我是一杯鸳鸯奶茶

I am a cup of yuan-yang

李立丞

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​来自作者：我的名字是李立丞，今年是大一学生，商业专业。我是本地人，在温哥华出生成长，所以十分熟悉西方文化。虽然我没有回过中国，但是我的很多喜好都和中国有关，比如音乐、电视剧，食物等等。我选择学中文是因为我觉得学习语言可以帮助我更了解中国文化。

My name is Reigan Lee, this year I am a first-year student majoring in business. I am a local, born and raised in Vancouver, and as a result, I am very familiar with western culture. Although I have never been to China, many of my hobbies are from China, such as music, T.V. shows, food, and more. I chose to learn Chinese because I think that learning a language will help me better understand Chinese culture.

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       很多在加拿大出生长大的华裔都有困惑不解的时候，不清楚自己的位置和文化认同。虽然外表是中国人，但是日常生活中的一些细节，比如语言和喜好，却可以表现出西方文化的色彩。就我自己来说，我好像一杯港式饮料——鸳鸯。鸳鸯是一款地道的港式茶餐厅里的饮品——咖啡 + 奶茶。我在温哥华出生长大，所以受的是西方的教育 -- 英文是我第一语言，我用英文学习其他知识，开阔视野，更好地与人沟通。但是在另一方面，虽然我没有刻意地追求中国式的生活，但我生活的背景，饮食的文化和教育方向，让我渐渐地成为了一个中国式的加拿大人。

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      Many Chinese born Canadians have been confused at times, not sure where they lie on the spectrum. On the outside they look Chinese, but from small details in their daily life, such as hobbies, it is obvious that they have a western way of thinking. As for myself, I am like a Hong Kong style drink – yuan yang. Yuan yang is a special drink found at Hong Kong cafes, a mix of coffee and milk tea. I was born and raised in Vancouver, so it is obvious that I received western education – my primary language is English, it guides my education, allowing me to improve, expand my horizons, and communicate more effectively. On the other hand, I have never consciously pursued a Chinese lifestyle, but my background, food culture, and education has allowed me to slowly become a Chinese style Canadian.

 

       去年我的姐姐寄宿在一个西方人的家庭中，我吃惊地发现虽然他们母子三人生活在一起，但是每个人都有自己的生活节奏，各自忙碌，没有对彼此的关心和照顾。儿子打算十八岁的时候就搬离这个家，自己独立。今年我也已经十 八岁了，但我仍然很愿意继续和父母住在一起。我不喜欢太依赖父母，但我们可以互相帮忙。父母照顾我们的起居饮食，彼此关心，开心度过每一天。渐渐地，我也习惯了一家人同住一个屋檐下。

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       Last year my sister home stayed at a western household, I was shocked to find out that although the mother and two sons lived together, each individual had their own schedule, each busy with their own things, and did not take care of each other. This is why the son planned to move out and become independent at the age of 18. I am also 18 years old this year, but I still am willing to live with my parents. I do enjoy not relying on my parents and being independent, but we are able to help each other out. My parents take care of our meals, care for each other, and go through each day happily. Slowly I assimilated into an important Chinese tradition – several generations living under the same roof.

 

       自从上了中学以后，有时候下课或者考完试了之后，我会跟朋友一起吃吃东西，聊聊天。温哥华的餐厅的种类很多，但是我发现每次选择吃什么的时候，我都会很自然地想到要吃中餐，例如港式餐厅、中国点心，或上海小笼包，这些都是我喜欢的那种中式的味道。吃饱之后，我们想到的甜点是奶茶，而不是咖啡。这些饮食喜好一直伴随着我成长，深深地印刻在我这个温哥华出生成长的中国人的骨子里。

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        Since starting high school, sometimes after class or after exams, I will eat and talk with my friends. In Vancouver there are many restaurants, but I realized that when it came to deciding where to eat, I very naturally thinking of Chinese food, such as Hong Kong cafes, Chinese dim sum, and Shanghai dumplings, all of which are my favourite Chinese dishes. After eating, the dessert that we think of is milk tea, not coffee. These food preferences have been a part of my growth, and is rooted deeply in the stomach of a Vancouver born and raised Chinese person.

 

        近几年，唱卡拉OK变成了CBC很流行的一种消遣方式。于是，在暑假的时候，我的朋友邀请我到他家里看电影，唱卡拉OK。到了他的家后，我发现他的歌曲集只有Drake，Justin Bieber等等的歌手，全部都是我认识但是不喜欢唱的英文歌。我平时开车都会听中文歌曲，比如说薛之谦、周兴哲，和周杰伦等等。当坐巴士很闷的时候，我就会想到看香港电视剧，却不会上Netflix。所以我的文娱活动也都是围绕着中国的流行文化。

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        Recently, karaoke has become a popular pastime for many CBCs, so when summer break came, my friend invited me over to his house to watch movies and sing karaoke. When I arrived at his house, I realized that his songbook only had artists like Drake and Justin Bieber, all of which I recognized but did not enjoy singing. Rather, usually when I am driving, I will listen to Chinese songs by artists such as Joker Xue, Eric Chou, Jay Chou, and more. When I am on the bus, I will think of watching Hong Kong dramas instead of going on Netflix to look for video content. As a result, my entertainment preferences are of Chinese taste.

 

       在小学的时候，我很清楚地记得大部分的同学不是学弹钢琴，就是学拉小提琴；不是打球，就是跳舞，而我却被妈妈带着去学中文。那时我三点半才下课，而中文课三点四十五就开始了，我每个星期二都很匆忙地赶着去上课。有一次，我忍不住问了妈妈“为什么我和姐姐那么赶时间还要上中文课呢？”妈妈当时就回答我说，“无论你长大以后有多成功，大家都会说你是在加拿大出生的华裔，所以作为加拿大出生的中国人，你一定要认识自己的文化，尊重自己的故乡”。伴随着这个想法，我学一年又一年的中文。虽然我没能上台弹钢琴或者跳舞给观众看，但是我能够跟其他中国人沟通，让作为CBC的我觉得十分骄傲。

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        In elementary school, I remember clearly that majority of my classmates if they were not learning the play the piano, they were learning how to play the violin; if they were not playing basketball, they would be dancing. As for me, my mom took me to learn Chinese. At the time, I ended class at 3:00pm, while Chinese class started at 3:45pm, and every Tuesday, I rushed to attend class. One time, I could not help but ask my mom “Why does my sister and I have to attend Chinese class when we are so rushed?” At the time, my mom replied, “no matter how successful you are when you grow up, everyone will say that you are a CBC, and as a CBC, you must understand and know your culture and respect your origins.” Following this way of thinking, I attended year after year of Chinese class. Even though I cannot play the piano or dance on stage, but I am able to communicate with out Chinese people, making me feel proud to be a CBC.

 

       在我的朋友圈中，大部分有兼职的人的目都是想赚一些零用钱作为基本生活消费，对工作没有特别的期望。虽然我也是为了交学费而兼职，但是这六个月在珍珠奶茶店的工作，却让我对自己作为加拿大华裔、东西合璧的身份感到骄傲。珍珠奶茶是东方人流行的饮品，最近这几年才在温哥华普及，所以很多西方人都很好奇这到底要怎么喝，是什么味道。虽然我是在西方社会里长大的，但我也十分地了解珍珠奶茶的各种味道和搭配，所以每次有西方客人的时候，我都可以根据他们的需求而调一杯适合他们的珍珠奶茶，让他们真正地体味到何为东方饮品。虽然工作待遇不高，但是这份工作带给我的是满满的喜悦和满足。我在日常生活中所吸收的中国文化终于可以在西方社会中发挥作用。

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     In my friend group, the reason why many of them have part-time jobs is because they want to earn a bit of spending money to support their daily life expenses, and do not have much aspirations about their work. Although I also have a part-time job to pay for tuition, but the six months working at a bubble tea store has strengthened my identity as a CBC. Bubble tea is a popular Asian drink and has become popular in Vancouver these past few years, so many western people are curious as to what the drink is and how it tastes. Because I grew up in a western society and I have a very good understanding of the special taste and pairings, every time there is a western customer, I am able to, according to their taste preferences, recommend them a bubble tea that suits them, thus allowing them to truly experience and taste Asian drinks. Although my wage is not very high, but this job has made me happy and content. The Chinese culture I take in from my daily life can finally be shared in a western society.

 

       我仍然和父母一同居住，这让我感到幸运，因为这样就能传承中国四代同堂的观念。我也很期待以后有机会回到中国，亲身体验中国的文化。经过多年在西方的成长和教育，我既保留了中国人的传统，也拥有西方人的优点。茶中有啡，啡中有茶 – 这就是我的写照。

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I am very grateful to be able to live with my parents and inherit the Chinese ideology of four generations under the same roof, so I look forward for the chance to go back to China and personally experience Chinese culture. Through years of western-style education, I already have the special features of a traditional Chinese person as well as the positives of a western person. Within Chinese tea there is coffee, and within coffee there is Chinese tea – this is my metaphor.