好了，而且就餐十分便利，因为校园里有很多餐厅，还有一个菜市场。
《双语时代》：当你第一次来这儿的时候，你会说中文吗？
乔什：我懂一点儿中文。我曾学了一年的中文。但是当我来到这儿并真正要实际去用中文时，却吃了一惊。我认为，我的很多中文老师习惯听外国人说中文。即使你说得不正确，他们也明白你的意思。而我一到这儿就发现，实际上我必须说得再好一些，因为不然的话，人们就不明白我的意思。他们不习惯听外国人说中文。因此，刚开始时那有点儿难。
《双语时代》：你为什么学中文？
乔什：在上学的时候，我就一直喜欢学习语言，因此我想接受更大的挑战，学习一种真正有难度的语言。我还想做一些与众不同的事情。我知道，到中国来是课程的一部分，我喜欢这个主意。而我想要参加这个课程很大程度上就是缘于此。
《双语时代》：对于那些来到这儿不是为了学习的人来说，处事的最好方法是什么？
乔什：如果你在这里有朋友，会有帮助的。我这次来中国，就是和我的一位朋友住在一起的，此人大约在中国生活了两年。如果你认识一个在这个国家呆了一段时间的人，是有好处的，他们知道如何处事。只身来到此地生活，谁也不认识，对这个国家和语言一无所知，这对我来说不可想象。那是够令人生畏的。
《双语时代》：我想，大多数来中国的人在这里早就有熟人了。
乔什：是这样的，或者，他们有一份工作，公司会照顾他们。
《双语时代》：工作怎么办呢？你是怎么找到工作的？
乔什：我没去找。（笑）这再简单不过了。有些网站刊登招聘广告。在中国有很多英语教学的工作。我的第一份工作实际上是我的一位朋友给介绍的。这在中国是常事儿。
《双语时代》：北京的外国人社区不大吗？
乔什：我想是的，是。外国人社区是有些小。大家都彼此相识。
《双语时代》：你第一次来中国是什么时候？
乔什：那是在1999年。当时，北京的外国人要少得多。我认为，即使是在过去这一年里，在我呆在此地的时候，外国人也变得更多了。现在，酒吧也更多了。纹身小店也更多了。这很是奇怪。它们在各个地方都冒了出来。
《双语时代》：你去过一家吗？
乔什：我没去过……我们是在谈什么来着？
《双语时代》：算了。如果让你向家乡人描述外国人在中国的生活，你会怎么说？
乔什：我会说相当不错。我们在这里的生活水平相当高。我们过着一种奢靡的生活。
《双语时代》：你过的是奢靡的生活？
乔什：嗯，也许不是！但是你知道，我们到哪儿都是打车去，并且……你知道！
《双语时代》：来中国的都是哪类人？
乔什：现在，来中国的外国人相当之广。有学生和专业人士……有对中国感兴趣并且懂中文的人，他们对文化也有些了解；还有那些来到这里只是为了挣钱、生活在外国人的圈子中，不怎么与外界接触的人。有长年累月呆在这里却不会说一句中文的人。
《双语时代》：我认为，还有一些人，他们对中国就没有兴趣可言，只不过是想到不同的地方走走罢了。
乔什：哦，是的，就是这么回事儿。有人就是喜欢在那些感兴趣的地方旅居。
《双语时代》：你认为那种生活好吗？你会长时间地这样生活吗？
乔什：我觉得不应该长时间地这样生活下去。你已见过那些长期这样生活的人了；他们真是，嗯，（笑）……因为所有这些老人，除了那些从事高薪工作的人，我在这儿就从没有见过哪个老人一点儿都不疯狂。