Being a Country Girl

Blog

Tuesday, 02 February 2016

Language Line

I am a English <> Chinese translator and interpreter, and I was born and raised in HK, one of the busiest cities in the world. It is a truly fascinating place that never sleeps, with the greatest food, most convenient transport and vibrant vibes. But the other side of the coin is that it could be really stressful living in a densely populated city, so like many other HK people, I love travelling (who wouldn’t want a holiday escape?), and I always want to experience different cultures.

I first came to the UK in 2004 for my post-graduate study, and now I consider England my second home. Although I grown up in the metropolitan Hong Kong, I love the nature and animals, and I am more of a country girl than a city girl. While most of the Chinese people in the UK would like to stay in London or other major cities looking for more opportunities, I enjoy living in smaller and more remote towns, where I can go for a walk anytime I want, away from the hustle and bustle, and enjoy a slower pace of life. I have stayed in Oxford for 6 years, and I fell in love with the history and culture of the city. Nothing can beat Oxford in snow. Now I live in a small town in West Yorkshire, with great proximity to the stunning Pennines and Yorkshire Dales. Here you can find a fascinating blend of open heather moors, dales, tumbling rivers, wonderful woods, glorious waterfalls, hay meadows, and distinctive plants and wild birds.

As I live near to the woods, I am lucky enough to have different wildlife visiting the garden everyday. Every morning before I can even start my day, I have to feed all the wild birds, squirrels, badgers, foxes, and cats, and make sure all my guests are happy and satisfied.

 

我是一位英中翻譯員與口譯員，在香港出生和長大，這裡可算是全球其中一個最繁忙的城市。這個迷人的地方有不夜城之稱，在這裡你可以找到各式中西美 食、盡享方便快捷的交通，到處都充滿生機和活力。但凡事總有正反兩面，在人口如此稠密的城市中生活自然壓力不輕。因此我和很多香港人一樣，喜歡到處旅遊 (有誰不喜歡在假日逃離煩囂？)，而我也一直渴望能體驗不一樣的文化。

我在 2004 年來到英國修讀研究生課程，現在我已把英格蘭視為第二個家。雖然我在香港這個大都會中長大，我熱愛大自然和動物，比起時尚的城市女性，我更嚮往當一個村 姑。大部分在英國的香港人都選擇在倫敦或其他主要城市生活，希望可以有更多發展機會，但我比較喜歡較為偏遠的小鎮，這樣我便可以隨時去遠足散步，遠離大城 市的喧囂，享受慢一點的生活節奏與步伐。我曾經在牛津居住 6 年，深深愛上那裡的歷史和文化。牛津的雪景的確是一絕，沒有其他地方可以媲美。現在我住在西約克郡的一個小鎮，與壯麗的奔寧山脈和約克郡河谷相距不遠。在 這裡你可以找到各種醉人的地貌，包括石楠荒野澤地、谷地、湍急的河流、林地、壯觀的瀑布、野草地和獨特的植物及野鳥。

因為我住的地方靠近林地，很幸運地每天都會有不同的野生動物到花園中作客。每天早上在我可以開始工作前，我就先要為所有野鳥、松鼠、蜜獾、狐狸和野貓準備食物， 確保每位「客人」都感到賓至如歸。

Written and translated by one of Language Line’s Chinese translators, Carol S.