I am new to couch surfing. Before this trip I only heard about it from Kelsey, who used to host and surf in Russia. To help find us a place to sleep, I registered an account on couchsurfing. In the beginning, I didn't make any successful requests, maybe because I was new and didn't quite write much about myself on my page. Kelsey has some references from her past experience so she found us Daniel and Angel at Columbus, OH and Makai at Madison, WI.
We arrived at Daniel and Angel's house around 9. Before arriving Kelsey suggested picking up flowers for them, which was very sweet. Daniel is Polish-Taiwanese American and Angel is Indian. Their house was very comfortable with two large baby toys besides the fireplace. Angel said her daughter was in the room asleep. I used the bed in the living room and Kelsey and Whitney shared another bed in the bedroom. We chatted with them on the impressions on American Mid-west states. They mentioned some cities and states but I wasn't familiar with those places. Daniel must have had some thought on this area as he sounded that he had a pretty complete picture in his mind.
Makai was an interesting guy. His two walls were covered by game/movie discs and CDs. He said that those were currencies on his job, which was ground staff at the airport. His grandparents had multiple ethnic origins, not to say him. When asking him to list the countries he had traveled, I soon regreted that I should have let him list the countries he had never been to, that would take much less time! A most incredible thing was his love story in Hawaii. He fell in love with a pretty girl. One day he had to go to a party in the backyard of his grandma, and he knew that she went to her relative's party that day as well. After a few minutes in the party, he found her walking through his grandma's door! That is the situation in Hawaii. It seemed that every one is a relative to someone else, as long as you keep asking questions.
At Portland, I began another round of search for hosts because I had a reference from Angel and Daniel now. Rosslyn replied to me very quickly with a brief message. We were all very impressed by her trust to us, because she agreed to let us in without even meeting us beforehand. We arrived under her building and I ran upstairs to find an envelop sticking to her door with a key and a parking permit. After we had supper, I bought her some flowers and Kelsey gave me a Thank-you card to write. Her room was not very big, but very comfortable with thick carpet. And she uses a lot of Kieh's products. Her bathroom was also spotlessly clean.
Her two cats were friendly and fluffy, walking quietly in her clean room. We had a good time with the cats. After we took another walk to Powell's City of Books and chatted in a brewery with Kelsey's friends, we went to bed. Rosslyn came back from work later that night. I got up to shake her hand. Her hand was cold, but from that handshaking I was somehow touched. What trust! That is her, not some gunman or a crazy person. She took her shower and went to bed very soon. On the second day, she got up a few minutes later than we did and talked with us a little bit. I felt sorry that we had to leave soon, but would really love to be friends with her.
I feel doing couchsurfing is similar to playing trust game. You can feel the warmth and friendliness of the world, and also let you gain a glimpse into local people's lives. However, who knows when danger will seek on you? Anyways, be trustful and trustworthy, and also vigilant.
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Amandine Martin: Freelance Interpreter and Translator between D.C. and Madison
Amandine graduated from French TI in 2014 and is a freelance interpreter and translator in D.C. and Madison, Wisconson. She was one of the first persons referred by Jeff. He said that she was an alumni panel member for MIIS spring break trip to D.C. and was a good person to talk to. When scheduling with Amandine for an interview in D.C., I learned that she was currently in Madison, which happened to be on our itinerary. So we decided to meet in Madison instead. Our interview happened in a bar in downtown Madison on May 19.
I was mostly impressed by her thoughtfulness. As she told me she was not in D.C., she kindly referred Miguel to me, who was in D.C. She was so considerate as to offer to make a reservation with the restaurant before we arrived in Madison! I believe that all good interpreters and translators are first of all thoughtful.
Not only for me, she was also thoughtful for her clients. Not all clients are experienced with working with interpreters. "Never put the client to a position of embarrassment." Once a client wanted to include consecutive interpretation in their event, she reminded the client that the lecture needed to be cut in half if they wanted to finish in time. Another time, the client used a PPT with French plus bad English translation or inconsistent terminology. She stepped up to offer help with the translation so as not to confuse the audience.
Her first assignment was working with high school students from French-speaking African countries, who came to the States to learn US culture and learn social entrepreneurship. She traveled with the group to different parts of the States. One seemingly funny but important lesson she learned was that while going through a door, she should go with the team leader or guide, not holding the door for other people! Of course, a culture-related activity would involve a lot of culture-specific terms and idioms. One activity was about students quoting a proverb in their home, and she was stuck for one. She had to raise her hand to request explanation so as to let the interaction go on; otherwise the conversation wouldn't go anywhere.
When asked how she got to know the alumni in D.C., she said that there was a MIIS alumni meetup once a month on a certain day. She also got to know other interpreters while they lived in the same hotel for different projects.
Amandine has a balanced workload from translation and interpretation with a relative stable client base, but she was also trying something besides that. Her advice is that: when opportunities come up, just say Yes! Amandine has never done logistics before, but she has interpreted relevant topics, so she took that job and found that interesting. So you never know whether you would like a job or not until you try it. You may be surprised if you try the things that may not be your first choice. She said that actually freelance translator and interpreters also have other identities, such as author and artist. Life offers so many opportunities as long as we keep exploring.
I was mostly impressed by her thoughtfulness. As she told me she was not in D.C., she kindly referred Miguel to me, who was in D.C. She was so considerate as to offer to make a reservation with the restaurant before we arrived in Madison! I believe that all good interpreters and translators are first of all thoughtful.
Not only for me, she was also thoughtful for her clients. Not all clients are experienced with working with interpreters. "Never put the client to a position of embarrassment." Once a client wanted to include consecutive interpretation in their event, she reminded the client that the lecture needed to be cut in half if they wanted to finish in time. Another time, the client used a PPT with French plus bad English translation or inconsistent terminology. She stepped up to offer help with the translation so as not to confuse the audience.
Her first assignment was working with high school students from French-speaking African countries, who came to the States to learn US culture and learn social entrepreneurship. She traveled with the group to different parts of the States. One seemingly funny but important lesson she learned was that while going through a door, she should go with the team leader or guide, not holding the door for other people! Of course, a culture-related activity would involve a lot of culture-specific terms and idioms. One activity was about students quoting a proverb in their home, and she was stuck for one. She had to raise her hand to request explanation so as to let the interaction go on; otherwise the conversation wouldn't go anywhere.
When asked how she got to know the alumni in D.C., she said that there was a MIIS alumni meetup once a month on a certain day. She also got to know other interpreters while they lived in the same hotel for different projects.
Amandine has a balanced workload from translation and interpretation with a relative stable client base, but she was also trying something besides that. Her advice is that: when opportunities come up, just say Yes! Amandine has never done logistics before, but she has interpreted relevant topics, so she took that job and found that interesting. So you never know whether you would like a job or not until you try it. You may be surprised if you try the things that may not be your first choice. She said that actually freelance translator and interpreters also have other identities, such as author and artist. Life offers so many opportunities as long as we keep exploring.
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| With Amandine, an angelic girl |
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Pittsburgh: Conflict Kitchen and Carnegie
At Pittsburgh, we arrived at Conflict Kitchen for lunch. Kelsey found this place. It features ethnic food from the countries in conflict with the United States. That day was the last day they served Palestinian food. I got Falafel for food and Lemonana for drink.According to Wikipedia, Conflict Kitchen is a project by two art professors at Carnegie Mellon University. I think it is really a good way to let the public understand other countries and the international affairs. It is a great example of culinary diplomacy which Kelsey is passionate about.
The food was good, but I would recommend the other kind of drink on the menu. We sat on the square with a cover overhead. There were around twenty customers there too.
After lunch, we took a walk in Pittsburgh. It seemed that in the city center, there were many buildings sponsored by Carnegie. I first learned about Carnegie from Chinese books teaching you how to be successful, but that's it. This time I actually saw those music halls, libraries, museums and university (Carnegie Mellon University) named after him, and the iron bridges in Pittsburgh. I could easily imagine what it was like in the early 20th century. The industrialist and philanthropist seemed to be the pride of the city.Kelsey was inspired to read his biography when we were back. Travelling can really broaden one's vision!
First night in the States
Around 1 am on a July day, Monterey is chilly with a clear night sky. My boyfriend and I come out of the cab and drag two huge cases to the door of my current house. My landlady told me that she wouldn't be home but I could ring the bell as my roommate would wait for me.
Shivering from coldness, I press the door bell in the silence of the night. Nobody answers. The house remains silent. The moon is bright. Simba the toy is standing at the door at the end of a staircase near my house, dimly luminous, as if creepily watching our next move.
Are we at the right door? It is quite amazing to start the journey and arrive in front of a specific door across the globe. Maybe some error has occurred. Maybe the cab dropped us at a wrong neighborhood. It is late, the cab driver is possible to be too sleepy to read the GPS.
I double confirm the address. Yes this is it. We keeps pressing. Finally I hear someone is walking to the door.
The door opens. A tall, slim blonde girl, obviously upset, questions: "How can I HELP you?" I explain to her my landlady's arrangement, saying that my bf is allowed to stay in the living room. "No, I'm staying in the living room. He can't stay here." But he can't stay in my room either as I have a roommate inside. She says she is not aware of my landlady's arrangement whatsoever. Throwing two pillows off, she walks back to bed.
Standing there for a while, we decide that we can only go out to find a place to stay. Confused and angry and cold, we spend almost a month's rent on a hotel room as we don't have a car, his phone is about to die and nearby affordable hotels are fully booked.
I used to watch America's Next Top Model before coming here. On the plane from China to Los Angeles, I even revisited an ANTM episode to prep myself for what may be happening to me. This heads-on is such an ANTM girl! I wasn't so angry at her. I was angry at my landlady's arrangement. Though she left a mess right outside our house before taking off, I don't really think ill of her. After all, she was the girl who opened the door for us. My other two roommates didn't even get up.
On the contrary, I should have thought of a better way to deal with the situation. If I was brave enough I could step inside the house and have a look at her bed and then I could let her sleep on my bed and we go to sleep on her bed. Then again, that is too bold a request to place and she was in a bad mood woken up during the night.
Shivering from coldness, I press the door bell in the silence of the night. Nobody answers. The house remains silent. The moon is bright. Simba the toy is standing at the door at the end of a staircase near my house, dimly luminous, as if creepily watching our next move.
Are we at the right door? It is quite amazing to start the journey and arrive in front of a specific door across the globe. Maybe some error has occurred. Maybe the cab dropped us at a wrong neighborhood. It is late, the cab driver is possible to be too sleepy to read the GPS.
I double confirm the address. Yes this is it. We keeps pressing. Finally I hear someone is walking to the door.
The door opens. A tall, slim blonde girl, obviously upset, questions: "How can I HELP you?" I explain to her my landlady's arrangement, saying that my bf is allowed to stay in the living room. "No, I'm staying in the living room. He can't stay here." But he can't stay in my room either as I have a roommate inside. She says she is not aware of my landlady's arrangement whatsoever. Throwing two pillows off, she walks back to bed.
Standing there for a while, we decide that we can only go out to find a place to stay. Confused and angry and cold, we spend almost a month's rent on a hotel room as we don't have a car, his phone is about to die and nearby affordable hotels are fully booked.
I used to watch America's Next Top Model before coming here. On the plane from China to Los Angeles, I even revisited an ANTM episode to prep myself for what may be happening to me. This heads-on is such an ANTM girl! I wasn't so angry at her. I was angry at my landlady's arrangement. Though she left a mess right outside our house before taking off, I don't really think ill of her. After all, she was the girl who opened the door for us. My other two roommates didn't even get up.
On the contrary, I should have thought of a better way to deal with the situation. If I was brave enough I could step inside the house and have a look at her bed and then I could let her sleep on my bed and we go to sleep on her bed. Then again, that is too bold a request to place and she was in a bad mood woken up during the night.
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