来自中国的问候！（对话）

我在中国已经待了十二天，有很多事情要告诉你。

I've been in China for twelve days and I have so much to tell you.

继续听下去，了解我在这半个地球之外的新生活。

Keep listening to find out about my new life halfway across the world.

你好，我可爱的学员们，欢迎收听《简易英语故事》，这个播客将帮助你的英语从一般提升到良好，从良好提升到优秀。

Hello, my lovely learners, and welcome to Easy Stories in English, the podcast that will take your English from okay to good and from good to great.

我是你们的主持人阿里尔·古德贝迪。

I am Ariel Goodbody, your host for this show.

今天的节目是关于我在中国的生活状况的对话。

Today's episode is a conversation about how things are going for me in China.

和往常一样，文本和PDF版可在easystoriesinenglish.com获取，链接请见简介。

As always, the transcript and PDF are available at easystoriesinenglish.com, and you can find the link in the description.

所以我最近经历了一段小小的旅程。

So I've been on a little journey.

感觉好像已经很久没和你们说话了，尽管实际上并没有很久，但确实和我上次和你们交谈时所处的地方相距甚远。

It feels like it's been a very long time since I talked to you, although it really hasn't, but it is certainly a long way away from where I was the last time I talked to you.

事实上，我距离上次录制地点有9352公里远，精确来说。

In fact, I am 9,352 kilometers away from my last location of recording, to be precise.

但谁在乎呢？

But who's counting?

所以显然，我有太多事情要告诉你们了。

So obviously, have so much to tell you.

我刚搬到了中国浙江省的宁波。

I've just moved to Ningbo, China in Zhejiang province.

我在这里已经十二天了。

I've been here for twelve days.

我已经找到了住的地方。

I've found somewhere to live.

我经历了许多新事物，也差不多开始了我的新工作。

I've had lots of new experiences, and I've more or less started my new job.

那么，我们开始吧。

So let's get into it.

说实话，在搬离伦敦前的几周里，我压力特别大。

So to be honest, the last few weeks living in London leading up to my move, I was just so stressed.

我一直忙得不可开交，不断告诉自己：只要撑到能登上飞机就行。

I had been so busy, and all I kept telling myself was, I just need to make it until I can get on that plane.

一旦上了飞机，就交给上帝安排了。

Once I'm on the airplane, God will handle the rest.

一旦在空中，事情就不再由我掌控了。

Once I'm in the air, it's out of my hands.

确实，这感觉非常奇怪。

And indeed, it was very strange.

这是十三年来我第一次乘坐长途航班，真的有种穿越到另一个世界的错觉。

This was the first time I flew long haul in about thirteen years, and it really did feel like going through a portal to another world.

这是一次非常漫长的飞行，整整十一个小时四十五分钟。

It was a very long flight, obviously, eleven hours and forty five minutes.

幸运的是，我旁边坐着一对非常友善的英国夫妇，他们有个儿子在中国生活了七年多，这次是去探望儿子。

Fortunately, I was sat next to a very friendly British couple who actually had a son who has lived in China for over seven years, and they were going to visit their son.

所以这感觉像是一种奇妙的平行。

So it felt like a kind of nice parallel there.

他们要去探望住在中國并在那里工作的儿子，而我要去中国生活和工作。

They're going to visit their son who lives in China and works there, and I'm going to go live and work in China.

于是我从伦敦希思罗机场飞往上海浦东机场，那是位于上海东部的一个机场。

So I flew from London Heathrow to Shanghai Pudong, which is an airport in the East Of Shanghai.

然后我从位于上海西部的上海虹桥火车站乘坐火车前往宁波。

And then I got the train from Shanghai Hongqiao, which is a train station in the West Of Shanghai, down to Ningbo.

当飞机降落在上海时，那是一个非常令人惊叹的时刻。

And when the plane landed in Shanghai, it was quite an amazing moment.

在来中国之前，我看了很多关于在中国生活和中国文化的视频，尤其是YouTube上的片段。

Now, before coming to China, I watched a lot of videos, lot of YouTube clips about living in China, about Chinese culture.

所以在某种程度上，我对即将面对的情况有所预期。

So in some ways I knew what to expect.

而我知道会让我大吃一惊的一件事，就是一切的规模都如此庞大。

And one of the things that I knew would be a big shock is the scale of everything.

这里的一切都大得多。

Everything is so much bigger here.

完全不是一个量级的。

It's on a completely different level.

这让英国显得非常小。

It makes The UK feel very small.

当我们飞越上海时，看到无尽的楼宇和房屋，还有那些呈长直线延伸、在阳光下闪耀的河流。

And indeed, as we flew over Shanghai and just saw these endless rows of buildings and houses, these rivers that moved in such long straight lines, then they shone in the sun.

它们看起来像高速公路。

They looked like motorways.

它们看起来像道路。

They looked like roads.

所有整齐排列在一起的房屋让我想起了乐高乐园。

And all of the houses neatly lined up together reminded me of LEGOLAND.

这有点像站在乐高乐园上方俯瞰。

It was a bit like standing over LEGOLAND.

但这也让我想起了电路板，一台电脑的电路板，上面布满了各种电子元件。

But then it also reminded me of a motherboard, a computer motherboard, which has all the electronic parts sticking out.

许多公寓楼看起来就是这样。

A lot of the apartment buildings looked like that.

然后你还会看到这些巨大的单一树种森林。

And then you have these huge monoculture forests.

所以这些森林里只有一种树，我猜是为了砍伐和利用。

So all of these forests with just one type of tree, which I guess are for harvesting and using.

这让我想起了某些儿童玩具。

And that reminded me of some children's play toys.

因此，飞越上海，俯瞰这片令人惊叹的、庞大而统一的城市景观，真的让我感觉像是在俯视一个小小的世界，或者类似的东西。

So really flying over Shanghai and seeing all of this incredible, massive, uniform urban landscape, it really did feel like I was looking down on a little toy world or something.

现在，我降落在上海后，乘坐了磁悬浮列车，也就是磁力悬浮列车，从机场前往市中心。

Now, after I landed in Shanghai, I got the MAGLEV train, that's short for magnetic levitation, from the airport to the city center.

其实我并不一定非得这么做。

And I didn't really need to do this.

我本可以直接从浦东机场坐地铁到虹桥火车站，但磁悬浮列车是世界上最快的列车。

I could have got the subway directly from Pudong Airport to Hongchou Railway Station, but the Maglev train is the fastest train in the world.

我认为它的最高时速可达400公里，但他们将速度限制在了300公里。

It can get up to 400 kilometers per hour, I believe, although they cap the speed at 300.

所以它的最高时速只有300公里，但即便如此，这仍然是一段极其快速的旅程，只需大约十分钟就能从浦东机场到达市中心。

So it only goes up to 300 kilometers per hour, but it's still an incredibly fast train journey and it gets you from Pudong Airport to the city center in about ten minutes.

我并不是一个狂热的火车迷，但我确实喜欢好的列车，这次体验相当令人兴奋。

I'm not a massive train nerd, but I do like a good train, and it was quite exciting.

不过，有一次另一列火车从我们旁边飞驰而过，速度太快了，吓得我跳了起来，感觉就像要被列车撞上一样。

Although at one point, another train went past us, and it was so fast that it made me jump because it was like, like, felt like you were about to get hit by the train or something.

到这个时候，我已经非常疲惫了。

Now, by this point, I was quite tired.

我坐了十二个小时的飞机，几乎没怎么睡觉。

I had been on a twelve hour plane journey without really sleeping.

顺便说一下，我在飞机上看了《穿普拉达的女王》。

I watched The Devil Wears Prada on the airplane, by the way.

他们提供的中国电影选择不多，所以我决定看《穿普拉达的女王》，因为我从来没看过。

They didn't have a great selection of Chinese films, so I decided to watch The Devil Wears Prada because I've never seen it before.

我得说，梅丽尔·斯特里普在那部电影里演得非常好。

And I have to say, Meryl Streep is very good in that film.

所以，我的计划是在龙阳路逛一逛，因为磁悬浮列车就停在那里，然后找家店吃早餐。

So anyway, my plan was to wander around Long Yang Road, which is where the maglev gets into and find somewhere to have breakfast.

这个计划并没有成功。

That plan didn't really work.

我逛了这个购物中心，但那时还没怎么开门，因为早上八点半，里面全是些不卖早餐的餐厅。

I wandered around this shopping mall, which wasn't really open yet because it was like half past eight in the morning and it was all a bunch of non breakfast restaurants.

我带着两个行李箱，每个大约22公斤。

I was carrying two suitcases with me, both around 22 kilograms.

有一次，我上了自动扶梯，把其中一个行李箱放在身前，结果它掉了下去，砸中了一名警察。

And at one point, I got on an escalator and one of my suitcases I put in front of me and it fell down and landed on a policeman.

它不只是砸到警察，而是重重地撞上了他。

It didn't just land on the policeman, it slammed into the policeman.

由于重力和自动扶梯的运动，它直接把他推倒了。

And because of the gravity and the motion of the escalator, it just kind of pushed him down.

我特别尴尬，一直说：天啊，对不起，真的非常抱歉。

And I was so embarrassed, I was like, oh my God, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry.

当然，我说的是中文。

Obviously, I said, which is the Chinese.

幸运的是，他装作什么都没发生，因为我真的很担心自己刚到中国几个小时就要被遣返。

He acted like nothing had happened, thankfully, because I was really worried I was about to get deported on my first day in China, in my first few hours in China.

但没有，我没有被遣返。

But no, I did not get deported.

我没有被送回英国。

I did not get sent back to The UK.

所以还好。

So that was okay.

所以最后，在差点伤到一位执法人员后，我决定干脆直接去火车站，以免再发生其他意外。

So in the end, after almost injuring an officer of the law, I decided maybe I should just go directly to the train station to avoid any further incidents.

于是我上了前往虹桥火车站的地铁，又经历了一次‘天啊，这一切也太庞大了’的时刻，因为虹桥火车站简直像个机场。

So I got on the metro to Hongqiao Train Station and I had another moment of, oh my god, this is all so big because Hongqiao Train Station is practically an airport.

它有三十多个检票口，我觉得你得通过那些超长的安检通道才能进去。

It has over 30 gates, I think you have to go through these massive security lines to get in.

到了这个时候，我已经非常疲惫和不知所措了。

And I was really quite tired and overwhelmed at this point.

但我还是顺利登上了从上海到宁波的高铁，甚至还和一些当地人交了朋友。

But I got safely on the high speed rail from Shanghai to Ningbo, and I even made friends with some locals.

有一次，两个年轻女孩上车后坐到了我旁边，她们穿着复古风格的另类服饰，有点哥特风，又有点洛丽塔风。

At one point, two young girls came and sat next to me when they got on the train, they were dressed in kind of old fashion, alternative fashion, like a bit goth, a bit Lolita.

她们在火车上试图拍摄一段抖音视频。

And they were sitting on the train trying to record a TikTok video.

她们正在学习这个抖音舞蹈。

They were like learning this TikTok dance.

我一边看着她们，感到有点好笑。

And I was watching them kind of bemused.

我觉得这挺有趣的。

I thought it was quite funny.

我也觉得这个抖音舞蹈非常简单。

I also thought this TikTok dance was very easy.

所以当她们终于学会舞蹈并开始录制时，我说：‘哦，我能用中文和你们一起跳吗？’

So at one point when they finally had learned the dance and were recording it, I said, oh, can I do it with you in Chinese?

于是我们一起录了这段舞蹈，她们说：‘哦，我能把这段视频发给我的微信朋友吗？’

And so we recorded the dance together and they were like, oh, can I send it to my friends on WeChat?

我回答：‘当然可以，没问题。’

And I was like, yeah, sure, that's fine.

但之后她们就突然不再和我说话了。

But then they kind of just stopped talking to me after that.

我不知道，她们似乎有点害羞，社交上也不太自然。

I don't know, they seemed a bit shy and socially awkward.

但我心想：我来这里是为了学中文，提升我的中文水平，融入当地文化，体验冒险，享受美好时光。

But I was like, I'm here to learn Chinese, well, to improve my Chinese, I'm here to try and assimilate to the culture as much as possible, I'm here to have an adventure, I'm here to have a good time.

我不能只是坐在那里什么也不说。

I couldn't just sit there and say nothing.

我必须和他们一起录这个TikTok舞蹈。

I had to record this TikTok dance with them.

所以我不知道他们有没有在抖音上发布，抖音是TikTok的中国版，但也许它已经火了。

So I don't know if they ever posted it on Douyin, which is the Chinese version of TikTok, but maybe it's gone viral already.

谁知道呢？

Who knows?

如果我在中国已经是个名人，我也不觉得奇怪。

It wouldn't surprise me if I was already a celebrity in China.

总之，到达火车站后，我被接到了酒店，于是开始了好几天的官僚程序。

Anyway, after arriving at the train station, I was picked up and taken to the hotel and thus began several days of bureaucracy.

如果你不知道官僚程序是什么，B-U-R-E-A-U-C-R-A-C-Y，官僚程序基本上就是处理政府系统、组织体系。

If you don't know what bureaucracy is, B U R E A U C R A C Y, bureaucracy is basically dealing with government systems, systems of organizing in a system.

这很明显，组织体系中的体系，打勾、填表格、处理文件，所有这些都属于官僚程序。

That's kind of obvious, systems of organizing in a system, ticking boxes, filling out forms, processing documents, all of that is bureaucracy.

相信我，当你搬到中国时，需要处理的官僚程序非常多。

And believe me, there's quite a lot of bureaucracy to handle, to do when you move to China.

所以我们首先得做健康检查，我从未做过这么多检查。

So first we had to do a health check and I have never had this many tests done.

他们做了血液检测、尿样检查、X光、心电图和超声波检查。

They did a blood test, a urine sample, an x-ray, an ECG and an ultrasound.

我这辈子从来没做过超声波检查。

And I had never had an ultrasound in my life before.

我问了很多人，为什么要做超声波检查？

I asked lots of people like, why do they do an ultrasound?

是为了检查我们是否怀孕吗？

Is it to check if we're pregnant?

我觉得我不太可能怀孕，但谁说得准呢。

Like, I don't think I'm pregnant, but you never know.

这真是太奇怪了。

So that was very strange.

但从某些方面来说，这也有好处，因为至少如果我真有什么疾病，也能通过这种方式发现，这还是有帮助的。

And in some ways it was good because it's like, okay, maybe if I do have some illness or disease, I'll find out this way and that would be useful.

但这也很奇怪，因为在英国，我们很重视医患沟通的态度，对吧？

But it's also very strange because, so in The UK we talk about bedside manner, right?

也就是医生和护士对病人有多友善、多温暖。

Which is how friendly doctors and nurses are, how kind of warm they are to patients.

在英国，良好的医患态度被认为非常重要，因为它有助于病人康复，让他们感到放松。

And it's considered to be very important in The UK to have good bedside manner because it helps patients recover, it helps them feel relaxed.

但在这里，至少在做健康检查时，根本没有什么医患态度可言。

Here, at least for the health check, there wasn't really any bedside manner.

就是让你躺下、做这个、举起手臂、脱掉上衣、戳一戳、按一按、扫一遍、扫一遍、再扫一遍。

It was just kind of lie down, do this, put your arms up, take your shirt off, poke, poke, poke, prod, prod, prod, scan, scan, scan.

这挺有意思的。

So that was interesting.

这确实是一次不同的体验。

It was certainly a different experience.

我还没有收到关于健康检查的任何消息，所以我可以假设我一切正常、很健康，可惜没有怀孕。

And I haven't heard anything back about the health check, so I can assume that I'm all good and healthy, and unfortunately not pregnant.

我想我得继续努力了。

I guess I'll have to keep trying.

之后，我们去办理了SIM卡。

After that, we went and got our SIM cards.

也就是手机卡、电话号码，一个中国手机号码。

So a phone card, a phone number, a Chinese phone number.

拥有中国SIM卡和电话号码非常重要，因为在中国你需要用它来访问许多服务。

It's really important to have a Chinese SIM card and phone number because you use it to access many services in China.

不同的是，你可以在这里选择自己的手机号码。

Something different about it is that you can choose your phone number here.

他们给你很多选项。

They give you a lot of options.

我想我只是随便选了一个，或者选了前面几个之一，因为我觉得：管他呢，不就是个电话号码吗？我以前从没需要自己选过，但现在我已经用它登录过太多服务，以至于现在都背下来了。

I think I just chose a random one or one of the first ones, because I was like, I don't know, it's a phone number, I've never had to choose one of these before, but I've had to use it so many times to log onto services that I've memorized it at this point.

所以这是很重要的事。

So that's the important thing.

然后我们终于去银行办理了银行账户。

And then finally we went to the bank to get our bank account set up.

这是我在中国 setup 过程中遇到的第一个令人烦恼的障碍，也是第一个严重的挑战。

And here was when I experienced one of the first kind of annoying hurdles, one of the first serious challenges in getting set up in China.

正如你所知，中国有防火长城，许多西方网站和互联网服务在中国被屏蔽。

So as you know, there is the great firewall of China, a lot of Western websites and internet services are blocked in China.

我用的是谷歌手机，这意味着我需要通过谷歌应用商店下载应用。

I have a Google phone, which means that it uses the Google Play Store to download apps.

中国银行的应用有两个版本。

The Bank of China app has two versions.

它有一个国际版和一个中国版，但我无法从谷歌应用商店下载中国版。

It has an international version and then a Chinese version, but I couldn't download the Chinese version from Google Play.

所以我不得不下载一个中国应用商店，然后通过它下载中国银行的中国版应用。

So I had to download a Chinese app store and then download the Bank of China Chinese app through that.

我不得不自己弄清楚这一切，因为我试图登录国际版，但根本无法使用。

And I had to figure this all out by myself because I was trying to log into the international version and it just was not working.

到目前为止，已经遇到了很多类似的问题，虽然没有一个是无法克服的，也不是不可能解决的，但确实需要极大的耐心。

And there have been a lot of issues like that so far, nothing insurmountable, nothing impossible, but it does take a lot of patience for sure.

之后，我当然得找地方住。

And then after that, of course, I had to find somewhere to live.

于是我找了一个中介，连续几天看了很多套公寓。

So I found an agent and I went to many apartment viewings over several days.

期间经历了许多起起落落。

There were lots of ups and downs.

我找到了一个喜欢的地方，但被人抢先租走了；我又找到一个喜欢的地方，但价格太贵。

I found a place I liked, but then someone else took it, I found a place I liked, but then it was too expensive.

我在国际转账时犯了个错误，因为从西方银行账户向中国银行账户转账非常复杂，这意味着我不得不等待付款被退回才能拿回钱，这花了48小时。

I made a mistake transferring money internationally because again, it's quite complicated transferring money from a Western bank account to a Chinese one, which meant I had to wait for a payment to be rejected to get my money back, which took forty eight hours.

然后我不得不去ATM机，从我的英国银行账户取出现金，再存入我的中国银行账户。

And then I had to go to an ATM, take out the money from my British bank account in cash and then deposit it into my Chinese bank account in cash.

而且每天取款有额度限制。

And there's a limit on how much you can withdraw per day.

所以你可以想象，这非常复杂，尤其是因为大多数中国房东都要求一次性支付四个月的房租。

So as you can imagine, it was quite complicated, especially because most Chinese landlords want four months rent upfront.

你需要每三个月支付一次房租，另外还要支付相当于一个月房租的押金。

You pay rent in chunks of three months, and then you also pay your deposit, which is one month's rent.

然后我们还得支付给房产中介的费用，相当于一个月的房租。

And then we had to pay the fee to the housing agents, to the real estate agents, which was equivalent to one month's rent.

所以我们实际上需要一次性支付五个月的房租。

So we essentially had to pay five months rent upfront.

所以，是的，过程很复杂、很有压力，但最终我还是找到了住处，这就是我录制本集的地方。

So, yeah, complicated, stressful, but I've found somewhere to live in the end, finally, which is where I'm recording this episode from.

如果回声有点重，抱歉，我还没买多少家具。

Sorry if it's a bit echoey, I don't have a lot of furniture yet.

但你看，尽管找这个房子的过程比在伦敦找任何房子都困难得多，它依然很棒。

But look, even with all of the difficulties finding this place compared to anything I could get in London, it is amazing.

我支付的房租几乎是伦敦时的一半，而且是和别人合租一个小公寓。

I'm paying almost half what I was paying in London to share a small flat with someone else.

但我一个人拥有整个公寓。

I have the whole flat to myself.

这是一套三居室，意味着我可以拥有自己的卧室、一间客房和一个办公室。

It's a three bedroom, which means I can have my bedroom, a guest bedroom and an office.

它有一个封闭式阳台，非常适合晾衣服。

It has an enclosed balcony, which is great for doing laundry.

房间里有很多现代家具。

It has lots of modern furnishings.

我觉得浴室和厨房都是新的。

I think all of the bathroom and kitchen are new.

我觉得我是第一个住在这里的人。

I think I'm the first person to live here.

整个公寓都有空调。

It has air conditioning throughout.

它位于一个非常漂亮的住宅区，非常安全，小区内绿植丰富。

It's in a very pretty housing complex, very safe, lots of greenery in the complex.

我住的地方唯一的缺点是离市中心比我希望的要远一些。

The only downside of where I live is it's a bit further out from the city center than I probably wanted.

我当时只顾着找一个住处，压力很大，根本没太考虑地段。

I was quite stressed about just finding somewhere that I didn't think so much about the area.

其中一个优势是我有非常漂亮的景观。

One advantage is I do have very nice views.

我可以远眺群山。

I can see the mountains in the distance.

离我工作的学校大约有二十五分钟的步行路程，这个距离刚刚好，既能让我锻炼身体，又不会太远。

And it's about a twenty five minute walk from my job, the school I work at, which is a perfect distance because it gets me a bit of exercise, but it's not too far.

但这里确实比较安静，周围有很多施工，附近商店也不多；不过考虑到中国变化的速度，一年后这里可能完全不一样了，谁知道呢？

But yeah, it's kind of a quiet area, there's a lot of construction going on around here, there's not too many shops around here, but given the pace of change in China, it might look completely different in a year's time, who knows?

所以它并不完美，但我有办公室，有空间做瑜伽，已经能满足我所有需求了。

So it's not perfect, but I have an office, I have space to do yoga, it's gonna be everything I need.

而且实际上，住得远一点让我省了一些钱，可以把这些钱用在录音设备、假期、食物和打车去市中心上，因为这才是关键。

And actually by being further out, I save a bit of money and I can put that money towards recording equipment, holidays, food, and taxis into the city center because that's the thing.

这里的交通便宜得离谱。

The transport here is crazy cheap.

事实上，这里几乎所有东西都很便宜，比如外卖食物的费用、食物本身的价格、出租车和公共交通，全都非常实惠。

In fact, kind of everything is cheap here, like the cost of getting food delivered, the cost of food itself, taxis, public transport, it's all so affordable.

我知道，显然我的薪水比许多本地人高，这里很多人为了生计都在拼命工作。

And I know that obviously I'm earning a higher salary than many of the locals, A lot of people are working very hard to make a living here.

但我想说，至少在宁波这座城市里，贫富差距似乎没有伦敦那么大。

But I would say there seems to be at least within the city of Ningbo, there seems to be less of a wealth divide than in London.

我在这里没见过任何无家可归的人，而在伦敦，这不幸地非常普遍。

I've not seen any homeless people here, whereas in London, it's unfortunately a very common occurrence.

但没错，我可以从工作地点打车回家。

But yeah, I can get a taxi from my workplace home.

如果在非高峰时段打车，价格可能低至0.4元。

If I get it at a non peak time, it can be as cheap as 0.4 kuai.

块只是元的另一种说法，中国的货币，相当于大约4便士的英国货币，简直微不足道。

Kuai is just another word for yuan, the Chinese currency, which is equivalent to about 4p in British money, which is like nothing.

在伦敦，你不可能用这么点钱买到任何东西。

You couldn't get anything for that amount of money in London.

而在高峰期，出租车大约是7块，约合70便士，这也不过是一块巧克力棒的价格。

And then at peak times, a taxi is maybe like 7 quai, which is about 70 P, which again is like the price of a chocolate bar.

事实上，现在伦敦的巧克力棒比这还贵。

In fact, chocolate bars are more expensive than that now in London.

所以，出行真的非常非常便宜。

So yeah, it's very, very cheap to get around.

所以，即使我住得远一点，也能轻松往返市中心。

So even if I am further out, I can so easily get in and out.

我有多种选择。

I have multiple options.

我可以坐地铁、乘公交，也可以骑自行车或者打出租车。

I have the metro, buses, I could get a bike or I can get a taxi.

这并不是个大问题。

That's not a big issue.

现在我们来谈谈食物，因为中国以美食闻名。

Now let's talk about food because China is very well known for its food.

中国拥有丰富多样的菜系，搬家来中国时，食物是我最期待的事情之一。

It has a huge diverse cuisine and food was one of the things I was most excited about moving to China.

当我刚到的时候，他们让我们在酒店住了十天，以便我们找住处。

Now, when I first arrived, they put us up in a hotel for ten days while we found somewhere to live.

酒店的早餐非常美味。

And the hotel breakfast was gorgeous.

早餐结合了中式和西式早餐，但明显更偏向中式，更像是典型的中式早餐。

It was a balance of Chinese breakfast and Western breakfast, although it definitely leaned heavily in favor of Chinese breakfast, it was much more Chinese style breakfast.

所以我能吃到粥。

So I was able to have congee.

粥就是米粥，配腌菜、饺子、炒蔬菜、煎蛋饼之类的东西。

Congee is like rice porridge with pickled vegetables, dumplings, fried vegetables, omelet pancake kind of things.

他们确实有香肠和培根，但这里的香肠和培根有点奇怪。

They did have sausages and bacon, but the sausages and bacon here are a bit weird.

他们有可爱的甜包子，里面是红豆沙。

They had lovely sweet buns with azuki bean paste inside.

他们有热腾腾的新鲜面条，但我真不太懂。

They had hot fresh noodles, which I didn't really get.

他们有美味的甜酸奶。

They had nice sweet yogurts.

不幸的是，这里很难买到不甜的酸奶。

Unfortunately, it's quite hard to get non sweet yogurts here.

乳制品是我仍然觉得有点欠缺的一个方面。

The dairy products is one area where it's still kind of lacking for me.

总之，早餐我吃得很好。

And yeah, suffice it to say, I was well fed at breakfast.

头几天，我试着在食物上大胆尝试。

My first few days, I tried to be kind of adventurous with food.

酒店旁边有一家餐厅，门口有个特别可爱的青蛙吉祥物。

There was a restaurant next to the hotel that had this really cute frog mascot.

我当时就想，哦，看起来挺有趣的。

And I was like, Oh, that looks fun.

于是我看了外面的招牌，发现有类似煎蛋和番茄的东西，我知道这是道中国菜。

So I looked at the signs outside and I saw something that looked like fried eggs and tomatoes, which I know is a Chinese dish.

所以我心想，太好了，我就点这个吧。

So I was like, oh, great, I'll go get that.

我进店点了菜，等上菜时才发现，这根本不是煎蛋和番茄。

And I went inside, I ordered And when it arrived, I realized this is definitely not fried eggs and tomatoes.

事实上，这是一道辣味牛蛙汤。

In fact, it was spicy bullfrog soup.

如果你不知道的话，牛蛙是一种青蛙。

Now, if you don't know, bullfrogs are a type of frog.

就是那种会跳、脖子会鼓起来的两栖动物。

Those amphibians that go and their necks grow.

在英国我们不吃青蛙，法国人吃青蛙腿，而麻辣牛蛙汤是中国西部四川的一道流行菜肴。

We don't eat frogs in The UK, they do eat frogs legs in France and spicy bullfrog soup is a popular dish in Sichuan in the West Of China.

所以后来我恍然大悟，原来这家餐厅有可爱的青蛙吉祥物，是因为他们卖青蛙。

So it kind of became obvious to me afterwards, oh, the reason the restaurant had a cute frog mascot was because they sell frogs.

但不得不说，这味道非常好。

But I have to say it was very yummy.

这道菜很辣，加上时差和辛辣的刺激，我的胃不太适应。

It was quite spicy and it didn't necessarily agree with my stomach because of the jet lag and the spiciness.

我凌晨两点被胃痛疼醒，但不得不说，为了这次全新的美食体验，这一切都值得。

I did wake up at two in the morning with a lot of stomach pain, but I have to say it was worth it for a new culinary experience.

牛蛙真的很好吃。

And bullfrog is really tasty.

它吃起来有点像鸡肉。

It kinda tastes like chicken.

我知道很多人对很多东西都这么说。

I know people say that about a lot of things.

但没错，味道很好。

But, yeah, it was good.

结果发现它比我想象的骨头多得多，比我想的更骨多，但我 definitely 推荐辣牛蛙汤。

Turns out it has a lot more bones than I expected, a lot bonier than I thought, but I can definitely recommend spicy bullfrog soup.

我尝试过的另一种菜系是宁波本地菜，因为宁波是沿海城市，是个港口城市。

Another cuisine I've tried is the local Ningbo cuisine because Ningbo is a coastal city, it's a port city.

当然，这里以海鲜为主。

It is, of course, big on seafood.

所以我结识了一些新的中国朋友。

So some of my new Chinese friends I've made a few friends.

我的一些新中国朋友带我去了一些当地的宁波餐馆，我们吃了许多美味的菜肴，比如大闸蟹、鱼豆腐、虾、对虾，还有很多海鲜，都非常美味。

Some of my new Chinese friends took me out to some local Ningbo restaurants, and we had such delicious dishes as hairy crab, fish and tofu, prawns, shrimps, a lot of seafood and all really delicious.

现在，四川菜非常辣，而宁波菜则非常新鲜，通常带有酸味、腌制和冷味的特点。

Now, Sichuan food, which is very spicy, Ningbo food is very fresh and it tends to be more kind of like sour, pickled, cold flavors.

幸运的是，这种菜系对我的胃来说比较清淡。

So fortunately, that's a kind of cuisine which is a bit lighter on my stomach.

我还尝试了一些杨梅酒。

I also tried some red bayberry alcohol.

杨梅是一种我觉得英国没有的水果。

Red bayberry is a kind of fruit that I don't think we have in The UK.

我肯定在欧洲从未听说过这种水果，但我尝过干杨梅和杨梅利口酒，味道很不错。

I've certainly never heard of it in Europe, but I've tried dried red bayberry and I've tried bayberry liqueur and it is quite yummy.

我也尝试了一些这里有的西餐。

I've also tried some of the Western food they have here.

我提到过，香肠和培根的质量参差不齐。

I mentioned that sausages and bacon are a bit hit or miss.

我还尝试了披萨，但并不怎么样。

I also tried pizza, which is not so great.

这里大部分面包都偏甜，我不知道，我在这里吃过的披萨就是太松软了，配料也不对，番茄味不够。

Most of the bread here is a bit sweet and I don't know, there's just something about the pizza I've had here, it's a bit too fluffy, the toppings aren't quite right, it's not tomatoey enough.

这里的三明治看起来通常很好吃，但一尝却发现味道不够。

Also sandwiches often look really yummy here but then you taste them and they just don't have enough flavor.

所以我肯定得做一些调整。

So there's definitely some adjustments I'm going to have to make.

我仍然在努力找到适合我的早餐。

I'm still kind of struggling to find my breakfast food.

在英国时，我几乎每天都吃同样的早餐。

Back in The UK, I ate the same breakfast pretty much every day.

我会吃一碗加入奇亚籽、花生酱、酸奶和香蕉的麦片。

I would have a bowl of muesli with chia seeds, peanut butter, yogurt and banana.

但在这里，麦片和酸奶都很贵，所以我还没试过吃这个。

And it's quite expensive here to get muesli and yogurt, so I haven't tried having that yet.

我一直在尝试其他食物。

I've kind of been trying other things.

实际上，我今天点了早餐外卖，这在英国是我绝对不可能做的事，但在这里很便宜，而且似乎更常见。

Actually, I ordered breakfast delivery today, which is something I would absolutely never do in The UK, but here it's very affordable and I think it's more common.

我点了一些早餐食物送上门。

And I got some breakfast foods delivered.

我吃了骨汤粥，就是用猪骨熬的米粥，味道非常好。

I had bone broth congee, so rice porridge with, pork bones in it and it was so yummy.

骨汤的味道和粥搭配得特别好。

The flavour of the bone broth really paired well with the porridge.

我还吃了一些饺子和汤，都很不错。

I also had some dumplings and soup that were really nice.

还有一道海藻汤，味道还行，但我并不特别喜欢。

This kind of seaweed soup thing that was okay, but I didn't love.

然后我还点了一碗红小豆汤，非常美味。

And then I also got some red azuki bean soup, which was delicious.

我的意思是，这有点像甜点。

I mean, it's kind of like a dessert.

但这些东西一个人吃太多了。

But this was all way too much for one person.

其实一道菜就足够了，我却点了四道。

Like one of these dishes would have been enough for me and I had four.

所以我把它们放到一边，打算录完这个播客后当午餐吃。

So I put them to the side and I guess I'll have them after recording this podcast for my lunch.

好吃，好吃，好吃。

Yum, yum, yum.

另一件我知道会很难、而且确实很难的事情是天气。

Another thing that I knew was gonna be difficult here and has indeed been difficult is the weather.

宁波属于亚热带湿润气候。

Ningbo is a subtropical humid climate.

所以这个时候，气温在35到40摄氏度之间，湿度通常在80%到90%。

So at this time of year, it's 35 to 40 degrees and usually around 80 to 90% humidity.

只有傻子才会在中午这个时候出门。

So only stupid people go out in the middle of the day here.

所以你可以猜到，我偏偏经常在中午这个时候出门。

So as you can guess, I've been going out a lot in the middle of the day here.

其实这里有个说法来自一首老歌，叫‘疯狗和英国人’，意思是只有疯狗和英国人才会在正午的烈日下出门。

There's actually a phrase that comes from an old song, mad dogs and Englishmen, as in only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.

事实上，我早上走路去上班，让很多人感到惊讶，因为大多数人都是打车或骑摩托车，但我是个英国人，我喜欢阳光。

And indeed, I've been surprising a lot of people by walking to work in the morning when most people get a taxi or ride a moped or whatever, but I'm British, I like the sun.

我知道天气很热，我知道我会出汗，但我不在乎。

I know it's hot, I know I'm gonna sweat, I don't care.

实际上，我出汗越来越少。

And actually I'm slowly sweating less.

每天走路去上班，我需要更长时间才会感到汗水流进眼睛里。

Each day I walk into work, it takes longer for me to hit the points when the sweat is dripping into my eyes.

刚开始的时候，我走到一半路程，汗水就已经流进眼睛了。

When I first started, I was like halfway to school and there was sweat in my eyes.

现在我能走到学校门口才开始出汗流进眼睛。

Now I can get to the school grounds before I have sweat in my eyes.

所以这算是个进步。

So that's a win.

我还听说，这里的冬天会非常冷，因为是一种湿冷的天气，冷得直透骨髓。

I've also heard that in the winter here, gets really cold because it's a kind of like humid cold that cuts into your bones.

我真希望不是这样，因为伦敦的冬天已经够糟了，但我猜我只能适应这种气候。

I really hope that's not the case because London winters are bad enough, but I guess I'll just have to adapt to that.

我确实喜欢这里的气候，尤其是那些小昆虫。

One thing I do love about the climate here is all of the little insects.

你走在街上时，经常能听到蟋蟀和蝉鸣。

As you walk around, you often hear crickets and cicadas.

蝉鸣声太大了，我一度以为是某种电子噪音，比如警报声之类的，但其实那就是蝉的叫声。

The cicadas are so loud that I genuinely thought it was some kind of electronic noise, like a warning sound or something, but it really is just a cicada.

而且它们发出的声音和日本的蝉完全不同，这让我有点意外。

Also they make a very different noise from the cicadas in Japan, so that kind of caught me off guard.

总体而言，尽管宁波是一座高度城市化的现代化城市，拥有九百万人口、许多五车道的大路、庞大的地铁系统和众多摩天大楼，但它也有大量的绿化。

Generally, although Ningbo is a very built up modern city, it's got 9,000,000 people, it's got lots of big five lane roads, it's got a big metro system, it's got many, many skyscrapers, It has a lot of greenery.

宁波的城市规划非常出色。

The urban planning in Ningbo is very good.

几乎每条道路两侧都种植了树木和灌木。

Pretty much every road has trees and bushes planted along it.

有一次我晚上回家，看到一辆卡车开过，车后站着一位老人，正用水管给所有的植物浇水。

One time I was walking home at night and I saw a truck passing by and there was an old man standing on the back, hosing all of the plants down with water.

所以我想，这就是他们让植物持续生长的方式。

So I guess that's how they keep it all growing.

但没错，这里感觉非常绿意盎然。

But yeah, it feels pretty green.

我觉得道路仍然占了太多空间，这让我有点不习惯。

I would say the roads still dominate a bit too much for my liking.

这里的许多公园都很新，树木还没长成，但总体来说平衡得还行。

A lot of the parks here are quite new, so the trees haven't grown in properly yet, but it's generally an okay balance.

我真的很怀念伦敦的公园，因为伦敦有一些非常古老、巨大的树木。

I do miss the parks in London because London has some gorgeous old, old trees that have grown and are really big.

这里很多公园和绿地都显得过于整齐划一、太新了，但我还没去过城市的旧城区。

Here a lot of the parks and stuff feel a bit too manicured, a bit too new, but I actually still have not been to the old part of the city.

我其实今天就打算去一趟。

I'm hoping to go today actually.

所以我相信那一定会是完全不同的体验，那里会有更多的历史气息，或许还有更自然的绿色植被。

So I'm sure that will be quite a different experience and there'll be a bit more history and maybe more like natural greenery there.

我想说，在我来这儿之前，没怎么听人提起过的一件事，就是这里的安保措施，这让我觉得很有趣。

I would say the one thing that I didn't hear so much about before I came here that has been quite interesting is the security here.

人们经常说中国是个非常安全的国家，主要就是因为这里的安保实在太严格了。

People talk a lot about China is a very safe country, and it's mainly because the security here is just insane.

我之前就听说过，这里几乎到处都有闭路电视。

Now I'd heard that there is CCTV pretty much everywhere.

CCTV是闭路电视的缩写，其实就是监控摄像头。

CCTV is short for closed circuit television, so basically security cameras.

确实，监控摄像头无处不在。

And indeed, there are security cameras everywhere.

但不仅如此，在每个地铁站，如果你想上站台坐车，都必须经过安检。

But also at every metro station if you want to get onto the platform to get on the train, you have to go through a scanner.

所以你得把包放进扫描仪，然后让保安检查你的身体。

So you have to put your bags through a scanner and then have a guard check your body.

这就有点像过机场安检。

So it's kind of like going through airport security.

所以你不能带任何尖锐物品上火车，例如。

So you can't bring any sharp objects onto the train, for example.

对我来说，从伦敦过来，那里根本没有任何这样的安检，这让我很震惊。

And that was quite a shock for me coming from London where there is no such security whatsoever.

此外，大多数人住在大型公寓小区里。

Also, most people live in these big apartment complexes.

每次我去朋友家，都得跟保安打交道。

And every time I go to visit a friend, I have to kind of negotiate with the security guards.

有时候你需要报上你的名字和电话号码。

Sometimes you have to give them your name and phone number.

这有点复杂。

It's a bit complicated.

几乎所有的公寓都没有实体钥匙。

Pretty much none of the apartments have physical keys.

他们使用数字密码。

They use a number code.

所以你需要输入密码来解锁前门。

So you put a password in to unlock your front door.

对于我的大楼，要进入小区并乘坐电梯，他们使用的是人脸识别系统。

And for my building, in order to get into the complex and get up the lift, they have a facial recognition system.

所以摄像头会观察你，识别你的面部，然后带你到你公寓所在的楼层。

So a camera looks at you, recognizes your face, and then takes you up to the right floor for your flat.

现在事情变得有点复杂了，因为当我去录制人脸识别视频时，摄像头根本无法识别我的脸。

Now this is where things got a bit complicated because when I went in to record the video for the facial recognition, the camera simply would not recognize my face.

我不知道是因为我看起来像外国人，还是因为我有胡子，或者我太苍白了，但设置花了很长时间。

I don't know if it's because I look foreign or I have a mustache or I'm too pale, but it took a long time to set it up.

但后来他们告诉我，我必须再回来一天，因为地下停车场的安全系统不同。

But then they told me I had to come back in another day because the security for the basement parking levels is different.

我真的有一次被锁在了地下停车场，因为安全摄像头没有认出我。

And I did actually get locked in the basement once because the security camera did not recognize me.

所以我回去重新录入，这次摄像头根本完全认不出我。

So I went back to record and this time it literally just would not recognize me at all.

其中一人用中文说：哦，是因为你太白了，我们都很羡慕你，因为在这里，皮肤白皙被认为是美的。

One of them said in Chinese, Oh, it's because you're so pale, we're also jealous of you because being pale, being very white is considered beautiful here.

我当时想：哦，我不知道，我也没觉得自己那么白。

And I was like, Oh, I didn't know, I didn't think I'm that pale.

但最后他们说，如果我要使用地下停车场的电梯，只需打电话给保安，他们会认出是我，然后放我进去。

But yeah, so in the end they said, If I need to use the basement lifts, I should just call security and they'll know it's me and they'll let me through.

他们说他们真的很尴尬，但说实话，我更尴尬。

So they said they were really embarrassed, but to be honest, I was much more embarrassed.

这段经历某种程度上概括了我到目前为止在中国的整体感受。

And that experience kind of sums up the general atmosphere I have so far in China.

在个人层面上，我感到非常受欢迎。

On a personal level, I feel very welcomed.

这里每个人都非常友好。

Everyone here is very friendly.

宁波是一个相当国际化的城市，所以你不会经常被人盯着看。

Ningbo is a fairly cosmopolitan city, so you don't get a lot of stares.

人们不会无缘无故地过来跟你搭话。

People aren't randomly coming up and talking to you.

但如果你说中文，人们就会很友好。

But if you speak Chinese, people are friendly.

很多人夸过我的中文。

A lot of people have complimented my Chinese.

当我告诉他们这是我第一次来中国时，他们都相当惊讶。

When I tell them it's my first time in China, they're quite surprised.

所以感觉很好。

So it feels good.

但在官僚和科技系统方面，你会感到相当被排斥。

But in terms of the bureaucratic and technological systems, you feel quite excluded.

另一个例子是上周我去了一家肯德基。

Another example is last week, I went to KFC.

我想买点吃的，但你不能直接在柜台点餐。

I wanted to buy food but you can't just order food at the counter.

你必须使用应用程序。

You have to use the app.

于是我尝试使用肯德基的App，但没成功。

So I tried using the KFC app, it didn't work.

接着我试了美团，这是用来点外卖和配送的App。

So I tried using Meituan, which is the app that you use to order takeaway and delivery.

我花了半小时才弄明白怎么在肯德基下单。

I spent half an hour trying to figure out how to order from KFC.

当我终于提交订单时，系统提示：您的账户因可疑活动被标记，无法完成此支付。

And when I finally put the order through, it said, your account has been flagged for suspicious activity and you can't make this payment.

所以它不让我付款，因为系统认为我的行为可疑。

So it wouldn't let me pay because apparently I was acting suspiciously.

我非常生气，于是干脆去了麦当劳，那里可以用店内的屏幕点餐，不用非得在手机上操作。

So I was really angry and I just went to McDonald's instead where I could use one of their screens to order and didn't have to do it on my phone.