【老外说】这个老外最喜欢的国家是？

【老外说】是一档以“采访”老外为主的节目，帮助大家更好的了解中西文化差异，一窥英国人、美国人日常生活。每周一更新。本栏目适合精听/泛听。可做听写练习。

今天采访到的这位老外，在很多国家生活过，目前定居在越南，这么多国家里，他最喜欢的国家是哪个国家呢？让我们一起来听今天的老外说吧！

Gwen

What intrigued you to move to Vietnam, because it's a country very different from the UK— the cultural differences, geographically so far away in the eastern part of the world.

Yeah. Basically, when I was at college, I met my best friend, her parents were Vietnamese. And when we became a little bit older after college and university, Janet decided to travel back to Vietnam because she had never been here before. She wanted to see where her parents came from. When she came here, she started to teach. She was teaching English here for a while. A few years later, she suggested that I came out to Vietnam to visit. So I came to Vietnam. I visited her for like a long holiday. I really enjoy the culture and the people and the weather and everything really. I also went to her school where she was teaching. And they introduced me to some students and the teachers. I ended up about one year later joining up and getting a job here.

Gwen

You've lived here, ever since?

Yeah, pretty much. I mean, sometimes, we get like long holidays. Or earlier on, I took maybe three months out of work so that I could travel a little bit, but for the last ten years, I’ve been here.

Gwen

Have you ever thought of moving out to other cities, other countries?

Yeah, for sure. Like I told you before about the weather. It just gets so hot. Sometimes for me, it's uncomfortable. Not only that, and just being so far away, the problems that we have with my family or friends back home. I think it will be easier for me if I lived in Europe, somewhere in Europe, even the Middle East, on North Africa, because it would be maximum 5 or 6 hours to fly home, whereas now, it's at least 16 or 17 hours.

Actually, there are lots of things I do like about it now, including sometimes it's very easy to travel from Vietnam. I'm able to travel from here very cheaply to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia. It's a very easy place to live if you like to travel. And I do love to travel. And also all of these countries and places are quite cheap to live at, to visit. Whereas if you're living in Europe, it can be much more difficult to get around, for example, flying or even by train, it can be very expensive.

So there are things that make me want to go back to Europe. But there are also things that make me want to stay around Asia. The good thing about Vietnam is the salary for a teacher is quite high compared with other countries. And the living cost in Vietnam is quite low. It is quite a good place to live. But there are still things where I think I should change very soon, maybe in the next few years.

Gwen

What is your next destination?

If I stay in Asia, I might try to go somewhere like Malaysia or Singapore. But more likely, if I go to Europe, I would love to live in Italy. I don't know have you traveled much in Europe?

Gwen

No, never.

Italy is one of my most favorite places in the whole world. If I can try to visit Italy any time, then I do. But it's expensive. You don't get paid that much as a teacher. There are things you have to consider and think about before. But maybe Italy. Also, Turkey is a great country. I love to visit Turkey. And that's just outside Europe. But Istanbul is a really great place. I'd love to live there.

Gwen

Have you been to all these countries?

Yes.

Gwen

Okay, so why do you like Italy the best? Since I’ve never been there, I'd like to know more about the city.

Italy is incredibly beautiful in terms of the cities and the coast and even the mountains and the lakes. Everywhere in Italy, it’s just so beautiful. The architecture, when you walk around the streets of the city, it's all very old. There's art and sculpture everywhere in the streets. And you feel like you're walking through history when you're in Italy, but also, even when you go to the beach, the coast is very beautiful. The water is very clear and blue. Of course, the food in Italy is one of my favorite kinds of food.

For sure, I would love to live there. Also, they have lots of historical things to see, not just the old buildings. If you think about the Roman empire and the amphitheatre (圆形露天竞技场) and all the old ruins, all around the country. That's very exciting for me.

Gwen

How long have you been living in Italy? Is it a short travel?

I visited Italy, I think, four times. I've been to Venice, and I've been to Bologna and capital liquor and one more place. It's called Sienna. They are all very different. But they all have a similar feeling of Italy. Plus the weather, as we were talking about the weather, in Italy, it is seasonal. But it’s kind of usually warmer. But you can still go up into the mountains, and experience cold and snow, if you wish.

Gwen

When talking about Italy, what I can think of is pizza. Because it's originated in Italy, isn't it? And mafia (黑手党). So it gives people a sense of danger when you are in traveling there.

The mafia is probably still around. But they were always based in the south of Italy. Italy looks like a boot, the shape of the country, the heel of the boot is where the mafia came from. Usually they're all in the very far south. It's a lot different now than 20 or 30 years ago. I guess if you don't get involved in criminal things, you don't need to worry too much.

But pizza, of course, but only the best pizza. There's lots of kinds of pizza and often when you get the fast food pizza, it's like American style. But the pizza in Italy is just very different. The best ingredients and the best taste. They take a long time to create the best kind of pizza, not the kind of very oily, fatty, greasy pizza that you get in an American kind of takeaway.

Gwen

And pasta (意大利面食) and all kinds of noodles.

Yeah, but many kinds of pasta. And usually you can go anywhere in the world and you can get spaghetti (意大利细面条) or something. But Italy is far more than just that. All of the different kinds and shapes of pasta and different sources and different things. It really is much more when you go to Italy than what you might see just in a pizza restaurant or something.

I think if you go to Europe, you must go to Italy. I mean, all of the countries in Europe, they have something interesting to offer. I think Spain and Portugal are very interesting also. I've been there many times, but Italy is just a little bit more beautiful and fascinating for me.

你去过意大利吗？提起意大利首先想到的是什么？

听完今天的老外说，有没有也想要去意大利游一游呢？

大家还想听“老外”说些什么？欢迎留言哦

-等你很久啦！-