文/Anwei Yu（美国） 译/张佳艺

去另一个国家生活是件让人既兴奋又惶恐的事。除了气候与环境的物理变化，不同国家的文化与习俗也有巨大差异。中国历史悠久、民族众多，每个省、市、镇、村都有自身的文化和语言，可谓博大精深。

Moving to another country is an exciting experience although it can get a bit scary. Besides the physical change of climate and environment, there are also vast differences in cultures and customs. Because of China's long history and diversity, each province, city, town and village has its own cultures and languages.Sounds overwhelming, right? No worries!

中国是一个多民族国家，由56个民族组成了13亿多人口，其中，汉族人口占全国人口的91.5%。汉族人使用7种主流方言，每一种都可以再细化为千千万万种次方言。次方言之间少有共通之处，连相邻的两个村子也很难理解彼此的方言。在中国南方，方言更是人们引以为荣的文化，在日常对话中随处可见。方言似乎会让来华人士产生畏难心理，但如果掌握些许普通话，一切便都不在话下。普通话被广泛应用于学校等正式场合，具备普通话的基础知识是必需的。来到中国，就请随时做好与中国师生进行普通话的碰撞吧。

China is a diverse country with a population of over 1.3 billion people made up of 56 ethnic groups.The Han Chinese, the ethnic group that makes up about 91.5% of China's population, speak 7 major dialects of Chinese language which can be divided further into thousands of smaller mutually unintelligible dialects that can change from one village to the next (my family speaks 3 at home). Especially in southern China, people are still proud of their local dialects and will speak them in their daily conversations. This sounds scary, but some basic knowledge of Mandarin Chinese can get you very far as it is the language used in all official settings including schools. Be prepared to be taught random phrases and words by your students and fellow teachers!

去中国打包行李前，你可能会好奇“我该穿些什幺？”在确定目的地后，我建议先上网了解一下该地区的全年气候情况，以便打包衣物时有的放矢。大部分安生教育美国青年教学使者项目学校聚集于如江苏、浙江等四季分明的南方省份。由于空气湿度高，这些省份比同等温度下的美国干燥地区更热或更冷。另外，两省虽然有冷至降雪的时节，但却没有供暖系统，只能依靠空调取暖。

Let's take a step back and look at what you should do before even packing your luggage. You may be wondering, “What do I wear?!” After finding out your placement, I would recommend looking online at the year-round climate data of the area.This will help you in choosing clothes to pack. Most of the AYC placement schools are in the southern provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang which have four distinct seasons. Due to the humidity,it feels more hot or cold than it would at the same temperature in drier places like the United States. In addition, although it can get very cold in these two provinces (to the point where it snows), there are no heating systems installed, only air conditioning systems. However, the air conditioning systems can be converted to emit heat.

中国人往往比西方人更在意天气，生怕感冒或者晒黑。你会经常见到中国人在22℃（72℉）时穿长袖，在阳光明媚或雨过天晴时撑起遮阳伞。如果你穿的衣服件数比当地老师的要少，他们就可能会问你冷不冷、需不需要伞。虽然听起来絮絮叨叨的，但他们只是担心你会生病。

Chinese people tend to mind the weather a bit more than Westerners and are very concerned about catching colds and getting tan. Therefore, you will see people wearing long sleeves when it is 22°C (72°F) outside and holding umbrellas when it is sunny or right after rainfall. If you are not wearing the exact same number of layers the local teachers are wearing, they will probably ask you if you are cold or if you need an umbrella. Although it sounds like nagging, they are just worried that you will get sick.

接下来，你应该为突发事件做好准备。在西方国家，大型会议和事件通常提前几个月便安排妥当，整个学期的课表也不会发生任何变化。然而在中国，你会经常被告知要去参加某活动或是要调整课程安排，最早提前两周通知，最迟则会在既定事件开始之后。例如，我有一天按例去上课，但教室里却没有学生。事后我才知道学生们去参加了学校组织的一场活动，但却没人通知我。老师和学生总是在最后一刻得到通知，这一点对于刚来中国的人来说确实很让人泄气。我的协调员一次又一次地向我道歉，告诉我这些调整都是在最后一刻发生的。

Next, you should be prepared for spontaneous events happening in China. In Western countries, big meetings and events are usually scheduled months in advance and class schedules are unchanged throughout an entire semester. However, in China, you will often be notified that you will have to attend an event or have a change in your class schedule as early as two weeks in advance and as late as after the event has already begun. For example, I went to a regularly scheduled class one day and there were no students in the classroom due to a school event that no one had mentioned to me. At first, it may be a bit frustrating, but usually the reason for this is that the teachers and students themselves are notified last minute. My coordinators have apologized time and time again telling me that the changes were very last minute.

本文作者（左一）与同事在一起

有一次我被指派为县政府做日译中翻译，没有人知道出席者名单、到达时间。最后，事情照样得到圆满解决。在这种情况下，最好的办法就是保持耐心，和朋友在微信上交流这种情况。

One time I was assigned to be a Japanese-Chinese translator for the county government and no one knew who was attending,when they were arriving or the purpose of the event. In the end,everything worked out, but in situations like this, the best thing to do is to just stay patient and talk about the situation with your friends on WeChat.

初到中国的那几天，你会发现生活中充盈着各类食物。中国有句俗语道“民以食为天”。在你的中国之旅中，会有很多人在你学校或住区附近请你吃饭，他们会带你尝试当地特色菜，甚至为你亲自下厨。中国有些菜肴和西方国家的食物大不相同，如果你食物过敏或忌口，一定要尽快和学校说明。许多中国菜中会添加花生或芝麻来调味，为了避免过敏反应有些人可能认为从中挑出来就可以了。你也许会担心这样可能会冒犯主人或伤害他们的感情，但无论如何，请将健康放在第一位。

Within the first few days you are in China, you may notice that there is food everywhere! In China, there is a saying, “People view food as if it is their whole world” (民以食为天). Throughout your whole journey in China there will be many people around your school and even your community offering to treat you to a meal. They will want you to try local specialties and may even cook for you. If you have any allergies or dietary restrictions, be sure to make it clear to your school as soon as possible. Many Chinese dishes add peanuts or sesame to garnish dishes and some people may think just picking them out of the food can help you avoid an allergic reaction. You may be worried about offending your hosts or hurting their feelings, but remember to put your health first.

除了食物，不得不提的还有酒文化。外国人酒量大、能适应中国活跃的酒文化，已经成为中国人的一种刻板印象，所以来华人士在外吃饭（尤其是和领导一起吃饭）时，酒一定会被摆在餐桌上。大多数中国人喝啤酒或白酒。中国白酒很多是高粱经发酵后蒸馏形成的酒，酒精含量在25%—65%之间；中国啤酒的酒精含量通常为2%—5%，普遍低于国外啤酒。有些人还会选择喝红酒和威士忌。敬酒时，要遵循级别高低顺序，以示恭敬。如果去赴一场豪华宴，提前喝点水、吃点东西可以免于酒精上头。

Along with food, we have to discuss alcohol! When eating out(especially with leaders), alcohol will be brought to the table.This is due to a combination of a stereotype that foreigners can hold their liquor and a lively local drinking culture. Most people in China will either pick beer or baijiu, a clear alcohol distilled from fermented sorghum usually ranging from 25%-65% alcohol content, as their drink of choice. Local Chinese beer has a lower alcohol content than most beer in foreign countries (usually ranging from 2%-5%). Some people will also drink red wine and whiskey. It is respectful to toast people at the table starting from the highest ranking. If you know you are going to a fancy dinner, you may find it useful to drink water and eat some food before heading out.

中国人大多不曾出过国，你会发现他们对国外的生活很感兴趣。他们好奇其他国家的情况，以及世界各地生活方式的差异。在路上与餐桌上，学校里或小区中的一些人会向你询问各类问题，从爱好到对国际政治问题的看法都会位列其中。聊天时，如果有任何话题让你感到不舒服，随意给出一个模糊的回答就好。毕竟在中国，直接拒绝别人会给人留下极不友好的印象。

You may find that Chinese people are extremely interested in your life as many of them have not left the country before. They are curious about what goes on in other countries and how people's lifestyles differ around the world. During passing and especially during meals, some people in your school or community will ask you about a variety of topics ranging from your hobbies to your opinions toward issues in international politics. If at any time you feel uncomfortable talking about any topic, feel free to give a vague or even fake answer. Directly rejecting people in China can sometimes be viewed as you do not want to be friends.

最后一条建议是有关外出做客的。在中国，人们去别人家做客时通常会带一件小礼物（可以是一些水果），进屋前也会先脱掉鞋子，这幺做是为了避免将外面的泥土带进屋。中国人家里大多没有铺地毯，出于尊重，主人在客人到访前会彻底清扫房间。外出做客十分轻松有趣，不必太过紧张。

My last piece of advice is regarding visiting Chinese people's homes. In China, it is customary to bring a small gift (maybe a few fruits) to someone's house and take off your shoes before entering the home. People do it today mainly to avoid cleaning their floors from dirt tracked in from outside. The majority of Chinese homes are not carpeted and will usually be thoroughly cleaned before your arrival due to a deep respect for guests.Usually, visits to other people's homes are relaxed and fun, so no need to feel too nervous.

我强烈建议大家来华之前搜索和中国文化与目的地点相关的信息，给未来同事和朋友们留下深刻印象，并为自己进入到人生的下一篇章做好准备。I highly encourage searching up information about Chinese culture and your placement locations on the Internet before arriving to impress your future coworkers and friends and get yourself ready for the transition to an exciting chapter of your life. (Anwei Yu is one of the Educational Ambassadors of AYC 2017-2018 program. He teaches in Qingtian High School in Zhejiang Province, China.)

本文作者为学生授课