Meet Adrian Bradley Cheeks 快樂在高雄 Adrian Bradley Cheeks
Meet Adrian Bradley Cheeks
◎English written by Chen Kuan-chun ◎Photo courtesy of Adrian
In July 2010, Adrian Bradley Cheeks and his Taiwanese wife moved from the US to Taiwan. He presently studies Chinese six hours a day and attends classes at the National Kaohsiung Normal University. He also carries vocabulary cards wherever he goes. He feels the most challenging part of learning Chinese is learning to differentiate the four tones. Adrian, a history major has a particular interest in the emergence of China. He believes Chinese will eventually replace English as the world's dominant language.
In addition to learning Chinese, Adrian teaches English to Tzu Chi volunteers. He also hosts an English radio show called Happy Taiwan at Happy Radio, FM 97.5. Assuming the stage name "ABC" he broadcasts every Sunday from 2 to 3 PM. He hopes his audience will learn new vocabulary, pronunciation and improve their listening skills. His future plans include establishing a cultural center that will assist local people improve their English skills and increase their understanding of western culture.
Although he has only been in Kaohsiung for 5 months, he has learned how to get around in Kaohsiung's traffic. He refers to it as "organized chaos" and feels scooters move at an appropriate speed, so it is safe to walk and drive. Adrian is also impressed by the friendliness of the people in Kaohsiung, the warm weather and inexpensive cost of living. He is confident he will enjoy living here and believes he will continue to get to know the culture in greater depth. Adrian also enjoys swimming, cycling and jump rope, maintaining a good athletic figure.
快樂在高雄 Adrian Bradley Cheeks
◎文／侯雅婷 ◎照片提供／安俊恩
美籍的安俊恩(Adrian Bradley Cheeks)在2010年的7月因為台灣籍的太太來到台灣高雄，並於高雄師範大學習中文。作業簿裡，工整的字跡，不難發現他練習中文的心血努力。每日自習中文6小時的安俊恩說，分辨中文的四聲，與判斷詞義對他而言是學習中最困難的挑戰。之所以這麼努力的學習中文，是因為學歷史的他，對於崛起中的中國很有興趣，他認為以後中文可能會取代英文成為主導性的語言，他還規劃3～5年之後要創立文化交流中心，提升台灣人英文能力，同時介紹西方的文化資訊。確立了目標後，安俊恩就一直往前進，還隨身攜帶著自製的中文學習字卡，把握時間背頌單字。
除了學習中文，安俊恩每週還會固定去教慈濟志工說英文，另外還擔任電台主持人。每週日下午2點到3點，收聽FM97.5，就能與安俊恩(藝名ABC)在快樂電台的Happy Taiwan現場直播節目一起學英文。他希望聽眾從互動中，學習發音、新單字、增進聽力還有精心編輯的節目內容。
安俊恩喜愛運動，時常游泳、騎單車和跳繩，所以一直保有運動員般的優雅體態。到高雄5個月的他，談起高雄的交通相當傳神，他說，那是一種有組織的混亂(organized chaos)，機車騎士會以適當的速度行進於路上，看似危險的馬路其實是蠻安全的。安俊恩稱讚高雄人的友善和溫暖的天氣，再加上低廉物價，讓他可以放心的住在台灣，有深度的認識這塊土地。
Living with a Positive Attitude
Elena Yakovleva's Life in Kaohsiung
◎English written by Peng Hsin-yi ◎Photo courtesy of Elena Yakovleva
Elena Yakovleva is an assistant professor at Wenzao Ursuline College of Languages. She is also studying Chinese there. Elena left her native Russia at age 20 to go to study abroad. She received her PhD degree in Germany where she also met her Taiwanese husband. She has also lived in many other countries and has acquired a very relaxed attitude when she travels to new places or faces new challenges. She and her husband both believe that it is important to integrate into the local lifestyle and culture. They focus on having constructive interactions instead of criticizing the local nuances.
Elena has now lived in Kaohsiung for four years. She has made many friends who come from all over the world. They keep her posted about current events and useful information. They always comfort and support her when she sometimes feels frustrated.
Elena believes the best way to live life is to face everything with a positive attitude. She encourages her students to be confident, set goals for their language learning and to keep themselves motivated. She also encourages her students to start career planning early. In many European countries tuition for international students is not a lot higher than that of the local people. She believes young people should see the world and broaden their horizons.
Although Elena has lived away from home for many years, she admits that she does get homesick sometimes. She feels she has adapted to life in Kaohsiung. Her favorite holiday is Moon Festival because she loves the moon cakes and pomelos. Her favorite food is roasted duck.
She is also very pleased with Kaohsiung's infrastructure and has noticed an increase in park space over the last couple of years. She loves the friendliness and convenience of the city. She does not like being forced to walk on the road within a hair's width from zooming cars. When asked what her New Year's wish was, Elena smiled and said she hopes everything will stay the same and never change!
抱持正面態度
陳蓮娜的高雄生活
◎文／侯雅婷 ◎照片提供／陳蓮娜
俄籍的陳蓮娜(Elena Yakovleva)任教於文藻外語學院英文系，同時學習中文，有著老師和學生的雙重身份。Elena從20歲起就離開家鄉到歐洲求學，在德國取得博士學位，並認識了台灣籍的先生，陸續旅居過許多國家，這讓Elena在面對新的挑戰時變得更有彈性。她談到先生曾與她分享融入當地生活的信念，打從心裏接納新的文化，要感謝能有機會與本地人互動而非批評。
到高雄4年，Elena與外籍朋友們建立深厚的友誼，除了分享生活訊息，遇到挫折時，朋友們更是她最堅強的後盾。
而面對任何事物，Elena總是抱持正面的想法和態度。她也以此鼓勵學生要有信心，設定學習語言的目標，才會有努力的動力。同時Elena也建議學生做好生涯規劃，她說歐洲許多國家對國際學生並不會徵收特別高額的學費，可以把握機會出去開拓眼界。
Elena說，儘管旅居過許多國家，但她還是常常想家。但這些年居住在高雄一切都適應良好，最愛烤鴨的她，也很喜歡中秋節，因為可以享用月餅和柚子。她觀察到高雄有越來越多的公園，相當稱讚高雄的基礎建設，她很喜歡這個友善又便利的城市，唯一困擾的就是騎樓空間常被佔用，行人被迫走到馬路上，與車爭道。問起她的新年新希望，Elena笑著說希望這一切都不要改變！