您好,我是从澳大利亚的墨尔本城市来的留学生。墨尔本位于维多利亚省,维多利亚省每年会提供奖学金让学生在江苏省的大学学汉语。我今年获得了奖学金。我选择苏州大学的原因是我听说苏州是一个美丽的城市,而且苏州也有二千五百年的历史。我的想法就是假如我在苏州度过一个学期,我既能提高我的汉语,又会对中国文化多了解一点儿。

　　我在苏州已度过三个多月。我觉得金鸡湖是非常美丽的,平江路的气氛特别热闹,给我最深的印象却是苏州大学南门旁边的蛋饼。在这里有三位小贩做独特的蛋饼。不管上不上课,我都要去南门买蛋饼。

　　第一种蛋饼是用比较厚的煎饼作蛋饼的底,先加胡萝卜、小葱和鸡蛋,然后再煎一煎,煎好了以后再加生菜,酱和小菜。三种蛋饼中这种蛋饼是最抢手的。有一位老师告诉我尽管她吃过中国各种各样的蛋饼,她还是觉得这个蛋饼是最好吃的。

　　第二种蛋饼是用比较薄的煎饼,不加胡萝卜,但会加梅菜和油条。由于有梅菜,这种蛋饼的味道比较特殊。

　　第三种蛋饼我再喜欢不过了。这个蛋饼用最薄的煎饼作蛋饼的底,仿佛一张纸。因为不需要用油煎这种蛋饼,口感是很松的。跟上面说的蛋饼一样,也加生菜、小菜和酱。

　　从一般的食物来看,要是每天吃会厌倦,至于第三种蛋饼,我却觉得越吃越要再吃。

　　蛋饼的味道好是好,不过不是令我印象很深的的原因。有一天我睡过头,来不及吃早餐,马上也要上课。而我每天要经过苏州大学的南门去上课。尽管天气既寒冷又下雨,我到南门的时候惊奇地发现卖蛋饼的小贩还认真地站在南门的旁边。我就能吃方便早餐了。

　　这三位小贩的意志很坚强,不管天气怎么样,她们都会站在南门卖蛋饼。这令我感动。我时常抱怨身体很累,天气太冷,很难起床等等,但她们的生活却明显是更艰难的。一看到他们这么努力工作,我就多希望我自己也会这么努力工作和学习。

　　在澳大利亚,我的本科专业是政治学,我的硕士专业是理财学,所以我时常考虑国家怎么能发展经济。看来,国家要累积财富,重点就是向社会宣传人民要认真地工作和学习。

　　除了在苏州学汉语和理解中国的文化,最有趣的是跟中国人打交道。我回国的时候,一定会感念我在苏州的经历。

　　作者:赖康俊(澳大利亚)

　　译文

Egg Cakes Sold in Font of the South Gate

Jason Hon Chun Lai(Australia)

I am an overseas student from Melbourne, Australia. Melbourne is located in Victoria. Victoria Provincial Government provides scholarship for students to learn Chinese in universities in Jiangsu. Fortunately, I got the scholarship this year. I chose Suzhou University because I heard about that Suzhou is a beautiful city with 2,500-year history. I believed that I would improve my Chinese and learn more about Chinese culture after learning Chinese in Suzhou for a semester.

I have been in Suzhou for more than three months. I enjoy the beauty of Jinji Lake and the lively atmosphere of Pingjiang Road. But what impresses me most is the egg cake sold in front of the South Gate of Suzhou University. Actually, there are three vendors selling distinct egg cakes. I go to the South Gate to buy egg cakes almost everyday whether or not I have classes.

For the first kind of egg cakes, the vendor puts carrots, shallots and eggs on a relatively thick pancake and decocts it for a while. Then, the vendor adds lettuces, sauce and pickles into the pancake. This is the most popular egg cakes among the three. A teacher told me that although she had tasted many Chinese egg cakes, this one was her favourite.

Compared with the first one, the second kind of egg cakes uses relatively thin pancake and has preserved vegetables and fried bread stick instead of carrots. Preserved vegetables bring special flavour to this kind of egg cakes.

I like the third kind of egg cakes most. The pancake it uses is as thin as a piece paper. This is the thinnest pancake among the tree. Since it does not need to be fried in the oil, it tastes loose. Just like the above two egg cakes, this one also has lettuces, pickles and sauce.

Iwould get bored if I have to eat one kind of food every day, but I will be never tired of the third kind of egg cakes.

Although the egg cakes have great flavors, this is not what impresses me most. One day I overslept and had to hurry to the class. I could not spare time for breakfast. So, I directly went through the South Gate to attend class. At this time, I was impressed that the three vendors were still selling egg cakes by the side of the South Gate in such a cold and raining morning. Thanks to their insistence, I could have convenient breakfast.

The three vendors have strong wills. I was touched that they always persist in selling egg cakes no matter what the weather is like. I often complain about that I am too tired to get up or it is too cold for me to get up. But it is clearly that the three vendors have a much more difficult life. When I find that they work so hard, I always encourage myself to keep on studying and working hard.

In Australia, my major for bachelor's degree was politics and my major for master's degree was chrematistics. So, I often think about how a nation develops its economy. It seems that the key for a nation to accumulate wealth is to encourage its people to study and work hard.

Another interesting thing in China apart from learning Chinese and Chinese culture in Suzhou is communicating with Chinese people. I will remember my life in Suzhou with gratitude after returning to Australia.