Sunday, July 6, 2014

What is this thing called Church?

When I first came home to America, my parents took me with them to church. 

当我第一次回到家到美国,我的父母带我跟他们去教堂。


At first, I thought that church was some kind of school that I didn't know anything about. 
It was really weird to sit there with my new family and hear only English. I didn't understand anything that was being said.  Most of the time I would day dream about other things during church. It took a long time before I really could understand anything.

起初,我以为教堂是一些样的学校,我不了解任何事情。
这件事确实很奇怪地坐在那里与我的新家庭,只听到英语。我不明白任何他们说的。大多数时候,我会每天在教堂梦想的其他事情。花了很长时间才我真的可以弄懂。

I did enjoy the music at church very much since I like music a lot but I couldn't sing any of the songs at that time. It was more than a year before I could try to sing a few parts of songs. But now, I can sing most everything even though some of the words are harder to read still.

我非常享受音乐在教堂,因为我喜欢音乐,但我不能唱任何一首歌曲(在那个时候)。在一年多之前,我可以试着唱歌曲的几部分。但现在,我可以唱一切,尽管有些话依然是难以阅读。



After the large church service, I would go to a classroom with other Middle school students in grades 6-8. A man would stand in front and teach a Bible lesson. I would sit quietly and day dream there too. My parents bought me a Chinese/ English Bible, so sometimes I could read that while others were talking. I was bored often, but I had that Bible that I could read, so that is how I began to learn about God.

大礼拜之后,我会去教室与其他中学的学生在6-8年级。一个人会站在前面教圣经中教训。我会静静的坐着,白日梦也有。我的父母给我买了一个中国/英文圣经,所以有时我会读,当别人在讨论。我经常觉得无聊,但我有圣经,我能读懂,所以这就是我如何开始学习关于上帝。


The first few times I heard about God, it was kind of crazy. It was like a story that was being told, but I didn't really understand that it was a true story. You might think that too at first if you have come from another country where you never learned about Jesus, like me.

前几次我听到上帝,那是疯狂的。这就像当时正在讲了一个故事,但我真的不明白,这是一个真实的故事。你可能会这么想,如果你来自另一个国家,你根本不知道耶稣像我一样。

Although I couldn't understand what the other kids were saying, they were friendly to me and I quickly made friends with many of them. They thought I was cool because I looked so different and because I was good at the yo-yo (no one knows much about yo-yo in America).

虽然我不明白什么其他的孩子们在说什么,但是他们很友好,我很快结识了许多朋友。他们认为我是非常酷,因为我看上去是如此不同,因为我擅长的溜溜球(没有人知道很多关于溜溜球,在美国)。

On Wednesday nights, while my parents practiced in the church orchestra, I went with all the other middle school students and had fun time in the gym.  We did have a short lesson, but it was mostly just fun and games. This is where I learned to play and make friends most quickly. You don't need much English to throw a dodgeball! (For those who don't know, this game is where you throw a rubber ball at other people and when they get hit, they must go sit down). I was very good at this game.

周三晚上,我的父母练习中教会乐团,我会去与其他的初中学生去玩,在体育馆。我们确实有一个简短课程,但它大多只是娱乐和游戏。这是我学会了最快速地交朋友。你并不需要太多的英语抛出一个躲避球! (对于那些谁不知道,这个游戏就是你扔一个橡胶球砸人,当他们击中,他们必须下场)。我很擅长这个游戏。

To those of you who are adopted teen boys, American girls are crazy! The first few times I go to church, the girls were very interested in me and followed me around. They are not shy about talking to new boys. They are not shy about most everything. It is not like girls in China. (In the U.S., people say to you, "I love you" is common) Even though this was a bit shocking to me at first, and even though it is more common here for kids to say these things to one another, I still believe that these are words that you say to your family, and that they are important and should be reserved for special relationships only.

对于那些你们谁被领养的青少年的男孩,美国女孩都是非常疯狂的!头几次我去教堂,女孩们对我很感兴趣,跟着我身边。他们毫不避讳地谈论新的男孩。他们并不避讳大部分的一切。这不像中国的女孩。(在美国,别人对你说“我爱你”是常有的事)尽管这个有点令人震惊的,即使它是比较常见的,在这里为孩子们讲这些话对彼此,我仍然相信,这些都是你说对你的家人说的话,他们是重要的,或只有在特殊关系时被说出来。

To parents who might read this blog, if you want your new son or daughter to enjoy church, you might want to explain it to them before they go and make sure they are welcomed into a fun group, not just sitting and listening all the time. That is boring and no fun when they cannot understand.

父母谁可能会读这个博客,如果你希望你的新的儿子或女儿享受教会,你可能要解释给他们,他们去之前,并确保他们迎进一个有趣的群体,而不仅仅是坐着,那是无聊的,没有乐趣,当他们无法理解。

Also, you will want to prepare them for how different teenagers in America act.

此外,你会想要他们做好准备,关于在美国青少年有什么不同的行为。

To kids: Be patient. Church is really a lot of fun and the things that they teach there are so very important. If you don't have a Bible that you can read, ask your parents for one so that you can learn on your own in the beginning. It will help it all make more sense.

至孩子们:要有耐心。教会真是一个很好玩的地方,他们教的东西是如此的重要。如果你没有一本圣经,你可以读的,要求你的父母为一个,这样你可以在一开始自己学习。这将有助于一切更有意义。

Sunday, June 15, 2014

I'm Back!

I guess I should start off this post with an apology. It has been a crazy year with two new brothers, lots of changes at school and I have not posted in over a year. I had no idea that it had been that long.

我想我应该先道个歉。这是疯狂的一年,两个新的兄弟,学校的变化,我不知道一年没写了,

I'll begin by sharing some of the highlights of this past year. As you may remember, we welcomed Cooper and Connor into our family last March. It took awhile before it felt like they were a part of the family. Every time you grow your family through adoption or birth, things change. For our family, life got a little more crazy.

我将首先分享一些过去一年的亮点。你可能还记得,我们欢迎库珀和康纳进入我们的家庭去年三月份。他们花了一段时间才适应自己的新家庭。当您通过收养或出生的时候,你的家庭会发生一些变化。对于我们的家庭,生活变得多一点疯狂了。


It was a big change going from 3 boys to 5!

这是一个很大的变化, 从3个男孩去变成5个!

Easter Sunday, 2013

复活节,2013

Shortly after our new brothers came home, we bought a new home and moved. This new house had more bedrooms, so we had a little more room than before.

不久后,我们的新兄弟回家,我们买了新房。这个新房子有多个卧室,所以我们有比以前多一点的空间。
Now I have my own bedroom!  It is nice to be alone every once in awhile.

现在,我有我自己的卧室!所以我现在我可以自己带着。

In other news, our family now is a full christian family.

其他消息,我们家现在是一个完整的基督教家庭。

When I first joined this family, almost 3 years ago now, Tommy had already asked Jesus into his heart.

当我第一次加入了这个家庭,近3年以前的事了,汤米已经邀请耶稣进入他的心了。


My Mom & Dad told me about Jesus, but also told me that it was up to me if I believed in Him or not. I listened to everything they taught me, and all that I heard at church, but it took some time for me to really understand.

我的妈妈和爸爸告诉我关于耶稣,但也告诉我,这是由我决定,如果我相信他还是不相信。我听着一切他们教我的,和所有教堂教我的,但它花了一些时间才让我真正理解。

Cameron asked Jesus in his heart about 6 months after he came to our family.

卡梅伦请求耶稣进入他的心大约是在他来到我们家6个月后。


Cooper asked Jesus into his heart on July 21st, 2013.

库珀要求耶稣进入他的心在2013年7月21日。



Then, this past Spring, Connor told Dad that he wanted to have Jesus in his heart.

 那么,过去的这个春天,康纳告诉爸爸,他希望有耶稣在他的心。


Still, I wasn't ready. 

不过,我还没有准备好。

I had been actively seeking answers for a long time. There were things that I couldn't figure out and so I asked lots of questions of my parents and of all the pastors that I knew. Everyone was very helpful and patient with me as I searched to make some sense of it all.

我一直在积极地寻求答案。有些事情,我无法弄清楚,所以我问过所有我认识的牧师和父母。他们每个人都非常乐于助人,耐心与我找答案。

On May 14th, I was in church with the youth. I was listening to the lesson for the night and felt strongly that the Lord was trying to speak to my heart. I began to think about ways that I could share about Jesus with all those who I had left behind in China. Then I saw that I could not do that by myself. I needed the Holy Spirit's help. So, I asked Jesus into my heart as I sat in my chair. The preaching was still going on, but I stopped listening as I prayed to the Lord to come into my life.

5月14日,我在教会的青年组。我正在听课,我强烈地感到主试图讲我的心脏。我开始思考,我以前我一直在想如何帮助中国人认识耶稣。然后我看到,我自己是做不到的。我需要圣灵的帮助。于是,我问耶稣进入我的心脏,我坐在我的椅子。

After the service, I went to one of the Pastors and told him of my decision. 
He was very happy to hear about that!

礼拜结束后,我去了见谅一位牧师,并告诉他我决定了。
他很高兴听到这个消息!

When we arrived home that evening, I prepared to tell my Mom & Dad the good news. 
I told them I had something to tell them that would make them very happy.

当我们到家那天晚上,我准备告诉我的妈妈和爸爸的好消息。
当时我告诉他们,我有件事要告诉他们,会令他们非常高兴。


Then my Mom went crazy with the camera and my Dad started calling his friends to share the exciting news.

然后我妈疯狂地用相机,我的爸爸开始打电话给他的朋友们分享令人振奋的消息。


Since making this decision, I have even more heart for others. I began to know a lot of things that I can't do alone in my own strength. I now know that I need the Lord to help me each day.

既然做出这个决定,我有更多的心给别人。我开始知道了很多东西,我不能在用我自己的力量独立完成。我现在知道,我需要主每天帮助我。



My next step was the be baptized. I was about the do this in the ocean which is really cool.
我的下一个步骤将是受洗。我是在海洋中受洗的。


What was also neat was that my Dad was able to help baptize me which he thought was wonderful.

我的爸爸帮助我施洗,他认为是美好的。


If you are a kid who came from another country and have been adopted by a Christian family, and if you have questions about all this "Jesus Stuff", I'd be glad to talk to you about it anytime. I don't know everything yet, but I'm learning and I understand where you might be coming from. 

如果你是一个孩子,谁是来自另一个国家,并已通过一个基督教家庭,如果你有任何关于这一切的“耶稣”的问题,我会很高兴和你谈谈。我不是什么都知道的,但我正在学习。


Sunday, May 5, 2013

Resources for other older adoptees

When an older child comes home to America from China, there are things that they can use to help them communicate and adjust to their new life.
 
当一个大的孩子从中国来到美国,有一些事情,可以帮助他们沟通和调整的新生活。
 
The first one is a website called "Google Translate".  This is a fast way to help you communicate with your new kid and understand what they want to say to you. (sometimes, though, it is not right). Most older kids from China know how to type pinyin into Google translate and communicate. Your average kid from China will read Chinese "Simplified" rather than Chinese "Traditional". This is how I communicated with my new Mom & Dad the first few months I was home in the states.
 
第一个是一个网站叫做“谷歌翻译”。这是一个快速的方法来帮助您与您的新的孩子,了解他们想对你说。 (有时,虽然,这是不正确的)。中国年长的孩子知道如何键入拼音到谷歌翻译和沟通。你来自中国的孩子平均会阅读中国“简体中文”,而不是中国的“传统”。这是我与我的新爸爸妈妈的头几个月,我在美国的家沟通。
 
(On the phone. 在手机上.)
 
 
 
There are also portable translators in most smart phones and also available to purchase as a hand held device.
This is what mine looks like.
 
也有便携式翻译在大多数智能手机和手持设备也可购买。

这是我看起来像什么。
 
 
 
 
 
You will use these aids a lot at first, but they will learn English faster than they think so you won't need them forever.
 
您将使用这些辅助很多第一,但他们学习英语比他们想象的更快,所以你不会永远需要他们。
 
While Google Translate does a good job for translating, if your child can type well in pinyin, you can go here and download a free software that will let them type freely into Word or other programs in Chinese or English.  With one click you can switch between the two.
Once you get to this page, you click the large blue button and download the program.
 
虽然谷歌翻译翻译做得很好,如果你的孩子可以输入拼音,你可以去这里下载一个免费的软件,这将让他们自由输入到Word或其他程序在中文或英文。只需一次点击,你可以在两者之间切换。

一旦你得到了这个页面,你按一下蓝色的大按钮,下载该程序。
 
 
 
 
Another helpful thing for me when we came home was getting some movies that had Chinese subtitles for reading.  Some even had Chinese audio options. This was nice since I couldn't understand English right away.
 
另一个有用的事情对我来说,当我们回家的时候得到一些电影有中文字幕的阅读。有些人甚至有中国的音频选项。这是好的,因为我无法理解英语。
 
 
 
 
Lastly, it was really nice to me to be able to have Chinese books to read in my quiet time.  My parents gave me the <Narnia> books for my 14th birthday in Chinese and I read them all in my first few weeks home.  I didn't understand the references to Jesus, since I had never been taught that in China, but I liked fantasy style books and so I enjoyed them very much.
 
最后,这是对我真的很好,能够有中国人阅读的书籍在我安静的时候。我的父母给我《纳尼亚》在我的14岁生日,中国的书籍,我看他们都在我的第几个星期回家。我不明白的引用耶稣,因为我从来没有被教导,在中国,但我喜欢奇幻风格的书籍,所以我非常喜欢他们。
 
 
 
 
If you are adopting an older child, these are some helpful tools that could help their early days in your family and most importantly, ones that will help you communicate with your new son or daughter.
 
如果领养一个较大的孩子,这些都是一些有用的工具,可以帮助他们及早的日子,你的家人和最重要的是,那些将帮助你沟通,你的新的儿子或女儿。
 
 
 


Sunday, March 31, 2013

Two New Brothers

Last week, my new brothers came home.

我的新兄弟在上周回家了。
 
 
Today I will tell you a little bit about them.

今天,我会告诉你们一些关于他们的事情。
 
The first day they arrived home, they were super funny!
Dad, Tommy and I met them at the airport very late one night.

第一天,他们到家到时候他们是超级搞笑的!
爸爸,汤米和我第一次看见他们是在机场,在一个半晚。
 
We had a lot of friends come out to meet them too.

我们有很多的朋友出来,见他们。
 
I began talking to them in Chinese.
I asked them if they had fun in China with Mom and Cameron.
They said, "Yes!"

我开始用中国话与他们谈话。
我问他们,他们在中国和妈妈,卡梅伦过的高不高兴。
他们说:“高兴!”

We became friends very fast.

我们非常快成了朋友。
 
We visited with friends at the airport for a few minutes and then went home.

我们待在机场几分钟,然后就回家了。
 
This is them entering their new house for the first time...

这是他们第一次进入他们的新房子...
 
 
It was very late so we all went to bed as soon as we could.

当时已经很晚了,所以大家都上床睡觉。
 
When we all woke up the next morning, we first talked about our family. 
 I began to teach them about living in a family and how they should act as sons and brothers.

当我们第二天早上醒来的时候,我们首先谈到了我们的家庭。
我就开始教他们生活在一个家庭中,他们应该如何作为儿子和兄弟。
 
Connor likes to play nerf guns, basketball and he is very good at Chinese checkers!

康纳很喜欢玩游戏的Nerf枪,篮球,他在中国跳棋非常好!
 
 
He likes to read like I do.  He reads Chinese very well too!
He is super silly and likes to laugh.

他喜欢读书像我一样。他读中国话非常好!
他是超级搞笑的,喜欢笑。
 
Cooper also likes to laugh.  He has a great smile!

库珀也喜欢笑。他有一个非常好的微笑!
 
 
He likes to play games. 
He is super cute.
He is older than Tommy, but he is the smallest brother.
Cooper's special need is Osteochondroma. 
This condition causes small bone tumors to grow in his joints and
usually results in being shorter than other kids the same age.
 
Both boys are very smart!  I think they will do very well in school.
 
One other great thing about them coming home????
 
Tommy now has 2 new brothers to pick on which gives me a BREAK! :-)
 
 
I think these two boys are a really good fit for our family. 
It seems like they have been here much longer than they have. 
We all get along really well.

觉得这两个男孩是非常适合我们的家庭。
似乎像他们在这里非常长的时间。
我们相处得非常好。
 
This will change their life a lot too. 
Before, they have no Mom & Dad.
Now, they have a Mom & Dad and lots of brothers.
They have a place to belong.

这将改变他们的生活也有很多。
在此之前,他们有没有和爸爸妈妈。
现在,他们有一个妈妈和爸爸很多兄弟。
他们有属于的地方。
 
 

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Sorry

Sorry this week I was really busy helping my Mom get ready to travel back to China.  She usually helps me type my blog posts, so while she is gone, I will probably not post much.  You can read up on everything that is happening with my two new brothers by visiting her blog at www.rylandsfamily.blogspot.com Thank you for praying for us while they are in China.  My brother Cameron will go with Mom this time and I am staying home to help Dad and Tommy.
 
很抱歉,这一周,我是真的很忙帮助我妈妈准备旅行去中国。她平时帮我打字在我的博客,所以,当她走了,我可能会不发布多少。你可以阅读一切关与我的两个新兄弟在我妈妈的博客www.rylandsfamily.blogspot.com,谢谢你为我们祈祷,我的兄弟卡梅伦将和妈妈一起去,我留在家里帮助爸爸和汤米。
 
I am going to be guest blogging for Mandy Joy over at http://www.seeingjoy.com/ on Saturday, so feel free to check that post out over there and read the rest of her series "You Are Not Alone".
 
要写邀请博客三月九日在http://www.seeingjoy.com/      Mandy Joy的博客,可以随意去读.“你不孤独”是博客的主题.
 
Thank you,
Colin
 
谢谢你,

科林

Monday, February 18, 2013

My "Gotcha Day"(我的“领养”日)

This week I will share about my first day with my new family.  Many American families call this day, "Gotcha Day" because it is the day they got a new family member.

这个星期,我将分享我的第一天和我的新家庭。许多美国家庭称这一天,“领养日”,因为这一天,他们得到了一个新的家庭成员。
I woke up that morning with feelings of sadness, excitement and nrevousness.  I got up out of bed and began straightening my things.  I said bye-bye to my bed. :-) Then I waited for my friends to go with me to the cafeteria to eat breakfast.  I knew that was the last time I would be eating breakfast with my friends.  My friends and teachers wished me well and said they would miss me. 

我今天早上醒来时,我的感觉是悲伤,兴奋和紧张。我起身下床,开始整理我的东西。(我和我的床说拜拜)然后,我的朋友和我一起去食堂吃早餐。我知道这是最后一次,我会和我的朋友吃早餐。我的朋友和老师说他们会想念我的。
I could only remember one other older boy being adopted since I had been there and he lived in a foster family and was only in the orphanage for about 1 month before leaving, so he was not a kid we all knew very well. Most of the children that I saw leave the orphanage with new families were much younger. My adoption day was the first time that my group of friends had to say good-bye to one of us. 

我只记得另外一个年龄较大的男孩被领养,因为他住在寄养家庭,他在孤儿院约1个月后离开了孤儿院,所以他不是一个孩子,我们都清楚地知道。 我看到了新的家庭,离开孤儿院的孩子们年轻得多。我的领养日是第一次,我的一群朋友说再见,我们中的一员。

When teacher Tan (assistant director) arrived to work that morning, she loaded me up in the van with three other young children who were also being adopted that day.  We drove 1 hour to the Civil Affairs office and went up the elevator to where I would meet my new family.

老师(副主任),早上到达福利院,她和我与其他三个年轻的孩子一起上了面包车。我们驱车1小时,到了公务员事务办公室,我们走上电梯,我就要看见了的新家庭了
We were there waiting for about 10 minutes before my parents walked in.  My family walked around the corner and saw me sitting at the counter.  I knew right away that it was my family because I had been given pictures before that day.  The first thing that raced through my mind was excitement. There I stood with my bag of belongings, ready to walk into my new life. In my bag were two shirts, a light jacket, a letter written to me from my foster uncle, a photo album full of pictures of my friends, an address book with their QQ addresses and several books that they allowed me to take. That is all I had of my old life.

我们在那里,等待约10分钟,我的家人来了,看到我坐在柜台。我立刻知道了,这是我的家庭,因为我有他们的照片。在我脑海中的第一件事情是兴奋。我站在那里和我的包里随身物品,准备一起走进我的新生活。在我的包里有,两件衬衫,一件薄外套,我的叔叔写给我的信,我有朋友的照片的相册,地址簿与自己的QQ地址和几本书。这是我有我原来的生活。
My new Dad took some pictures of me with my Mom and new little brother. 

我的新爸爸拍了一些照片,我,妈妈和新的小兄弟。
Then, the staff took us all to a back conference room to sign some papers.  There were several families in there getting their new children that day too. 

然后,工作人员带我们到后面的会议室签署一些文件。有几户人家也在那里领养。
One of the younger boys that was from our orphanage seemed scared with his new family, so I went to him and held him and helped him feel safer.  When it was time to go, I made sure he didn't see me leave because I didn't want him to come to me instead of his new family.

其中一个年轻的男孩,仿佛害怕他的新家庭,所以我去找他,抱着他,帮他感到更安全。当是走的时候,我确信他没有看到我离开,因为我不想让他到我这里来,而不是他新的家庭。
As we prepared to go, we said good-bye to Tan teacher and went with our guide, George back to the hotel.  We dropped off our things in the hotel room and then George took us to lunch.

当我们准备离开时,我们对谭老师说拜拜。我们跟乔治(翻译)回到酒店去了。我们放下我们的东西在酒店房间里,然后乔治把我们带到了饭店去吃午餐。
After lunch, we returned to the hotel and George assisted us as my Mom asked me to try on some clothes that she had brought for me. Luckily, most of them fit me! That didn't stop my mom from taking me clothes shopping anyway! (She loves to shop!)

午饭后,我们回到了酒店和乔治协助我们,我妈问我去试试,她给我带来了一些衣服。幸运的是,他们中的大部分适合我!这并没有阻止我的妈妈带我去逛街买衣服,反正! (她喜欢购物!)
As I think back now on this big day of my life, after being home for 18 months with my family, I want to share some things with other older kids who might be more nervous or even scared to go with their new family.  I want them to know that getting a new family is not super scary.

  因为我觉得现在我的生活在这个大日子,为18个月,我的家人回家后,我想与大家分享一些东西,与其他年龄较大的孩子可能会更紧张,甚至害怕去与他们的新家庭。我想让他们知道,得到一个新的家庭不是超可怕的。
Those families are coming there because they love you and want you.  They want you to have fun in their family and have a good life.  I know it is not easy going with a family that does not understand you but it does get easier.  You will learn English faster than you think. You will make new friends.  American kids will like you.  I will post more later about what life in America is like. Stay tuned!

这些家庭都因为他们爱你,想你。他们希望你在他们的家庭和有乐趣,有很好的生活。我知道一个家庭,不理解你,这是不容易的,但它变得更容易。您将学习英语比你想象的更快。你会结交新朋友。美国的孩子会喜欢你。在美国的生活,就像我稍后会发布更多。敬请期待! 
For me, one of the biggest lessons that I have learned since that day is that God loves us. I know now that God loves everyone.  You many not know what His plans are for you now, but you need to know that God loves you.  When I was in China, I did not know God, but He knew me.  He knew that I was meant to be Colin Rylands someday. My parents showed me a verse in the Bible that tells us this.  It was written a very long time ago. 
现在我知道,上帝爱每一个人。你不知道现在他的计划是给你的,但你需要知道神爱你。当我在中国,我不知道上帝,但他知道我。他知道,我的意思是科林·赖兰兹有一天。我的父母给我看一节经文在圣经中告诉我们这个。很长一段时间前写的。
It is Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you", says the Lord."Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."
                                                                 这是耶利米书 29:11

                                                                   
         耶和华说:“我知道我向你们所怀的意念,是赐平安的意念,不是降灾祸的意念, 
         要叫你们末后有指望。     

This verse tells us that God has a plan for each of us.  God's plan for each of us is for good things.
I do not know what His plans are for my whole life, but I know that right now, He wants me to tell my story and for me to help other kids and their families.

这节经文告诉我们,上帝有一个计划给我们每个人。上帝的计划对我们每个人都是好的。
我不知道他的计划在我的整个生活,但我知道,现在,他要我告诉我的故事,去帮助其他孩子和他们的家庭。




Monday, February 11, 2013

Celebrating CNY as a Rylands

In my last blog I said I would talk about my first day as a member of the Rylands family.  But since Chinese New Year is today, I think I'll tell you how the Rylands family will be celebrating.
 
我在上次的博客里,我说我想谈谈我第一天的赖兰兹家族的一员。但是,由于中国的新年是今天,我想我会告诉你如何赖兰兹家庭将庆祝。
 
For the Chinese, CNY is the biggest national holiday they have. Family members gather together to celebrate, kind of like Thanksgiving or Easter here in the USA.  It is a spring festival with eating a lot of fish and other foods., watching TV shows with special performances of dancing, singing, comedy sketches and magicians.  When it gets dark in the evening, the family goes outside to watch super fireworks displays, similar to the 4th of July. The sky is filled with color in any direction you look. 
A tradition we had was that at midnight my Chinese family would eat dumplings.
 
对于中国,中国新年是中国最大的全国性的节日。家庭成员欢聚一堂,共同庆祝,就像美国感恩节,复活节等。这是一个在春天的节日,他们吃了很多的鱼和其他食品,观看电视节目(跳舞,唱歌,喜剧小品和魔术)在晚上天黑时,一家人去外面看的超级烟花汇演,像美国7月4日。天空是充满了色彩在任何方向看。
我们的传统是在午夜,中国家庭将吃饺子。
 
 
 
 
Every Chinese year is named after animals - mouse, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep,  monkey, chicken, dog and pig. I was born in the year of the ox, which is probably why my Dad says I am so stubborn.   This is the year of the snake.
每一个中国人一年后,被命名为动物 - 鼠,牛,虎,兔,龙,蛇,马,羊,猴,鸡,狗,猪。我出生在牛年,这可能是为什么我爸爸说我很固执。2013年是蛇年。
 
 
 
It is important for Chinese children who are adopted to maintain their traditions from China. I am glad that my parents let us celebrate Chinese holidays because I would feel a little bit weird if they didn't. If they only wanted us to celebrate American holidays, I would feel like they didn't really like who I was or where I came from.
 
 
 
重要的是中国的孩子谁通过需要保持自己的传统,在中国。我很高兴,我的父母,和我一起庆祝中国的节日,如果他们没有,因为我会觉得有点怪怪的。如果他们只希望我庆祝美国的假期,我会觉得他们真的不喜欢我是谁,我从哪里来。
 
 
 
Because CNY is such an important holiday, we will be celebrated it by gathering with other adoptive families to eat lots of food, speak our native language and just having fun. 
 
由于中国新年是这样一个重要的节日,我们将庆祝它与其他收养家庭,吃大量的食物,说自己的母语,和玩。
 
 
 
A traditional gift for a Chinese child is a red envelope with some money.  The amount is different for every family.  When I was a kid, I used to use my money to rent books to read and for junk food.
 
传统给中国的孩子的礼物是一个红包里面是钱。每一个家庭给的钱数量是不同的。当我还是个孩子的时候,我曾经用我的钱租书阅读和买垃圾食品。
 
 My parents give each of us one dollar for each year of our lives. 
So, I received $15, Cameron got $11 and Tommy got $8 in his red envelope.

我的父母给我们每人1美元,如果你是9岁,你得到9美元,如果你是20岁,你得到20美元.
所以,我收到了15元,卡梅伦得到11美元,汤米得到了$8,和我们的红包。
 
Very soon, Cameron and Mom will travel to bring home our new brothers, Connor and Cooper. 
So, next year, they will have 5 red envelopes to fill!

很快,卡梅伦和妈妈去中国带回我们的新兄弟,康纳和库珀。
那么,明年,他们将有5个红信封,以填补!
 
Happy Chinese New Year!

中国新年快乐!

Sunday, January 27, 2013

I have a family!

One day, in May of 2011, after returning home to the orphanage from school, one of the teachers met me and asked me to go upstairs to the 5th floor with her.  When we arrived up to that floor, she told me that there was a family that wanted to adopt me. 

一天,在2011年5月,在从学校回家的孤儿院后,一位老师看见了我,并要求我去上楼到五楼和她。当我们到达该楼层,她告诉我说,有一个家庭,想要收养我。
 
At first, I wasn't sure what they meant. 
 I asked them to tell me again and they did. 
Then, I understood and I was super surprised.
I was almost 14 and had been there almost three years. 
I did not think that anyone would choose me.

起初,我不知道老师的意思。
我问她,是什么意思?我的老师告诉了我。
然后,我明白了,我是超级惊讶。
我近14,在福利院已经有差不多三年。
我并不认为任何人会领养我。
 
They then asked me some questions.

然后,老师她问了我一些问题。
 
First, they asked if I wanted to change my name to an English name. 
I wasn't sure what it meant to change my name.
I didn't even realize at the time that they had already done that to me once. 
Sometimes, they called me by the name I was given in my foster family and other times by my orphanage name. 
I told them it was ok to give me an English name.
I figured that if I was going to America, I should have a normal English name.

首先,他们问我是否想有一个英文名字。
我不知道改变我的名字是什么意思。
我甚至没有意识到在当时,他们已经改变我的名字一次了。
有时,他们叫我寄养家庭给我起的名字,有时,他们叫我福利院给我起的名字。我告诉他们,“给我一个英文名吧。
我想,如果我去美国,我应该有一个正常的英文名字。
 
They also asked about my favorite foods.
I told them it was meat.
These were all questions that my new family was asking about me. 
他们还问我最喜欢的食物是什么。
我告诉我老师我最喜欢的食物是肉。
这些都是我的新家庭的问题,是有关我的问题。
 
In early August, I was allowed to return to my Foster Uncle's house for two weeks before I was going to be leaving China. 
 I didn't really know when my family would come for me. 
When I returned from visiting my Foster Uncle, the teachers gave me a letter and a photo album from my new family. 
 This was the first time I saw what they looked like.

在八月初,我被允许回到养我的舅舅的家,我在我舅舅家住了两个星期,然后我将要离开中国。
 我真的不知道什么时候我的新家人会来找我。
当我访问养我的舅舅回来后,老师给了我一封信和一本相册,我的新家庭。
 这是我第一次看到他们的照片。
 
 
I thought they looked interesting.
My little brother, Tommy, was a cute kid. 
They sent pictures of my new Granny and my older sisters too. 
 It was a big family!
They looked very different from me and I thought they were a little funny looking.
I wasn't very worried about them being a nice family, because I was told that anyone who would adopt me would be a nice family. 

我想他们看上去是非常有意思的。
我的小兄弟,汤米,是一个可爱的孩子。
他们发送的照片有我的祖母和我姐姐的。
这是一个非常大的家庭!
他们和我很不同,我想他们是有点滑稽。
我也不是很担心他们是不是一个很好的家庭,因为有人告诉我,任何人会领养我的人,将是一个不错的家庭。
 
Before I was to leave, my Foster Uncle brought me a letter to the orphanage. 
It was full of advise about how to be a good boy. 

在我离开之前,养我的舅舅给我写了一封信
它的建议我如何成为一个好男孩。
 
 
The morning they took me to meet my new family, I woke and had breakfast with my friends. They all knew I was leaving and some of them were sad. I was sad too, but also excited.

早上,他们带着我去见我的新家庭,我醒来,我的朋友们共进早餐。他们都知道我要离开,他们中的一些人伤心。我很伤心,但也兴奋。
 
 
 
 
After breakfast, I went back to my room to pack my things.  I brought a couple shirts and a jacket along with some books that they let me take. They knew how much I like to read.

早饭后,我回到我的房间去收拾东西。和一些书籍,我的老师让我代的,我带了一些衬衫和一件外套。他们知道我有多么喜欢阅读。
 
Next weekend, I will share more about my first day as a Rylands and meeting Tommy and my Mom & Dad for the first time.

下周末,我将分享更多关于我的第一天作为一个赖兰兹和会议汤米和我的妈妈和爸爸的第一次。
 

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Colin is sick- GUEST POST

Sorry to everyone who has been checking in expecting another post from Colin this weekend.  Sadly, he has been sick all week.  His flu test came back negative and the doctor suspects Pneumonia.  He should feel better in a couple of days, but I don't think he will be posting again until next weekend.  Sorry about that.  His Dad and I would appreciate prayers for him to recover soon.  It has been a long, hard week for him.  Angie (Colin's Mom)

Saturday, January 12, 2013

A Day in the Life of a Chinese Orphan

People often ask me what it was like to live in an orphanage.
人们经常问我,是什么样的生活在孤儿院里。
 
 

I am in a blue jacket, center right, 2nd row from top.
我穿着一个蓝色的外套,中间偏右,第二排上方。
So, I thought I would share about that this week.
所以我想我在这一周里说说关于我的福利院。

On a typical school day, I would get up around 5:30 a.m.,
get dressed, wash my face, pick up my room and  brush my teeth.
(Mom says she doesn't believe the teeth brushing part!)

在一个普通的学校一天,我会在上午5:30左右起床,
穿好衣服,洗把脸,收拾好我的房间,和刷牙。
(我妈妈说,她不相信我刷牙!)

 
 
Then, we would watch some TV till about 6:30.  Then we went to the cafeteria for breakfast.  When we finished eating breakfast around 7:00, we went to the guard station and waited for the van to pick us up for school.  There were about 10 kids that rode with me to school. 

然后,我们会看一些电视,直到6点半左右。我们去食堂吃早餐。当我们吃完早饭7点左右,我们需要,去入口门和等待的面包车来接我们去学校。有10个孩子,和我一起去学校。
 
When we finished school, the van would pick us up then we would go in the cafeteria for dinner.  After dinner, we went back to our teenager building and did our homework.

当我们完成校,面包车来接我们,然后我们去食堂吃饭。晚饭后,我们又回到了我们的建设,做我们的功课
 
 
 Once we were done with homework, we would watch TV and play games.
一旦我们完成家庭作业,我们可以看电视和玩游戏。
 


 
We went to bed at 9:30 each night. 
Well, at least we had to be in bed at 9:30. 
Each night, I liked to turn on a flashlight in my bed and read.
I was being sneaky because I love to read.

9:30我们上了床,在每个夜晚。
嗯,至少我们不得不在床上上午9时30分。
每天晚上,我喜欢在我的床上,打开一个手电筒,阅读。
我是偷偷摸摸的,因为我喜欢阅读。
 
There was a woman who lived with us on our floor
(one on every floor of our 5 level building),
and she was very nice. 

有一个阿姨,和我们住在一起,我们的地板
(我们住在一个5层建筑的第一层楼),
她是非常好的
 
  Next time I will share with you about our weekends and what we did in the Summer months.
下一次,我将与大家分享我们的周末和我们所做的,在夏季的几个月里。


Monday, January 7, 2013

Give1Save1- can you help share?

Hello to all my new "bloggy" friends (Mom told me that term!)  I wonder if you could help us share about a chance to raise money for my two new brothers?  Our family is on this blog for the week: www.give1save1asia.blogspot.com
 你们好
我所有新的“bloggy ”朋友(妈妈告诉我这个词!)我不知道,你们能不能帮助我们家筹集资金,为我的两个新弟弟?我们的家庭是在这个的旁边的网站一周:


Would you share this link on all your social media places?  Every family that donates is helping to get Connor and Cooper home to us.  I know many people helped my parents raise money to come get me and I thank you!

您们能分享此网站在你所有的社交媒体的地方吗?捐赠帮助康纳和库珀(我的新弟弟)成为我们的家庭成员。我知道很多人帮助过我的父母筹集资金来接我回家,我感谢你们。


I have to run off to school now, but will try to post something again on the weekend.

我要上学了,但会尝试在下周末发布些东西。

Thank you,
Colin

谢谢你们,

科林

Sunday, January 6, 2013

My Life in China

I was born in China.  When I was a baby, my birth mom left me in a hallway. Then, my foster mom found me. My foster family took me to the police station. The Police officers gave me to a foster family that was not the same one that found me.  My foster mom, who found me, learned that I was in a bad family that liked to drink and smoke and fight. So, my foster mom and her sister went to the family's house and grabbed me and took me away from there.

我出生在中国。当我还是一个婴儿,生我的妈妈把我放在走廊里。然后,我的寄养妈妈发现了我。我的寄养家庭带我去了派出所。警务人员给了我一个寄养家庭是我真的寄养家庭。我的养母,谁发现我的,知道我是在一个糟糕的家庭,喜欢喝酒,抽烟和打架。因此,我的寄养妈妈和她的妹妹家的房子去抓住我,带我离开那里。
 
This is the story that my foster uncle told me years later when I was older.  I did not know anything at the time as I was just a baby.  This Uncle was a great guy.  He taught me a lot of good things about how to be a moral person. He taught me to study hard, and many important life lessons.

这个故事,是当我年纪大些了的时候,我的领养舅舅告诉我的。我不知道什么的时候,因为,当时我还是个婴儿。这个舅舅是一个伟大的人。他教了我很多关于如何做一个有道德的人。他告诉我要努力学习,和许多重要的生活教训。
 
When I was 11 years old, my foster family did not have enough money to keep me and take care of me. My Mother told me that she was sending me to a boarding school. Then, they brought me to the orphanage in Shenyang.

当我11岁的时候,我的寄养家庭没有足够的钱,照顾我。我的母亲告诉我,她把我送到一所寄宿学校。然后,他们把我带到了孤儿院在沈阳。

A celebration for Moon festival. My mom loves this picture. My roommate is to my left.
 庆祝中秋节。我的妈妈喜欢这张照片。我的室友在我左边。

 
 
I lived in the orphanage for 3 years before I was adopted.

我在被收养以前,我在孤儿院里住了三年。
 
Can you find me?
你能找到我吗?

 
Living in an orphanage was a very differernt life than living with a foster family. There are so many kids.  Some of them good and some of them bad.  It was hard to be good in that place.  In my room, in the building with the older kids, I had one other boy room with me. He was a good boy. We were friends.  My orphanage was a pretty good one compared to some others.  We always had enough food to eat but I hear that many other places were not so lucky.  The nannies were nice to me.

生活在孤儿院里是一个非常不同的生活比生活在寄养家庭。有这么多的孩子。其中的一些良好的,其中有些不好。在我的房间里,我有一个男孩我的房间。他是一个好男孩。我们是朋友。我的孤儿院是一个相当不错的,相比其他一些。我们总是有足够的粮食吃,但是我听到了许多其他地方就没有这么幸运。阿姨对我很好。

My bedroom in orphanage
我在孤儿院的卧室
 
 
During this 3 years, I went to a local elementary and middle school.
 I saw a lot of bad things.  A lot of fighting. I see kids as young as 9 smoking and kids as young as 6 drinking alcohol. Kids were always fighting.  I plan to write more about school in China in a later post.  For now, just know that it was not a very happy place.

 在这3年中,我去了一个当地的小学和初中。
我看到了很多不好的事情。很多战斗。我看到孩子们在六岁饮酒九岁吸烟,孩子们一直在战斗。我计划写更多有关学校的事在以后的文章中。现在,只知道它是不是一个很快乐的地方。
 
In May of 2011, the Director of our orphanage told me that I had a new family that wanted to adopt me from America.  I was excited. I wanted a family, but at the same time, I was sad to leave my friends. Being adopted made my life change a lot.

在2011年5月,我们的孤儿院主任告诉我,我有一个新的家庭,美国人希望领养我。我很兴奋。我想有一个家庭,但在同一时间,我是伤心的离开了我的朋友。被领养了我的生活发生很大的变化。

More about that big life change in another post...

在另一篇文章更多关于我的生活的变化...

Thanks for reading,
Colin

感谢您的阅读,

科林
 


Friday, January 4, 2013

Why I am blogging...

I am Colin. 
 I am 15 years old and was adopted in August of 2011, 7 days before my 14th birthday.
  That's me in the middle!
Beside me are my little brother, Tommy (left) and Cameron (right).
 
我是科林。
 我今年15岁,2011年8月被领养,再过七天就是我的14岁生日。
  这是我,在中间!
在我的身边,是我的小兄弟,汤米(左)和卡梅伦(右)。
 


  I decided to start this blog as a way of sharing my experiences for other older kids who have been adopted into American families.  I want to help other kids so they won't be as scared about being adopted and leaving their country.  A lot of Chinese kids worry about being adopted.  They are afraid that they will not be safe, or cared for. 
 
我决定开始这个博客,分享我的经验,为其他的年龄较大的孩子,(已领养或还没有被领养的孤儿)我希望能帮助这些孩子们,使他们不会害怕被领养并离开自己的国家。很多中国孩子担心被领养。他们害怕,他们不会是安全的,或不会得到照顾。
 
I hope to share about my life in China, my life here in America, being adopted into a real family.  I have experienced getting a new name, homeschooling, and public high school.  I know what it's like to go into a new family and not speak the same language.  In the last year and a half, I have experienced many "firsts".  My first American birthday party, first Thanksgiving, Christmas, Halloween and other cool events.  I have become a son, a brother and have made many friends since coming here. 
 
我希望大家分享一下我在中国的生活,我在美国的生活,成为一个真正的家庭成员。我曾经历过得到一个新的名字,在家自学,公立高中。我知道是什么感觉进入一个新的家庭,而不是讲同一种语言。在过去的一年半中,我已经经历了许多个“第一”。我的第一个美国的生日派对,第一个感恩节,圣诞节,万圣节和其他有趣的活动和节日。我已经成为了一个儿子,一个哥哥,在这里,我交了很多朋友
 
Your new family might not understand all that you are feeling because they haven't done what you did and do not speak your language.  I understand a lot of what you are going to experience because I have done it.  I will not have a lot of time to blog, but I hope to post something new about once each week, probably on the weekends when I have less homework.
 
你的新家庭可能没有完全理解你的感觉,因为他们没有这样经历过你做了什么,不会说您的语言。我知道你经历过什么,因为我曾经也经历过。我不会有很多时间在博客上,但我希望能约每周一次发布些新的东西,可能在周末的时候,等我有少一些的功课。
 
If you have any questions or concerns that I have not discussed, you can ask questions on this blog by leaving a comment (Chinese or English, *I don't know any other languages yet*!) and I will do my best to answer them.
 
如果您有任何问题或疑虑,我还没有讨论,你可以问的问题,在这个博客上留下评论(中文或英文,*我不知道任何其他的语言!),我会尽我所能回答它们。
 
Thanks for visiting my blog!
Colin
 
感谢您访问我的博客!

科林