Struggling for a Life in a Foreign Land

By You Jin [Singapore]

On Nawoi Avenuein Osh, the second largest city in Kyrgyzstan, there is a restaurant named “Shanghai Restaurant” which serves authentic Chinese cuisine.I had been tortured by an ache in my throat due to the ubiquitous local kebabs, so Chinese food was indeed a wonderful option for my sore palate.

I went there and ordered two dishes after sitting down.It was wonderful.The chef had a superb command of culinary art, with presentable steamed fish garnished with sliced ginger and green onion, and sumptuously savory slivered beef with gourd.

After that, I became attached to the food there, and began visiting it frequently.Soon I was on good terms with the restaurant owner Luo Yihan.We had many good conversations before I knew that she had experienced a lot of hardships in starting her career in Osh.

A Difficult Start

As a newcomer to a foreign country, Luo couldn't speak a word of the local language.Things were so difficult for her.

“Russian is one of the official languages that everyone speaks in the country, so I made up my mind to learn it by reading a set of Russian textbooks with pictures.I stayed with a local family, and the couple had five children who, in turn, taught me the language.Some basic retroflex sounds were so difficult for me that I couldn't grasp them—I even had a swollen and sore tongue from constant practice.With my unremitting effort to master them, I learned a secret: When vibrating my tongue, I raised it against the upper jaw.Then the moving air could produce the sound.Eventually I overcame the formidable obstacle, and made great progress afterwards.”

With her persistent study of the language, she was able to communicate with locals in simple Russian.As her proficiency improved, she could use the language much better.Now she spoke Russian with as much ease as if she were a native, and had long become accustomed to the life here.

吉尔吉斯斯坦的第二大城市奥什有家“上海餐厅”，坐落于那娃伊大街，据说提供非常地道的中餐。我的喉咙早已被那无处不在的烧烤肉串弄得又干燥又疼痛，中餐对我而言，不啻沙漠绿洲。

我坐下来，点了两道菜。此处的厨师果然了得，姜葱蒸鱼做得活色生香，牛肉葫芦瓜也炒出万种风情。

吃上瘾了，天天往那儿跑，自然而然与店主罗艺菡熟络起来。常谈变为长谈、深谈，这才知道，现年49 岁的她，在奥什创业，却是一路崎岖。

寸步难行

初到异域的罗艺菡，语言不通，寸步难行。

“俄罗斯语是当地的官方语言之一，人人会说，我买了一套图文并茂的俄文书，下定决心学会它。当时，我寄居在一户乌孜别克族家里，夫妇俩有5 个孩子，他们轮流教我。俄语中有些基本的卷舌音非常困难，我的舌头卷得几乎溃烂了，还发不出来。下了拼死的决心日练夜练，最后终于发现一个窍门：以颤动着的舌头顶住上颚，靠气流把语音传送出去，这才破除那个可怕的障碍。障碍一去，势如破竹，进步神速。”

日夜不分地苦学不辍，出门去时，已能用基本俄语和当地人沟通交往。她持续不断地活学活用，越学越顺，越顺越精；现在，一口俄语已说得如水般流畅。这时，她已全然适应了异乡生活。

正当一切上了轨道时，第一个要命的打击来了。

她的亲戚把12 万双鞋子批发到邻国乌兹别克斯坦，遇上商场骗子，分文都收不回来。

对着泼泻一地的牛奶痛哭流涕，纵是哭得天崩地裂，也于事无补啊。痛定思痛，她决定转售床单、被子等日常用品。靠着诚信，生意蒸蒸日上，利润滚滚而来。

冲出重围

正当她以为迎来生命里的另一个春天时，第二个打击接踵而至。

那是2010年，吉尔吉斯斯坦发生严重暴乱事件。

回忆起6月那夜的情景，罗艺菡的记忆清晰如昨。

她双眉紧蹙地说道：“一连串好像鞭炮的声音将我从梦中惊醒，坐起身后，发现那是恐怖的枪声。往窗外一看，人影奔窜，喊打喊杀之声此起彼伏，我肝胆俱裂。那仅仅是一个开始。次日，情势恶化，到处放火啊，打砸啊，杀戮啊，强奸啊，我独自居住在楼房里，像头困兽，插翅难飞，一筹莫展。”

更糟的是，事出突然，家里没有囤积粮食。楼下不远就是百货商店，可谁敢离开家门半步呢？每家店子都把大门锁得紧紧的，谁敢开门营生？

“我住二楼，左邻右舍都是吉尔吉斯人，幸好平时大家相处得不错，危难之际，他们发挥了守望相助的精神，有户邻居给我送来一只大羊腿，另外几户邻居则送我面包和干粮，以供我果腹，真令人感动啊。”

靠着这些温暖的援助，度日如年的她挨过了好几天，等局势稍稍受到控制，她逃到乌鲁木齐，在那儿待了一个多月，才敢回返奥什。

骚乱平息，通向邻国乌兹别克斯坦的其中一个大关卡被关闭了，原本生气勃勃的批发市场首当其冲，生意一落千丈。

璀璨的春天变成萧瑟的冬天，罗艺菡不愿坐以待毙，积极谋求冲出重围的机会。

中国有许多企业集团到奥什发展，来来往往的中国人很多，敏锐的她从中嗅到了商机，决定开设一家中餐馆。

As everything was set on the right track, she suddenly suffered a deadly blow.

One of her relatives helped her to wholesale 120,000 pairs of shoes in the neighboring country Uzbekistan but was scammed.All her money was lost in it.

There was no use crying over spilt milk, however.After learning a lesson from it, Luo decided to trade daily necessities such as bed sheets and quilts.Her honesty paid off, and she benefited from her booming business.

A New Turning Point

Just as she was expecting a good step forward for her career, another blow followed.

In 2010, a violent riot broke out in Kyrgyzstan.

Now, Luo still recalls the night in June as if it had happened today.

“I was woken up by a bout of noises like fireworks.Soon I realized it was a volley of gunshots.” She frowned as she described.“Looking out of the window, I found the chaos horrible—people were running and shouting.I was scared to death.This was just the beginning of the dreadful situation.The next day, things were out of control, with crimes being committed everywhere, including arson, looting, and rapes.You name it.I shut myself in my apartment like a caged creature, not knowing what to do.”

Worse still, she was running out of food at home.Down the street from her building was a department store, but she didn't dare to leave her room for it.Business was suspended and all shops were closed.

“On the first floor where I lived, all my neighbors were Kyrgyz.Since we got along very well, we helped one another out in the critical moment.One neighbor offered me a large lamb leg, and others gave me bread and instant noodles so that I could nourish myself.How grateful I am! ”

Thanks to her friends' help, Luo sustained for several days in frightening conditions.When the situation became better, she fled back to Urumqi and stayed there for over a month.

Although the riot was eventually put down, one of border entries to Uzbekistan was closed.The once prosperous wholesale market was so heavily affected that it quickly saw a slowdown.

For Luo, the lively spring turned into a bleak winter.Instead of drifting into abject poverty, Luo took initiative to seek solutions.

Given that a lot of Chinese companies were run in Osh, with many Chinese expats and visitors living here, Luo, pushed by her acute business mind, decided to open a Chinese restaurant.

Her Confidence Bounces

In 2012, Shanghai Restaurant was opened in Osh.

Luo hired chefs from Sichuan Province in China to ensure the authenticity of the Chinese cuisine.Guests could not only satisfy their desire for hometown food, but also cure their homesickness.

“Many unique ingredients from Osh can be used to cook many amazing dishes,” Luo was cheerful when introducing her recipes.“For example, pheasant-fighting is very popular here, and the game birds are meaty—the flesh is brawny but not hard, tender but not soggy.They are an ideal choice for a stew or braising.They are sweetly fragrant and dreamily delicious.Apart from it, Sudak fish is also a local delicacy.When steamed alive, its silky meat offers such a lip-smacking flavor that no one gets tired of.”

Blessed with a bundant mountains, lakes, and glaciers, the City of Osh is abound in water resources.Large power plants and hydropower stations across the country provide the people with inexhaustible energy.Therefore, the low costs for water and electricity can be a great advantage to a restaurant owner.

Luo hoped that her restaurant would attract local customers as its frequent guests.

百事不惧

2012年，上海餐厅在奥什开张营业。

罗艺菡千里迢迢地从四川请来厨师，给中国人做地道的餐食，让他们解馋的同时，也为他们释放思乡之情。

“奥什很多独特的食材都能做成很好的菜肴。”罗艺菡滔滔不绝地说道，“比如说，这儿盛行斗鸡，斗鸡的肌肉特别发达，肉质坚实而不坚硬、柔嫩而不柔软，用来炖汤或红烧，又鲜又甜。还有啊，本地捕获的苏达克鱼，肉质嫩滑，用以清蒸，百吃不厌呢。”

奥什境内有大量的高山湖泊和冰川，水资源异常丰富，而许多大型的发电厂和水电站也为全国提供了充沛的电力，水电的收费惊人地便宜，这对经营餐馆的人来说，是一个很大的优势。

罗艺菡衷心希望以后能吸引当地人成为餐馆常客。

“本地人呀，光爱吃肉，不爱吃菜。我希望能在当地电视上争取到一个美食节目，教观众怎样用中国人的食材结合肉类，以荤素相配搭的完美方式，凸显中国菜的精华。”

跋山涉水来此创业的罗艺菡，有着一股轻易不妥协的坚韧。她跌倒了，快速爬起；爬起来时，一点儿也不担心会再跌倒，因为她的心已经长出一层厚厚的茧，百事不惧、无难不克。

（摘自《被人遗忘的天堂》海天出版社）

“People here don't form a habit of eating vegetables, only meat.I wish I could have a food program broadcast on TV in order to highlight the essence of Chinese cuisine by demonstrating Chinese people's perfect combinations of meat and various vegetarian ingredients.”

Luo, who came all the way from China to Kyrgyzstan, is resolute in action and determined in mind.She once failed, but soon regained confidence without fearing failure.After experiencing hardships and setbacks in life, she has strengthened her resilience and become confident all the more.

(FromThe Forgotten Paradise, Haitian Publishing House.Translation: Wang Wen)