海归老人的快乐英语人生

文/本刊记者 李静

海归老人的快乐英语人生

文/本刊记者 李静

彭中先生（左二）与英语角的学生们合影

英语优秀 赴美留学

听彭中先生的故事，感觉像是在看一部电视剧，波折而又不失精彩：13岁时，因为父亲的工作调动从北京搬到重庆；1963年，成绩优异的他以四川省理工科高考第二名成绩进入天津大学电力系统自动化专业，1978年考入中国科学院高能物理研究所读研究生。

因为自小对英文有着浓厚的兴趣，即使在学校学的是俄语，彭中也会经常跑去别的英语班听英语课。在中科院研究生院的时候，有时候会有外国的教授来学校讲学，大家都很兴奋，都围着老师转，彭中也不例外，总是想到很多问题去和老师探讨。那个时候，彭中总是骑着自行车往北京西郊的友谊宾馆跑，因为外教住那里，他就跑去和他们聊天，这对他的口语训练非常有利。现在想想，彭中也称是抱着一丝希望去的，因为可以在外国教授面前充分展示自己的英语和专业水平，也有机会获得全额奖学金赴美留学。

终于，功夫不负有心人。1980年，电气工程排名美国第八的普度大学的一位来访教授对彭中印象深刻，同意给他奖学金去美国。这让彭中兴奋了很久。很多人讲究埋头苦干，专业学习比他好，而优秀的英语水平让他的人生出现了转折，34岁那年，彭中实现了他的出国梦。

文化差异 毅然回国

踏上美国的国土，彭中仍然有种不真实的感觉，在旧金山下飞机以后，展现在他面前的便是另一个全新的西方国度，无论是物质与精神上，彭中感到一切都与自己的国家完全不同了。在国外攻读硕士、博士四年多后，他进入美国旧金山太平洋煤气电力公司调度中心工作，1989年6月16日拿到了绿卡。很多人都认为，拿到绿卡就等于实现了美国梦，这也是很多漂泊海外的人梦寐以求的东西。而彭中却有了不一样的想法，他所理解的是：在美国，能够改变自己，就叫美国梦。

站在位于旧金山的EMBARKDERO顶楼的旋转厅，看着窗外的夜景，短暂的兴奋消退之后，彭中却对前途和未来很茫然。“绿卡”到手了，他却反而有点想回国了，觉得自己在美国到头了，43岁，自己才做到最普通的工程师。前途就像玻璃天花板，看得到，却到达不了。

在美国工作的时间越久，彭中越能感觉到相互之间文化与工作管理上的差异和沟通的欠缺。要在美国有所发展，必须融入美国社会。但彭中始终无法完全融入，与他们没有共同的话题。而且在出国时他已经34岁，世界观早已形成，已经离不开根深蒂固的中国文化。虽然当时的他已经在美国内华达州政府电监局任职高级工程师，拿着高薪，但两国文化的差异让彭中最终选择回国。

创办英语角 快乐的退休生活

在美国学习、生活、工作了16年后，“老海龟”彭中在福建的一家美国独资企业工作，2001年，彭中退休回到重庆，本是准备安享晚年。然后，受不了清闲的退休生活，他又到重庆的一所英语学校教学生计算机英文课程。每个周末，学校会在解放碑组织一个英语角让学生聚在一起练习口语，彭中就负责管理英语角。为了调动他们的学习兴趣，彭中会给他们讲自己在美国的见闻和经验；为鼓励学生，他每次都自己花钱买奖品给学生。后来，彭中工作的英语学校关闭了，但他还是把这个英语角保留了下来。每周在解放碑、沙坪坝举办两次“快乐英语角”，近九年来共862次活动，除此以外，彭中还用自己的退休金举办不同形式的英语聚会，独家赞助大型英语学习活动40多次, 如重庆赴上海外企精英经验交流, 英语口语大奖赛, 快乐英语圣诞晚会等。近九年来，彭中一如既往地办着英语角，共累计捐资约五十万元。德国电视台、美国国际广播电台，重庆卫视， 重庆晨报，重庆时报，重庆晚报，重庆经济报等多家媒体进行了采访报导。就这样，英语角的名气也越来越大，来的人也越来越多，高中生、大学生、工作的、甚至78岁的老年人也闻讯前来，“快乐英语角”的影响力越来越大，很多来重庆的外国人或游客也会到这里和大家进行交流。

到明年的4月就是英语角十周年，如今的英语角已经成为彭中退休生活的精神寄托，看到这么多朋友因为他的帮助在英语角成长，他觉得很有成就感，而这一切是他在美国工作的时候从来没有的。彭中喜欢重庆，重庆的人耿直，城市发展变化快，他会一直在重庆生活，把英语角继续办下去，办“快乐英语角”的他也在这里找到了自己晚年生活的快乐。

彭中与英语角第三届口语大赛获奖选手合影

英语角也吸引了许多外国友人前往

“快乐英语角”八周年庆

Go to Study in US Because o f Exce llen t Eng lish

The p e rsona l sto ries o f M r. Peng Zhong a re like a TV se ries w ith p eaks and va lleys. He m oved to Chongq ing from Be ijing because o f the trans fe r o f his fa the r's wo rk w hen he was 13. In 1963, he was ac cep ted b y Tian jin Un ive rsity, m a jo ring in Elec trica l Powe r Eng inee ring. In 1978, he stud ied in the Institu te o f H igh Ene rg y Physics o f the Ch inese Academ y o f Sc iences.

His strong inte rest in Eng lish urged him to have Eng lish c lasses as an aud ito r, even though Peng Zhong stud ied Russian in schoo l. As a g rad ua te stud en t in the Ch inese Acad em y o f Sc iences, o the r p ee rs w ou ld a lways asked m any questions o f the fo reign visiting p ro fessors. At that tim e, he liked visiting Beijing Friend ship Ho te l by b icyc le because h is fo reign teache rs lived the re and he wan ted to cha t w ith them in Eng lish. Now sp eaking o f tha t pe riod, he said tha t he had cherished a hope tha t one day he wou ld fu rthe r his stud y in Am e rica w ith fu ll scho larship.

God he lp s those w ho he lp them se lves. A visiting p ro fe sso r from Pu rd ue Un ive rs ity ha d a d ee p im p ression on Peng Zhong and ag reed to he lp h im stud y in Am e rica w ith fu ll scho la rship, which stirred his m ind fo r qu ite a long tim e. As som e o the rs w e re be tte r than h im in g rades, his ou tstand ing Eng lish opened a new w indow for him. At the age o f 34, his d ream o f stud ying aboard cam e true.

Com e Back Because o f Cu ltu ra l Diffe ren ces

He fe lt un rea l when he land ed the job in Am e rica wh ich was a b rand new weste rn coun try w ith sha rp d ifferences in cu lture and m a teria ls. A fter m o re than fou r-yea r stud y o f m aste r's and doc to ra l d eg rees the re, he was em p loyed by the Pow e r Dispa tch Cen te r o f Pac ific Gas & Elec tric, San Franc isco, USA. He go t h is g reen ca rd on June 16, 1989. Many peop le be lieved ge tting a g reen ca rd wou ld m ean the rea lization o f the Am e rican d ream bu t tha t w as no t fo r Peng. Wha t he he ld was tha t se lf-im p rovem en t was his pe rsona l Am e rican d ream.

Watching from the roo ftop revo lving restau ran t o f Em ba rcade ro Cen te r, he fe lt a sud den em p tiness p op p ing in to h is m ind and he cou ld no t see his fu tu re. Nosta lg ia becam e m o re acu te and he saw his end in Am e rica because being 43, he w as still an eng ineer. A g lass ce iling stood in h is way up.

The longe r he wo rked in the US, the sha rp e r he fe lt the d iffe rences in cu ltu re and w o rk be tween Ch ina and Am e rica, and the lone lie r he fe lt. To achieve som ething in Am e rica, one m ust assim ila te h im se lf in to the soc ie ty wh ich is the exac t d ifficu lty fo r Peng. He se ldom had som e sha red top ic s w ith h is Am e rican co lleagues. Yes, he w as 34 when he first cam e to Am e rica. At that tim e his wo rld view w as form ed and deep ly a ffec ted by the Ch inese cu ltu re. The cu ltu ra l d iffe rences fina lly m ad e h im bac k to Ch ina, a lthough he w as the sen io r eng inee r in the Pub lic Se rvice Comm ission, State o f Nevada.

Crea ting the Eng lish Co rner and Live a Happ y Re tired Life

Back in China, Peng Zhong w orked in an Am erican com pany in Fu jian Province. After his retirem en t, he wen t bac k to Chongq ing to en joy h is re tired life. Bu t he was no t quite read y for tha t life. So he wen t to teach Eng lish fo r Com p u te r Sc ience in a schoo l wh ich w ou ld o rgan ize an Eng lish Co rne r on weekend s. Bu t la te r the schoo l he taugh t in had shu t dow n, bu t he m anaged to keep the Eng lish co rne r running. Eve ry week he o rg an izes the Eng lish c o rne r a t Jie fang b e i and Shap ingba resp ec tive ly, 862 in to ta l having been done fo r the past 9 yea rs. In ad d ition, Peng has he ld d iffe ren t kind s o f Eng lish parties w ith his pension and sponso red m o re than 40 ac tivities re la ted Eng lish lea rn ing such as the Ch ristm as p a rty and the Eng lish o ra l com pe tition. Th roug h the c ove rag e b y m any m ed ia su ch as Chongq ing Te levision, Chongq ing Daily and e tc., the Hap py Eng lish corner go t its nam e, attrac ting m o re and m o re peop le from h igh schoo l stud en ts to the 78-yea ro ld m an and from loca ls to fo re igne rs.

Ap ril o f the next year w ill m ark the 10th annive rsa ry o f the Happ y Eng lish Co rne r w hich is the b rainchild o f Peng. Wa tch ing so m any p eop le g row ing up and im p roving them se lves in the Co rne r, he fee ls a g rea t sense o f achievem ent tha t never happened to him in Am erica. Peng loves he re and w ill live here fo r the rest o f his life. Peop le he re a re stra igh t and he lp fu l and the c ity itse lf is unde rgo ing p ro found changes, he sa id w ith a sm ile. The Hap p y Eng lish Co rne r w ill go on and he w ill continue seeking hap p iness here.

美国柏克德工程公司高管也来英语角与学生们交流

A Happy Eng lish Life o f an Overseas Chinese

W ritten by Aggie & Gary Hynson Translated by Kenneth Hu