從彼鄉到此鄉的人生收獲

文/夏文彬 武宣妤

雅尼擔任藝術指導的杭州一幼兒園參加六一兒童節演出。Yani plays the piano on the Children’s Day at a kindergarten in Hangzhou.

眼前這位身材纖細、氣質出眾的年輕媽媽，來自白俄羅斯。她說著一口流利且字正腔圓的中國話，還有個很好聽的中文名叫“蔡雅尼”。

雅尼有兩個孩子，其母語是漢語和俄語，因為語言環境的關系，漢語對他們來說更加熟悉，大的孩子已經在杭州上小學了。當被問到對孩子的未來有什么期待時，雅尼說：“希望他們在學業之外，能找到一個屬于自己的興趣愛好，并且在任何情況下都保持耐心。這種耐心，是做人做事的一種態度，期望他們能不斷地去探索和發現一件事究竟能做到何種程度。”

而當筆者和雅尼一起耐心地梳理過往的點滴回憶后，也得到了一個意外收獲。我們驚喜地發現，原來“耐心”不僅是雅尼教育孩子的關鍵詞，更是她從幼時開始練習鋼琴到大學學習漢語，再到為愛奔赴選擇杭州定居一路走來的最好注腳。

無論是在年少時期堅持藝術和語言學習的成長之路上，還是成年成家后來到異國他鄉面對生活瑣碎時，豐富多彩的人生經歷和跨文化交流經驗既鍛造了她的性格特質—耐心，又使其始終保持著開放、包容、平和的心態，去守護她愛的和愛她的人們，去發現身邊的美好，去熱愛共同給予自己充盈人生的兩個國度—白俄羅斯和中國。

與藝術、語言打交道，要耐心

白俄羅斯擁有豐富而獨特的藝術文化遺產，白俄羅斯民族創作出了許多優秀的文學藝術作品。

雅尼的家鄉—維捷布斯克州首府維捷布斯克市，是位于白俄羅斯東北部、西德維納河河港的大型鐵路樞紐城市。維捷布斯克州自然資源豐富，保有白俄羅斯全國最大的森林分布。維捷布斯克市至今仍保留著12世紀的古建筑遺跡，城市中遍布著歷史博物館和數所高等院校，是白俄羅斯的藝術首府。

雅尼出生于一個藝術世家，受母親的熏陶和影響，她從7歲起開始學習鋼琴。青春期時，她曾想放棄鋼琴學習而轉投其他興趣，但母親當初的一句話至今仍令她印象深刻—“你應該學經典的東西”。鋼琴，是母親心中最為經典的一門藝術，而經典的東西都特別需要耐心。于是，雅尼將它堅持了下來，直到現在。

2005年，她來到位于圣彼得堡的俄羅斯國立師范大學音樂學院留學。在雅尼看來，作為世界著名的藝術之都，圣彼得堡雖然城市規模龐大，但卻充滿濃厚的歷史感，還有許多城市公園，綠地人均占有率較高，建筑與自然和諧相融。

而與漢語、與丈夫、與杭州、與中國緣分的種子，就從她走進大學校園之日起便被深深地種下了。當時學校里有許多中國留學生，同樣作為外籍學生群體，他們時常有機會一起交流和學習，那也是雅尼第一次了解到漢字的奇妙，從此打開了通向中文學習殿堂的一扇窗。

大三時，為了更好地學習中文，雅尼打聽了各種渠道，最終報名了圣彼得堡國立大學東方語言系孔子學院。因為各個大學、各個學院分布在城市的不同區域，那些日子里，雅尼常常奔波于去學中文和去上其他課的路上，但用她自己的話說，“坐地鐵的途中，剛好有了足夠的時間復習中文”。因為對中文有濃厚的興趣與自身不懈的堅持，雅尼的漢語水平進步得很快，加之留學中國的浪潮正在興起，讓她萌發了去漢字的發源地走一走、看一看的想法。對于這個不斷發展繁榮的東方大國，她充滿著好奇與期待。

與愛情、婚姻打交道，要耐心

2009年，申請到獎學金的她，來到哈爾濱師范大學繼續深造語言。2011年，雅尼被錄取為該校廣播電視藝術學研究生。

雅尼的中文水平在所有留學生中都是首屈一指的，因此被選為哈爾濱市代表，參加了2012年央視舉辦的“漢語橋”比賽。也正是那一契機，給了雅尼在央視語言節目“快樂漢語”中擔任一年外籍主持人的難得經歷，并讓她邂逅了她的“真命天子”，一個文質彬彬、溫文爾雅的中國男人。只不過，那時的兩人都還未意識到某種緣分會牽引著彼此在未來走向同一個地點。

雅尼擔任白俄羅斯專家翻譯協助采訪。Yani translates for a Russian expert.

雅尼帶孩子們來到杭州臨安山區，感受與白俄羅斯一樣的雪景。Yani plays in the snow with her children in the mountainous area in Lin’an district,Hangzhou city.

碩士畢業后，雅尼曾短暫地回到了圣彼得堡。當時有很多好的工作機會都找上了她，但她始終覺得，中文是她熱愛的語言，中國的發展能提供個人成長更多的可能性。下定決心后，2013年，雅尼順利地考入了中國傳媒大學，開始攻讀博士學位。

馬克·夏加爾作品《城市上空》。Over the Town, a painting by Marc Chagall.

就在那一年，杭州的一個文化交流項目需要聯系白俄羅斯國家大劇院的聲樂家來演出，剛好輾轉找到了雅尼。于是，她第一次踏上了杭州這片土地，命運的安排仿佛一下子把她和當時還未成為丈夫的他“綁”在了一起。

后來，因為一些項目合作的機緣，雅尼又多次來到杭州，而通過兩人一次次的相處，在往返于北京與杭州的雙向奔赴中，他們彼此逐漸確定了心意，堅信對方就是自己要找的那個默契之人。

雅尼與丈夫于2015年結婚，并最終選擇在杭州定居。2016年，大寶順利降生；2017年，她完成了所有課程的學習，并獲得了博士學位；2019年，雅尼又生下了第二胎。其間，雅尼擔任過高校的俄語特聘教授、參與過許多與俄語文化有關的合作交流項目、在幼兒園當過古典音樂課的藝術指導。如今在杭州已經扎根7年了，雅尼正享受著作為妻子、作為媽媽的那份平淡而真實的幸福。

“緣分，真是妙不可言啊。”聽到筆者這樣的感嘆，雅尼笑了。從這樣溫暖的笑容中似乎能看見，無論愛情還是婚姻，都需要一些耐心，如果能一直相信有美好的結局，即使相隔萬里，即使跨越不同國度，也能等到屬于自己的緣分。

與生活打交道，同樣需要耐心

從圣彼得堡到哈爾濱再到北京最后來到杭州，雅尼的生活足跡一路自北向南。談到為何會選擇杭州時，雅尼坦言，面對全新的環境，也曾猶豫過，甚至和丈夫商量過要不要一起去北京發展。但是，有一個畫面讓她至今記憶猶新，現在回想起來，好像就是因為那個細節，讓她毅然放棄在另一個城市建立起的基礎，勇敢地從零開始。

“還記得，當時我先生來機場接我，從高架下來后他便特地選了從北山街開去靈隱。那是個夏天，道路兩旁高聳的法國梧桐樹郁郁蔥蔥，在眼前不斷掠過，而西湖的美景又近在眼前，我就在想，怎么會有一個城市這么富有詩意。”雅尼回憶說。對于去過很多城市的她來說，那些千篇一律的城市并不缺“現代化”元素，越來越多的鋼筋水泥混凝土卻讓它們逐漸失去自身的獨特性，而杭州卻不同。在雅尼眼中，杭州真正做到了城市與山水的融合，帶給她從未有過的關于江南文化的美妙又靈動的體驗。

這種體驗，不單來自對異文化的喜愛，更來自對故鄉、對青春的思念與懷念。雅尼說，越是生活久了，越是發現，無論從綠意盎然的自然環境、城市與自然的結合、歷史文化與現代文明的融合，還是從精致的藝術創作、精細的生活服務來看，維捷布斯克、圣彼得堡以及杭州都有許多相似處和共通性，這些常常讓她倍感親切，并產生強烈的歸屬感。現在，她還會時不時趁著接大兒子放學的空隙，帶著小兒子在西湖邊逛一圈，走在北山街上，欣賞著西湖波光粼粼的湖面，感受著山水帶來的深邃與平和，體會著時光的流轉與四季的變化，仿佛一切煩心事都隨風散去了。

能發現生活中美好的人，通常都很有耐心。

到了周末或節日假期，雅尼喜歡帶著孩子們去杭州大劇院、運河大劇院欣賞芭蕾舞表演和交響樂演出，偶爾也會在茶館一泡就是一整天，有時還會和來自俄語圈的朋友們一起聚會。說起美食，除了推薦白俄羅斯特色家常菜—紅菜湯、土豆餃子和薄餅之外，雅尼還特別提到，因為是內陸國家，以前在家鄉很少能吃到新鮮的海鮮，對吃海鮮也沒什么興趣，但自從嫁給了丈夫來到了杭州，由于丈夫是溫州人，酷愛海鮮，雅尼的飲食習慣也隨之發生了改變。東臨東海的浙江，海產品資源豐富，種類繁多，舟山、寧波、臺州、溫州等各個地方都有不一樣的特色海產品和烹飪方法，今天的她似乎已經不能想象，家里的餐桌上如果沒有海鮮將會變得多么無趣。一道蒸海鮮既是她的拿手菜，也是全家的最愛，更是生活中必不可少的樂趣。

雅尼的故鄉維捷布斯克是世界著名畫家、先鋒派代表人物馬克 · 夏加爾(Marc chagall,1887—1985年)的家鄉。雖然他年輕時便離開了家鄉，移居到了法國巴黎，但夏加爾一生的創作都離不開維捷布斯克的風景以及在那里遇到的摯愛—貝拉（Bella）。比起夏加爾，雅尼要幸運得多，因為在她內心的風景畫中，不僅有年少記憶中的維捷布斯克，也有青春紀念冊中的圣彼得堡，更有如今作為理想安棲之所的杭州。從一個故鄉到另一個故鄉，她收獲了許多寶貴的人生財富，比如獨一份的跨國回憶、攜手同行的伴侶、延續希望的下一代，等等。當然，其中也包括“耐心”—耐心地做好自己，從容地去適應一切變化，不斷擴展自身的深度、廣度和寬度，并從中發現樂趣。

Home Away from Home

By Xia Wenbin Wu Xuanyu

雅尼全家參加杭州國際家庭活動。Yani’s family takes part in an international event in Hangzhou.

The slender, attractive young mother standing right here is from Belarus. She speaks fluent Chinese and even has a beautiful Chinese name, Cai Yani.

Yani, or Tatsiana Kamarova has two kids whose mother tongues are Chinese and Russian. Because of the environment they grow up in, Chinese is more familiar to them. The elder one is already in primary school in Hangzhou, East China’s Zhejiang province. When asked what she expects from her children in the future, Yani said: “I hope they will find a hobby outside of their studies and be patient no matter what. This kind of patience is an attitude of doing things, and I hope they can constantly explore and discover how deep and detailed something can be.”

It turns out that “patience” is not only the key word in Yani’s educating her kids, but also the best footnote in her journey from her childhood practicing piano to learning Chinese in college, and finally to her decision to settle down in Hangzhou for love.

The perseverance she showed on the path of learning art and language in her youth, the colorful life and the cross-cultural experience she has enjoyed after coming to a foreign country and establishing a family have not only forged her character —patience, but also made her always keep an open, inclusive and peaceful mind, to protect the people she loves and find the beauty around her. More importantly, they have also shaped her love for the two countries that together give her a full life — Belarus and China.

Belarus has a rich and unique art and culture heritage, and the Belarusian nation has created many excellent literary and artistic works.

Yani's hometown, Vitebsk city, the capital of Vitebsk Oblast(Region), is a large railway hub located in the northeastern part of Belarus along the Western Dvina River. Vitebsk Oblast is rich in natural resources and contains the country’s largest forests distribution. Architecture remains dating to the 12th-century can still be found in the city, which is dotted with history museums and universities. It is regarded as the “art capital” of Belarus.

Born into a family of art, Yani began to learn to play the piano at the age of seven, influenced by her mother. When she hit puberty, she considered giving up piano for other interests, but her mother’s words, which she still remembers today, dissuaded her:“You should study some classics.” And piano is believed by her mother to be the most classic form of art, which demands lots of patience. So Yani carried on, and still plays it now.

In 2005, she went to study at the Institute of Music, Theatre,and Choreography at the Herzen State Pedagogical University of Russia in St. Petersburg. To Yani, St. Petersburg is a worldrenowned art city, with a strong sense of history. There are many urban parks in the city, boasting a high per capita share of green space, where architecture and nature exist in harmony.

The seeds of her love for the Chinese language, for her husband, and for Hangzhou and China were planted from the day she entered the university. There were many Chinese students on campus at that time, and as a group of foreign students, they often went out and learned together. It was then that Yani had known the magic of Chinese characters.

In her junior year, to better learn Chinese, Yani enrolled in the Confucius Institute at the Institute of Oriental Studies of St.Petersburg State University. As her college and the institute sit in different parts of the city, Yani had to shuttle between studying Chinese and attending classes in those days, but, as she puts it,“there's just enough time on the subway to review my Chinese”.Yani's Chinese proficiency improved rapidly, and since many foreign students began to pursue their studies in China, she also developed the idea of visiting the birthplace of Chinese characters and having a look.

In 2009, she was admitted to Harbin Normal University to further her language studies and two years later she became a graduate student of the Broadcast & TV Arts program at the university.

Thanks to her top-notch Chinese language skills among foreign students, Yani was chosen to represent the city of Harbin and participate in the Chinese Bridge competition, a contest for foreign students to demonstrate their mastery of Chinese language and culture. It was because of the experience that Yani worked as a foreign anchor for CCTV, China’s national broadcaster, and met her future husband.

Yani returned to St. Petersburg and stayed there briefly.Although she had many good job offers, to Yani, Chinese is the language she loves and she believed China would be provide more possibilities for her personal growth. After careful consideration and preparation, in 2013, she successfully enrolled in the Communication University of China as a PhD student.

In that year, a cultural exchange project in Hangzhou needed to contact a vocalist from the Belarusian National Center for the Performing Arts, and Yani happened to be the link. So she set foot on the land of Hangzhou for the first time, and fate would have it that she and her future husband would be “tied” together from now on.

They got married in 2015 and eventually settled in Hangzhou.In 2016, their first child was born. In 2017, she received her doctoral degree. In 2019, Yani gave birth to the second child.During the period, Yani served as an adjunct professor of the Russian language in universities, participated in many cooperation and exchange programs related to Russian culture, and worked as the art director of classical music class in kindergarten. Now seven years into her stay in Hangzhou, she is enjoying being a wife and a mother.

In fact, Yani admitted that she had hesitated in the face of the new environment and even discussed with her husband whether to go to Beijing together. But one episode has made her determined to stay in Hangzhou. “I still remember that one time when my husband came to pick me up at the airport. He specially chose to drive to the Lingyin Temple via the Beishan Street. It was a summer day, and with the tall plane trees on both sides of the road passing by and the beautiful view of the West Lake in front of me,I wondered how a city could be so poetic,” Yani recalled.

The longer she stays in Hangzhou, the more she found that it has many similarities with Vitebsk and St. Petersburg,with the lush green environment, the combination of urban landscape with nature, the integration of history and culture with modern civilization, as well as the exquisite artistic creation and sophisticated life services. On weekends and holidays, Yani likes to take her children to ballet and symphony performances at the Hangzhou Grand Theater and Canal Grand Theater. Occasionally,she spends the whole day at a teahouse, hanging out with friends from the Russian-speaking community. Now, living in a coastal area, she has even fallen for seafood.

From Vitebsk to St. Petersburg, from St. Petersburg to Hangzhou, Yani lives in one hometown after another. She is also patiently staying true to herself and adapting to all changes with ease, finding joy in the process.