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Life is comprised of change. Beginning a life abroad can be described almost entirely through that word “change”. There are big changes； stepping outside of the 1）confines of what is familiar can lead to a whole different perspective on life. I’ve experienced a lot of big changes， but I’ve also been noticing that I’ve experienced smaller changes， as well.
a “nieuwe fiets”
The first time I came to 2）Ghent it was clearly evident that I would need to pull my twelve-year-old bike-riding skills out of the depths of my knowledge base， gain some courage and do as the locals do. It was night as we stepped out of the train station and onto the streets of Ghent for the first time together and I immediately found myself among a sea of bikes. My friend Christophe had been preparing for me to visit and bought a bike for me from a second-hand website. A couple of days after arriving we decided it was time to give the bike riding a go. The first matter of business was to lower the seat of the bike to 3）accommodate my lack of leg length. Now， you see， even with the seat as low as possible my feet only barely reached the pedals. I was 4）adamant that this would not be a problem for the days that I was there， so off we went.
That is until we came upon the 5）Gravensteen. It’s a beautiful castle and it draws a lot of tourist activity， it also is a big 6）intersection for the 7）tram system. Christophe had instructed me to use caution while going across the tram track with the bike and I was trying to follow his advice. Unfortunately， I didn’t do this well enough and the tram track 8）snatched up my bike tire and rendered me helplessly suspended for a few seconds until I executed what one might not deem the most graceful dismount ever. It certainly won the attention of all the passersby that happened to be enjoying the Gravensteen at that time. I picked myself up， picked my bike up， and then tried to gather all the bits of pride that remained. After that experience I was motivated to be more careful when crossing the tram tracks but apparently even the most delicate caution might not be enough. A few days later， I found myself in a similar situation in nearly the exact same location complete with all the onlookers and 9）embarrassment that came with the first experience. This is when I decided that the bike is simply too big or that perhaps I am simply just too small. Whichever way it is， a nieuwe fiets （new bike） is needed.
生活是由变化构成的。在国外开启一段新生活几乎完全可以用“变化”这个词来形容。有些变化是巨大的；迈离自己所熟悉的疆界可能会带来整个人生观的改变。我曾经历过很多重大改变，但我同样注意到自己也曾经历了一些较小的改变。 “骑车”记
当我第一次来到根特市时，显而易见的是，我必须从个人知识库深处将自己在12岁时学到的骑自行车的技能拽出来，拿出一些勇气，然后像当地人那样骑车出行。当我们步出火车站并第一次一起在根特市的大街小巷里穿行时，已是夜晚时分，而我一下子便发现自己陷入了一片自行车的海洋。我的朋友克里斯托弗已经为我的到访做好了准备，在一个二手网站上为我买了一辆自行车。到达后过了两天，我们决定是时候试一把骑车出行了。第一件要做的事就是要降低自行车的座椅，以迁就我腿长不足的问题。现在，你瞧，即便把座椅尽可能地降到最低，我的脚还是只能勉强够到踏板。但我坚定地认为，在我待在那儿的这段时间里，这将不会造成问题，于是，我们出发了。
直到我们来到了格拉文斯丁城堡。这是一座美丽的城堡，不仅吸引了众多旅游活动，而且还是有轨电车轨道系统的一个大交汇点。克里斯托弗已经教过我，当骑自行车穿过有轨电车的轨道时要格外小心，而我也努力听从他的建议。不幸的是，我做得还不够好，有轨电车的轨道卡住了我的车轮，让我束手无策地悬停了好几秒，直到我以应该不是史上最优雅的姿态摔下车来。这当然引起了那时正凑巧欣赏着格拉文斯丁城堡美景的每一位游客的注意。我爬起身来，扶起我的自行车，然后努力拾回自己所剩的每一点自尊心。在这段经历之后，每当要穿过有轨电车的轨道时，我都提醒自己要格外小心，但很显然，即便是最细致的小心可能也还是不够。几天后，我发现自己在差不多完全相同的地点又陷入了类似的处境，和第一次经历一样，到处都是旁观者和尴尬。直到这时，我才认定了这辆自行车确实是太大了，或者也许只是我的个子太小了。不管怎样，我需要一辆“新自行车”！
the swear word losing its strength
Belgians are superior language learners. It’s common to be walking down the street or sitting on the tram and hear an English swear word thrown in among a string of Dutch words. The preferred expression of girls between the ages of 12 and 25 is， “oh my god.” Because I had a relatively 10）conservative upbringing， these words still don’t often cross my lips. I was made aware at a young age that people can be easily offended by this expression. The choice not to say this expression， in my eyes， has nothing to do with religious preference， but rather a common 11）courtesy that I take in order not to offend someone.
The strongest of English swear words， for which we Americans have many silly 12）substitutions （such as “freaking”，“flipping”， “fudge”）， is very commonly heard. When I first moved here， I always felt taken aback when I would hear young people saying this so freely in public. Likewise， sometimes from the mouth of my boyfriend comes the swear word “shit”. Although， seemingly less strong of a 13）cuss word to me than the “f” word， it still always makes me look around quickly to see what 14）catastrophe has occurred. I hate it when he says this while we’re in the car because my automatic reaction is to think that something is going terribly wrong.
脏话失色
比利时人精于语言学习。行走在街头或是坐在有轨电车上听到一连串的荷兰语中蹦出个英语脏话是件寻常事儿。12到25岁的女孩子们爱说的是“oh my god（我的天啊）”。因为我所受的教育相对保守，很少让这些词句脱口而出。小时候，我就被教导说，这种表达很容易冒犯他人。在我的眼里，选择不用这样的表达法与宗教偏好无关，而是一种为了不冒犯他人而持有的基本礼节。
在这里时常能听到那些最冲的英语脏话，我们美国人有很多傻气的替代说法（比如“freaking（该死）”，“flipping（可恶）”， “fudge（胡说八道）”）。当我刚搬到这里来时，每当我听到年轻人在大庭广众之下如此随意地说出这些脏话时，总是吓一跳。同样地，有时从我男朋友的嘴里也会蹦出“shit（混账）”那种脏话。尽管在我看来，这词的语气要比那个“f”开头的脏话轻一些，但还是总会让我迅速四顾，看看有没有发生什么灾祸。当我们驾车出行时，我很讨厌他这么说，因为我下意识的反应就是想到什么要命的事发生了。 This brings me to my point that as these English swear words cross the barrier of language they seem to lose some of their strength. Belgians， specifically Belgian youth， throw them around with reckless abandon while I still choose to use them more 15）sparingly. Although I hope to someday be able to switch languages as easily as these amazing Belgians do， I don’t want these ugly words to become part of my daily vocabulary. After all， damn it， when I say “shit” I want to mean it.
Second-hand language
During the past summer I finally had the opportunity to return to the US and visit my much-missed family for the first time in two years. Quite honestly， it’s been a worry of mine that my language and vocabulary have been 16）deteriorating with all of the foreign words I’ve been trying to cram into my brain during the last few years. It’s no secret to me that my vocabulary and speech have changed. I notice it myself sometimes. It always shocks me when a strange word 17）tumbles out of my mouth. For example， in the US the word “super” only existed in my memories as a red-penned affirmation of an 18）exceptional job on a spelling test or perhaps preceding the word “man” on a pair of children’s pajamas.
In Europe， it’s a perfectly normal 19）exclamation and I’ve noticed it jumping off my tongue before my American brain has the chance to stop it. In addition to“super”， many Belgian people， while having a conversation with me in English， have asked me why I keep saying “ja” instead of “yes”. This is a change that I’ve been completely unaware of， as I always think I’m saying the English “yeah”. Could it be that Belgians don’t know of the word “yeah”or perhaps it’s that my pronunciation has undergone a slight transformation into the Dutch “ja”？
Nevertheless， I notice these small but strange things quite often. It’s a bit of an 20）unnerving experience when I find myself doubting words I’ve known nearly my entire life， but I’ve learned to laugh at these strange occurrences， try to conceal my astonishment at myself when they happen， and to come to see them as one more bizarre 21）quirk of living a life abroad.
这也就带来了我的观点：这些英语脏话在跨越了语言的屏障之后，似乎失去了某些效力。比利时人，特别是比利时的年轻人，满不在乎地随意将这些词挂在嘴边，而我却仍然选择更为谨慎地使用它们。尽管我希望有一天能够像这些神奇的比利时人那样轻易地转换语言，但我不希望这些丑陋的字眼成为我日常用语的一部分。尽管如此，该死的，当我说“shit”的时候，我可不想是闹着玩儿的。
二手语言
在刚过去的这个夏季，我终于有机会返回美国，两年来首次探访我无比想念的家人。说实话，我在担忧，最近几年那些我努力塞进自己大脑的外语单词，会令自己原有的语言和词汇受损。我的词汇和话语都发生了改变，这对于我来说已经不是什么秘密。有时候，我自己也察觉得到。每当一个奇怪的词语脱口而出时，总会令我震惊。比方说，在美国，“super”这个词在我的记忆里只用于拼写测试时用红笔批注的特别优异的成绩上，或者也许是加在一套儿童睡衣上的“man”字前面（即superman）。
而在欧洲，它则是一个相当常用的感叹词，在我的美国大脑有机会制止如此使用它之前，我已经意识到它正脱口而出。除了“super”之外，许多比利时人在用英语与我交谈时，都问我为什么我一直说“ja”，而不是“yes”。这是一种我完全没有意识到的变化，因为我一直认为我说的是英语“yeah”。那有没有可能是因为比利时人不知道“yeah”这个单词呢，又或者也许是我的发音发生了一点微小的变化，变成了荷兰语中的“ja”？
尽管如此，我发现这些微小但奇怪的事情时有发生。当我发现自己对那些几乎熟知了一辈子的词语产生疑虑时，那真有点让人沮丧，但我已学会了对这些奇怪的事件一笑置之；一旦这些情况出现，我会努力将自己的惊讶掩藏在心里，并开始将其看成是国外生活中的又一桩奇闻趣事。
a “nieuwe fiets”
The first time I came to 2）Ghent it was clearly evident that I would need to pull my twelve-year-old bike-riding skills out of the depths of my knowledge base， gain some courage and do as the locals do. It was night as we stepped out of the train station and onto the streets of Ghent for the first time together and I immediately found myself among a sea of bikes. My friend Christophe had been preparing for me to visit and bought a bike for me from a second-hand website. A couple of days after arriving we decided it was time to give the bike riding a go. The first matter of business was to lower the seat of the bike to 3）accommodate my lack of leg length. Now， you see， even with the seat as low as possible my feet only barely reached the pedals. I was 4）adamant that this would not be a problem for the days that I was there， so off we went.
That is until we came upon the 5）Gravensteen. It’s a beautiful castle and it draws a lot of tourist activity， it also is a big 6）intersection for the 7）tram system. Christophe had instructed me to use caution while going across the tram track with the bike and I was trying to follow his advice. Unfortunately， I didn’t do this well enough and the tram track 8）snatched up my bike tire and rendered me helplessly suspended for a few seconds until I executed what one might not deem the most graceful dismount ever. It certainly won the attention of all the passersby that happened to be enjoying the Gravensteen at that time. I picked myself up， picked my bike up， and then tried to gather all the bits of pride that remained. After that experience I was motivated to be more careful when crossing the tram tracks but apparently even the most delicate caution might not be enough. A few days later， I found myself in a similar situation in nearly the exact same location complete with all the onlookers and 9）embarrassment that came with the first experience. This is when I decided that the bike is simply too big or that perhaps I am simply just too small. Whichever way it is， a nieuwe fiets （new bike） is needed.
生活是由变化构成的。在国外开启一段新生活几乎完全可以用“变化”这个词来形容。有些变化是巨大的；迈离自己所熟悉的疆界可能会带来整个人生观的改变。我曾经历过很多重大改变，但我同样注意到自己也曾经历了一些较小的改变。 “骑车”记
当我第一次来到根特市时，显而易见的是，我必须从个人知识库深处将自己在12岁时学到的骑自行车的技能拽出来，拿出一些勇气，然后像当地人那样骑车出行。当我们步出火车站并第一次一起在根特市的大街小巷里穿行时，已是夜晚时分，而我一下子便发现自己陷入了一片自行车的海洋。我的朋友克里斯托弗已经为我的到访做好了准备，在一个二手网站上为我买了一辆自行车。到达后过了两天，我们决定是时候试一把骑车出行了。第一件要做的事就是要降低自行车的座椅，以迁就我腿长不足的问题。现在，你瞧，即便把座椅尽可能地降到最低，我的脚还是只能勉强够到踏板。但我坚定地认为，在我待在那儿的这段时间里，这将不会造成问题，于是，我们出发了。
直到我们来到了格拉文斯丁城堡。这是一座美丽的城堡，不仅吸引了众多旅游活动，而且还是有轨电车轨道系统的一个大交汇点。克里斯托弗已经教过我，当骑自行车穿过有轨电车的轨道时要格外小心，而我也努力听从他的建议。不幸的是，我做得还不够好，有轨电车的轨道卡住了我的车轮，让我束手无策地悬停了好几秒，直到我以应该不是史上最优雅的姿态摔下车来。这当然引起了那时正凑巧欣赏着格拉文斯丁城堡美景的每一位游客的注意。我爬起身来，扶起我的自行车，然后努力拾回自己所剩的每一点自尊心。在这段经历之后，每当要穿过有轨电车的轨道时，我都提醒自己要格外小心，但很显然，即便是最细致的小心可能也还是不够。几天后，我发现自己在差不多完全相同的地点又陷入了类似的处境，和第一次经历一样，到处都是旁观者和尴尬。直到这时，我才认定了这辆自行车确实是太大了，或者也许只是我的个子太小了。不管怎样，我需要一辆“新自行车”！
the swear word losing its strength
Belgians are superior language learners. It’s common to be walking down the street or sitting on the tram and hear an English swear word thrown in among a string of Dutch words. The preferred expression of girls between the ages of 12 and 25 is， “oh my god.” Because I had a relatively 10）conservative upbringing， these words still don’t often cross my lips. I was made aware at a young age that people can be easily offended by this expression. The choice not to say this expression， in my eyes， has nothing to do with religious preference， but rather a common 11）courtesy that I take in order not to offend someone.
The strongest of English swear words， for which we Americans have many silly 12）substitutions （such as “freaking”，“flipping”， “fudge”）， is very commonly heard. When I first moved here， I always felt taken aback when I would hear young people saying this so freely in public. Likewise， sometimes from the mouth of my boyfriend comes the swear word “shit”. Although， seemingly less strong of a 13）cuss word to me than the “f” word， it still always makes me look around quickly to see what 14）catastrophe has occurred. I hate it when he says this while we’re in the car because my automatic reaction is to think that something is going terribly wrong.
脏话失色
比利时人精于语言学习。行走在街头或是坐在有轨电车上听到一连串的荷兰语中蹦出个英语脏话是件寻常事儿。12到25岁的女孩子们爱说的是“oh my god（我的天啊）”。因为我所受的教育相对保守，很少让这些词句脱口而出。小时候，我就被教导说，这种表达很容易冒犯他人。在我的眼里，选择不用这样的表达法与宗教偏好无关，而是一种为了不冒犯他人而持有的基本礼节。
在这里时常能听到那些最冲的英语脏话，我们美国人有很多傻气的替代说法（比如“freaking（该死）”，“flipping（可恶）”， “fudge（胡说八道）”）。当我刚搬到这里来时，每当我听到年轻人在大庭广众之下如此随意地说出这些脏话时，总是吓一跳。同样地，有时从我男朋友的嘴里也会蹦出“shit（混账）”那种脏话。尽管在我看来，这词的语气要比那个“f”开头的脏话轻一些，但还是总会让我迅速四顾，看看有没有发生什么灾祸。当我们驾车出行时，我很讨厌他这么说，因为我下意识的反应就是想到什么要命的事发生了。 This brings me to my point that as these English swear words cross the barrier of language they seem to lose some of their strength. Belgians， specifically Belgian youth， throw them around with reckless abandon while I still choose to use them more 15）sparingly. Although I hope to someday be able to switch languages as easily as these amazing Belgians do， I don’t want these ugly words to become part of my daily vocabulary. After all， damn it， when I say “shit” I want to mean it.
Second-hand language
During the past summer I finally had the opportunity to return to the US and visit my much-missed family for the first time in two years. Quite honestly， it’s been a worry of mine that my language and vocabulary have been 16）deteriorating with all of the foreign words I’ve been trying to cram into my brain during the last few years. It’s no secret to me that my vocabulary and speech have changed. I notice it myself sometimes. It always shocks me when a strange word 17）tumbles out of my mouth. For example， in the US the word “super” only existed in my memories as a red-penned affirmation of an 18）exceptional job on a spelling test or perhaps preceding the word “man” on a pair of children’s pajamas.
In Europe， it’s a perfectly normal 19）exclamation and I’ve noticed it jumping off my tongue before my American brain has the chance to stop it. In addition to“super”， many Belgian people， while having a conversation with me in English， have asked me why I keep saying “ja” instead of “yes”. This is a change that I’ve been completely unaware of， as I always think I’m saying the English “yeah”. Could it be that Belgians don’t know of the word “yeah”or perhaps it’s that my pronunciation has undergone a slight transformation into the Dutch “ja”？
Nevertheless， I notice these small but strange things quite often. It’s a bit of an 20）unnerving experience when I find myself doubting words I’ve known nearly my entire life， but I’ve learned to laugh at these strange occurrences， try to conceal my astonishment at myself when they happen， and to come to see them as one more bizarre 21）quirk of living a life abroad.
这也就带来了我的观点：这些英语脏话在跨越了语言的屏障之后，似乎失去了某些效力。比利时人，特别是比利时的年轻人，满不在乎地随意将这些词挂在嘴边，而我却仍然选择更为谨慎地使用它们。尽管我希望有一天能够像这些神奇的比利时人那样轻易地转换语言，但我不希望这些丑陋的字眼成为我日常用语的一部分。尽管如此，该死的，当我说“shit”的时候，我可不想是闹着玩儿的。
二手语言
在刚过去的这个夏季，我终于有机会返回美国，两年来首次探访我无比想念的家人。说实话，我在担忧，最近几年那些我努力塞进自己大脑的外语单词，会令自己原有的语言和词汇受损。我的词汇和话语都发生了改变，这对于我来说已经不是什么秘密。有时候，我自己也察觉得到。每当一个奇怪的词语脱口而出时，总会令我震惊。比方说，在美国，“super”这个词在我的记忆里只用于拼写测试时用红笔批注的特别优异的成绩上，或者也许是加在一套儿童睡衣上的“man”字前面（即superman）。
而在欧洲，它则是一个相当常用的感叹词，在我的美国大脑有机会制止如此使用它之前，我已经意识到它正脱口而出。除了“super”之外，许多比利时人在用英语与我交谈时，都问我为什么我一直说“ja”，而不是“yes”。这是一种我完全没有意识到的变化，因为我一直认为我说的是英语“yeah”。那有没有可能是因为比利时人不知道“yeah”这个单词呢，又或者也许是我的发音发生了一点微小的变化，变成了荷兰语中的“ja”？
尽管如此，我发现这些微小但奇怪的事情时有发生。当我发现自己对那些几乎熟知了一辈子的词语产生疑虑时，那真有点让人沮丧，但我已学会了对这些奇怪的事件一笑置之；一旦这些情况出现，我会努力将自己的惊讶掩藏在心里，并开始将其看成是国外生活中的又一桩奇闻趣事。