If the time goes back to 24 years ago, less than 20 years old, Wang Xiaoyu, who came to Cyprus to study alone, would not dare to imagine that as a Chinese girl who is often cast by the locals in a different way, she will be jointly recommended by the local government twenty years later, hoping that she can become a Cypriot citizen.
How did she do it? This has to start from 25 years ago, it is the years and sweat that have witnessed this ordinary Chinese girl gradually transform into a role model in the eyes of the Cypriot people.
The first on the right is Wang Xiaoyu
In 1978, Wang Xiaoyu was born in a military family in Wuhan, his parents were strict since childhood, and under the influence of his ears and eyes, Wang Xiaoyu developed a military spirit that is not afraid of difficulties and dares to take the lead in case of accidents.
Her brother is also a good example, whether from the study or the difficulties in life, Wang Xiaoyu can get a lot of advice and answers from her brother.
Being able to grow up in such a good atmosphere family, Wang Xiaoyu also cherished it, and his academic performance has been excellent since primary school. In 1997, during the college entrance examination, he was successfully admitted to Nankai University and majored in international economics and trade.
Nankai University
I thought that if I went to university, I would be able to spread my wings, ride at will, and realize my ideals and ambitions. Unexpectedly, the teacher's words instantly extinguished the fire in Wang Xiaoyu's heart.
The teacher said that everything you learn now will be outdated, whether it is knowledge or skills, and you will not be able to send it when you graduate, because now the times have changed, and the most important thing is to learn English well, so that it is possible to change what you have learned into a cost.
But at that time, there was no good English learning environment in China, everyone was talking about English with a strong earthy taste, and when I met foreigners, I didn't even dare to go up to say hello, let alone communicate.
Wang Xiaoyu listened to what the teacher said, and the whole person instantly became depressed. Because she has had a dream since she was a child, to travel all over the world, to see everywhere, and to show foreigners our unique and rich culture. But she knew in her heart that her major was right, but this mouthful of earthy English was definitely not good.
Once when she came home, she told her father about wanting to learn English well, and then obediently went back to school. I didn't expect the speaker to have a heart for the listener. In the second semester of her freshman year, her father suddenly came to school one day and asked her if she wanted to study abroad, saying that this was the best way to learn English.
Wang Xiaoyu was surprised and surprised, but he didn't expect that what he had no intention of saying, his father would do his best to run for himself. In the face of this unspeakable fatherly love, she almost cried on the spot.
It turned out that my father learned from a friend that as a university student, he could go directly to Cyprus to go to university, and after two years of preparatory study, he could apply to go to the United Kingdom or the United States for further study. Her father asked her, should she consider studying in Cyprus?
At that time, Wang Xiaoyu didn't know that Cyprus was from a country at all, he had never heard of it, and he thought it was a European city. But the fire in her heart began to burn again, and in order to learn English well, in order to achieve her ambitions, she decided to go to Cyprus.
Later, I learned that Cyprus is an island country in the northeast of the Mediterranean, geographically belonging to Asia, historically, culturally and politically belonging to Europe, and the area is a little larger than Wuhan, not as large as Beijing. The official language is Greek, but fortunately most of the people there speak English.
Cyprus location
In September 1998, at the beginning of his sophomore year, Wang Xiaoyu withdrew from school and embarked on a plane to Cyprus.
The I Ching says: Heaven is strong, and a gentleman keeps improving himself.
It was also the decision to study in Cyprus, Wang Xiaoyu's life ushered in the most important change, began to transform from an ordinary girl, through her own self-improvement and self-discipline, into a good example in the eyes of foreigners in other countries.
When she first arrived in Cyprus, Wang Xiaolu was fascinated by the blue sea and sky, where the sky was unbelievably clean, and the water was as clear as sapphires and ripples, like the world in a fairy tale. The streets are full of golden and magnificent churches, making her feel as if she has entered the world of movies, and she feels beautiful!
Scenery of Cyprus
But after completing the admission process, she began to worry that the price of goods in Cyprus was too high! At that time, almost 18 yuan was worth a Cyprus pound. In the nineties, 18 yuan was almost enough for the food of an ordinary Chinese family for a day, but here, just enough to buy an ordinary piece of bread, breakfast money was not enough.
And her parents' small salary income is obviously far from enough for her study abroad expenses, in order to reduce the burden on the family, Wang Xiaoyu decided to work and study part-time.
Perhaps it was heaven and earth that rewarded hard work, or maybe luck liked to befall those who worked hard, and on the fourth day of coming to Cyprus, Wang Xiaolu found a job as a family nanny.
First job
Every day after class, she has to go back to her employer's house, cook stir-fry, wash and mop the floor, take care of the children, and do everything she can for her employer. Sometimes because the child cries, she often has to be busy until one or two o'clock in the morning to have the energy to relax and review the day's homework before she can sleep.
No pain, no gain! Perhaps today's young people don't quite understand the meaning of this sentence, but in that era, Wang Xiaoyu, who broke into a foreign country alone, was undoubtedly the most understanding and the most convinced.
Because the employer's husband and wife are not very good at English, in order to better communicate and better integrate into the local customs, Wang Xiaoyu used the time to accompany the children to learn Greek and signed up for Greek language classes in the university. Unexpectedly, this choice made a marriage, and met the love of her life by chance.
Although her life in Cyprus was bitter and happy, Wang Xiaoyu was always full of hope, but an accident happened, and one day a few months later, her employer said that she had no money to pay her salary, but was willing to take her in and let her stay for free. It was undoubtedly a thunderbolt on a sunny day, but fortunately she didn't have to worry about accommodation, so she gritted her teeth and stayed.
After insisting for a year and a half, Wang Xiaoyu ended the employment relationship with her employer, during which she saw that the family's life was becoming more and more difficult, and she could not bear the children's suffering, so she took out part of her part-time income to relieve them, resulting in little money left in her pocket after she left, and she could not even rent a house. Fortunately, there is a well-connected classmate in the class to help, otherwise you will have to sleep on the overpass.
Later, she finally found a job as a courier, because the locals were reluctant to sell coolies in the streets, plus she was diligent, so the income was very good. This work persisted in this way, and the express delivery took 5 years.
One day, Wang Xiaoyu was riding a motorcycle to deliver a courier on the street, and encountered a routine inspection by the mounted police, because the insurance expired and was taken to the police station. Frightened, she hurriedly explained to the police in Greek, lest she leave her case record and be sent home. The Serbian police did not expect that this little Chinese girl could speak Greek, so they took out a pen and paper and told Wang Xiaoyu that if she could write down what they said in Greek, he would return the motorcycle to her.
Unsurprisingly, Wang Xiaoyu easily completed the police dictation test and successfully took back the motorcycle. It was also that day that she also helped a compatriot she had never met in Greek, which made her very proud because the hard work over the years had paid off a little.
However, a few days after Wang Xiaoyu returned, the police station called again, she thought they regretted it, but she did not expect that the police station came to ask her to be an interpreter, which was really surprising. But when you think about it, it's also logical. Because in Cyprus, although most people speak English, when it comes to official documents, they must be submitted in Greek, but Cypriots often encounter cases of Chinese, but no one understands Chinese, Chinese no one speaks Greek, which makes communication very difficult, let alone writing.
Wang Xiaoyu is proficient in Chinese, English and Greek, which has become the only candidate for the police department to handle Chinese cases in Cyprus, and has become their special guest interpreter.
Later, after graduation, she also took over the translation work of many government departments and translated a novel for a famous local author. He has become an "Internet celebrity" in the local translation industry.
Translated by Wang Xiaoyu
It's really that learning isn't necessarily useful at the moment, but it shows up when you need it.
At the same time, Wang Xiaoyu is still studying the International Certified Public Accountant course, ready to win this certificate with a very high gold content. Because the accounting school is all in the evening, it does not affect the daytime work, so it quit the job of express delivery and entered an accounting firm for internship, so that it can work and study both.
In 2005, under the introduction of classmates, Wang Xiaoyu met his later lover, Mr. Che. Mr. Che is in the stone wholesale business, and when he saw Wang Xiaoyu, he was gracious, telling her that he had known her for a long time. Because the compatriot she helped at the police station a few years ago was Mr. Che, although she had no impression of Mr. Che, Mr. Che never forgot her kindness.
Because the two have the same background and similar temperaments, they have endless topics to talk about every time, and it is logical to determine the relationship. It was also a year after meeting Mr. Che that Wang Xiaoyu obtained the International Certificate of Certified Public Accountant. Soon after getting the permit, she heard that the tourism bureau was recruiting tour guides in training, and she was very interested in this, and her family also supported her to try more while she was young, so she suspended her work and devoted herself to the study of tour guides.
Successfully obtained ACCA International Accounting Registrar Certificate
This choice allowed Wang Xiaoyu to have an in-depth understanding of the history, culture, artistic environment and other related knowledge of Cyprus, and passed the professional examination in 2007 and obtained the officially registered Chinese tour guide qualification certificate, and is the only girl in Cyprus who has obtained this certificate, becoming a tour guide of the largest tourism company in Cyprus.
It was also in this year that she tied the knot with Mr. Che and became the love of her life. Cyprus has become a second home for her. For ten years, although it is small, the people are very warm, very friendly to Chinese, plus the scenery is beautiful, the security is reassuring, Wang Xiaoyu no longer wants to go to the United Kingdom and the United States, she wants to take root in Cyprus and fight with her husband, so she went to apply for a Cypriot passport.
Thanks to the previous experience of working in various departments, the police department, court, tourism bureau and immigration bureau learned that Wang Xiaoyu applied for a passport and jointly wrote a recommendation letter to her. This is also unique in the local area and caused a sensation.
The next year, Wang Xiaoyu successfully obtained the nationality of the country, and is the only person who can get a passport without investment and marriage.
After that, Wang Xiaoyu worked hand in hand with Mr. Che, and because of her experience as an accountant and tour guide, coupled with often doing translation work for relevant departments, she knew all aspects of the Saiguo country very well, and became Mr. Che's most effective inner helper.
Their business grew bigger and bigger, not only opening the first Chinese restaurant, but also opening their own travel company. Mr. Che also became the president of the local overseas Chinese association, turning his restaurant into a platform for cultural exchanges between China and Cyprus, and holding various traditional festivals and evenings and other large-scale activities. It has been recognized and evaluated by the two governments.
Report a party in the restaurant
Thanks to the prosperity of the home country over the past decade, Chinese has become increasingly popular in Cyprus and has received the respect it deserves. With the development of the Belt and Road Initiative, the Sai government has also introduced many policies conducive to the economy and immigration. Against this background, Wang Xiaoyu and his wife took advantage of the hot fall and established a real estate development company in 2019 to undertake a number of local residential and apartment projects.
In the beginning, the locals did not believe in the houses built by Chinese and were afraid that problems would go wrong after buying them. But after seeing the standard of the house developed by Wang Xiaoyu and his wife, many people began to be moved again. Because under the same standards, whether it is building materials or decoration, their quality is better than that of local developers, and the price is much lower. So people who bought a house out of curiosity shouted that it was worth the money, and the houses they built Chinese were much better than those of local developers for decades!
Wang Xiaoyu and his wife used the results to prove that the house built by Chinese is worth assuring, the price of the things Chinese built is more reasonable, and the quality of the things Chinese built is also guaranteed.
The house we built Chinese
After the outbreak of the epidemic in Wuhan, Wang Xiaoyu and his wife immediately called on local overseas Chinese to donate money and materials, and tried their best to send materials to their hometowns as soon as possible. After the outbreak of the epidemic in Cyprus, the couple's association called on everyone to distribute masks and other items free of charge to the local government and other institutions.
No matter where she is, Wang Xiaolu always adheres to a child's heart, does her best, and does what she can do, worthy of heaven and earth, worthy of herself, and worthy of the people.
Parents and children
But the moon is cloudy and sunny, and people have sorrows and joys. In March 2022, Wang Xiaoyu's father left her forever, which is the saddest thing in her life. Although she is sad, she can adjust well, for her mother, for a pair of children, for Mr. Che, and for herself, and the family lives happily, which is the best memorial to her father.
From Wang Xiaoyu's journey, it is not difficult to see that learning is a person's best capital, and only with the support of knowledge can we seize the opportunity. In this era of involution, being a lifelong learner believes that you will not be afraid to go anywhere.
At the same time, as an individual, the fate of the individual is closely related to the country. Only when the motherland is strong can we have confidence outside the country and have a strong backing for the cause we have done. Thanks to the rapid development of the Belt and Road Initiative, Wang Xiaoyu and his wife's career has also taken a step forward and become a role model for local people.
Furthermore, everyone has the right to pursue happiness. I believe that people like Wang Xiaoyu who dare to break through and fight will spend their lives learning the sea endlessly, with the goal of achieving each other, worrying about themselves and the world, and being frank and unashamed. I believe that no matter where such people go or where they take root, they will become an example for the descendants of Yanhuang and will reap their own happiness!