Name: Luz
Country of Origin: Spain
Occupation: Translator, interpreter and CMO
Years in China: 6
How did your journey in China begin?
I was a Spanish, English and Chinese translation major in my undergrad years. After 4 years of part-time Chinese learning, I could translate written texts, but could barely utter a few Chinese sentences with the tones all mixed-up… Luckily, the chance to visit China came with a scholarship from the Confucius Institute of the University of Granada, Spain. My classmates and I enjoyed our first China-experience at Beijing University in 2014, and that encouraged me to learn Chinese in Xiamen for 10 months. Then, after a year of work in Spain, I chose to pursue a Master’s Degree in Chinese translation at Xiamen university which led to working at MTS, and here I am! 😊
What do you like most about your city and China as a whole?
China surprised me from day 1. I mistakenly assumed it would be difficult to make friends with the locals and fully integrate here. Luckily, my own experience proved me wrong. I have joined all kind of activities and felt welcome in groups where only Chinese was spoken.
In my opinion, China and Chinese people are welcoming to foreign professionals, and this place offers unique opportunities to international students, which I enjoyed and will always be grateful for. Specifically, about Xiamen, what is it not to be liked about this place? Sandy beaches and quiet mountains with their hiking trails are all around the city. But my favourite are parks and squares where the elderly gather to play Mah-jong, Chinese chess, cards, speed-walk with loud music, dance in big crowds or peacefully practice Tai chi.
What fascinated you the most about living in China?
What fascinates me is how similar Spanish and Chinese culture are. I find so many shared values. I see large families and groups of friends gathering for meals, toasting to health, wealth and love, and it brings cherished memories from home. Food culture, family, community, these pillars of Chinese culture are so international, don’t you think? Living here helped me realize that friendship and love speak the same language everywhere, no need for translation.
Finally, what is your unique China story? Tell us something that you experienced that made you love living here even more.
After learning Chinese in Xiamen for a year, I returned to Spain and worked for a winery for a while. One of my duties was to recruit a new employee, a Chinese native speaker. I called Lin, one of the girls who applied for the job, and she turned out to be from Xiamen! Later on, we decided to meet up in Madrid as friends. She showed me around like a local madrileña and we really connected. A few months later, she became my angel, my gateway to return to Xiamen, as she encouraged me to apply for a scholarship and her relative supported my application with a recommendation letter to apply for a Master’s Degree in China. Now we both live in Xiamen, and I thank 缘分 (destiny) for making our friendship happen.
Some background on her hometown
I like to say I come from Almansa, a small city near Valencia. Most Chinese friends have heard of Madrid, Barcelona or Valencia football teams, but Albacete province is quite unheard of here. In the Eastern end of Don Quixote’s La Mancha region, a crossroads for the Arab and Roman Empire’s routes to and from the Mediterranean coastline to the Iberian plateau, the city of Almansa has witnessed several milestones of Spanish history.
El Castillo de Almansa, the Castle, one of the best-preserved fortresses of the region, which dates back to the end of the 11th century, has witnessed battles, conquers and reconquers by different civilizations and is now our city’s icon. The Battle of Almansa, a decisive event for the Spanish monarchy, took place here in 1707 and historians from all around Europe gather in Almansa to recreate the battle. From May 1st to 6th, the local festivities “Moros y Cristianos” declared of International Tourist Interest in 2019 are a festival of costumes, make-up, live music and fireworks, a must-see! Learn more about Almansa here: https://almansaturistica.es/
Read all the unique stories by expats in China here.
To have your China story featured, click here.
Stories will be shared in English on our LinkedIn page, Instagram and Facebook page. Bilingual stories will be shared on our WeChat account mts_cn. Remember to vote for your favourite one!