Common Talk Weeklyshuang yu zhou kan
issue date

Helen Kuo
October 22, 2003

How fast time flies by! It seems only yesterday that I accepted the gracious offer of working for Common Talk (CT). Indeed, as time speeds by, I've had some of my most memorable experiences working for CT, and made lifelong friends along the way.

When I first arrived in Xiamen three years ago, I loved it here immediately, though there was the most urgent need for a missing necessity- a newspaper in which I, a person completely clueless of the Chinese language, could be informed of recent local events and updated on current affairs. CT's existence seemed vital. Moreover, I believed that while we live in a world and time where evidence of globalization spreads to every neighborhood (and in our case, to every flourishing island), and yet people criticize that mutual understanding is frequently absent. Something was needed to promote further interaction and cooperation. Common Talk, with its acknowledged mission of helping bridge cultures, takes this chance to make a special contribution.

Together, Common Talk and I have definitely come a long way. Seven months ago, when CT's farsighted Feature Editor, Yayu, approached me with her idea and offer, I was thrilled and eager to jump into the opportunity. Naive, stubborn and overly confident, it didn't occur to me that this decision would mean so much more- the imminent responsibilities, pressuring deadlines, hectic schedules, unexpected challenges and vast impact it would have on the city. Common Talk's beginning was in many ways, my own birth. We were both in need of much training to develop skills needed to fulfill our mission. We were both challenged by the lifestyles, cultures and interests of the changing society. We both struggled to improve, strived to do our best and learned tremendous knowledge as we grew.

There is a side of Common Talk, filled with unrevealed secrets that most readers may not be aware of. CT, for them, may be just a weekly source of information or another tool in the course of improving their English. Behind these large news pages and headlines, however, are vast numbers of undisclosed stories. To them, the names of staff and writers may merely be words in black ink, entwined between titles and columns. Yet, to me, these names come with faces, personalities and many fond reminiscences. These names are people I've developed friendships with, people I've learnt from, and people I respect tremendously. Likewise, news articles inform readers of who did what, where and when, why or how they did it, but for me, each report tells of a cherished experience and another lesson learnt.

For me, Common Talk is more than just a newspaper feature, it's a second home in which colleagues, correspondents, and readers I've become friends with care and encourage me like a second family. What Common Talk represents is a crossroad, a meeting place where the trajectories and intersections are a combination of a rich and diverse mosaic of cultures, traditions and knowledge. In art, science and areas in between, it's a wealth of information and a link between our city and the world. Common Talk remains a treasure forever and I feel very privileged to have made my little mark on CT's great pages.

Common Talk, Happy Birthday! Wishing you all the best for a bright and thriving future!

时间过得飞快！我受邀来到双语周刊工作就好像是在昨天。确实，随着时间的飞逝，在双语周刊工作的时光是我人生中最难忘的经历，这一路上我也交了一些终身难 忘的朋友。

三年前，当我第一次来到厦门的时候，我立即就爱上了这座城市，尽管当时我对汉语一窍不通，急切希望有一份报纸能让我从中获得最新的本地消息和最近发生的大 事，但在当时这需要也得不到满足。因此，双语周刊的诞生就显得尤为重要了。而且，我认为在当今全球化的世界中，在人们缺乏互相了解的情况下，我们需要一样 东西来促进人与人之间的互动与合作。双语周刊就是在这种特殊的背景下，担负起联系中西方文化的神圣使命。

无疑，我和双语周刊共同走过了一段长路。几个月前，yayu，双语周刊富有远见的主编告诉我她的想法并邀请我到双语周刊工作的时候，我无比激动。那时，幼 稚、固执、自信过头的我并没有意识到我所做的决定将意味着很多，重大的责任，紧迫的时间，紧凑的日程，各种无法预见的挑战以及双语周刊将对这座城市产生的 深远影响。双语周刊的诞生在某种程度上说也造就了我。我们都需要更多的锻炼，才能完成肩负的使命。我们不断地努力，不断地提高，在成长的过程中孜孜不倦地 学习。

双语周刊也有着为广大读者所不知的另一面。对于很多读者而言，她也许只是一份获取信息的周刊，或是提高英语的一种工具。然而，隐藏在报纸和硕大的标题之后 的却是众多不为人知的故事。在读者眼里，双语周刊的工作人员与作者的名字仅仅是一些穿插在标题与文章之间的印刷体。然而，在我眼里，这些名字后面是一张张 不同的脸，是个性不一的群体，是许多美好的回忆。这些名字代表着我所交的朋友，我从中学习的榜样，和我无比敬重的人。同样，对于读者，这些文章只是让他们 知道什么人在什么时候什么地方做了什么事情，他们怎么做，为什么要这么做。但是，对我而言，每一篇文章都在诉说一个珍藏在心中的故事，一次经验教训。

在我眼里，双语周刊不仅仅是一份报纸，而是我与同事、记者和读者成为朋友的第二个家，在这里我得到了他们的关心和鼓励。双语周刊就像是一个十字路口，各种 丰富多彩的文化、传统和知识在这里交汇。在艺术、科学等领域里，她具有丰富的内涵，是厦门与国际接轨的标志。双语周刊将永远是我的珍藏，我为能在她上面留 下我小小的印记而感到无比自豪。

双语周刊，生日快乐！祝你有一个光明和美好的明天！