编者按：开放的湖北，正吸引着全球各地的人们到这里学习、工作。外国人在湖北的生活怎么样？他们眼中的湖北是啥模样？

湖北省人民政府门户网站推出“外国人眼中的湖北”系列报道，讲述外国人和湖北的故事。今天我们来看看明珠的故事。

In the 40 years of China’s reform and opening up, Hubei is opening its arms and mind to people from all corners of the world, attracting more and more foreigners to study and work here.

A series of reports focusing on Hubei's characteristics and development in the eyes of foreigners will be published. In this issue, let’s tap into the story of Ola.

明珠来自乌克兰，原名Ola，目前是荆州绿地铂骊酒店的宾客服务经理。

Ola, hailing from Ukraine, is now working as the guest service manager at the QUBE Hotel in Jingzhou, Hubei Province.

来荆州后，Ola给自己取了这个中文名字。“我知道明珠在中文里是漂亮且闪亮耀眼的珠子，我很喜欢，记起来也简单。”明珠接受湖北日报见习记者采访时说。

She gave herself the Chinese name Ming Zhu (明珠). “I know that ‘Ming Zhu’ means a beautiful and shining pearl in Chinese. I like it very much. And it is easy to remember,”she introduced to the reporter of Hubei Daily.

明珠一直很喜欢中国文化，想接触更多的中国人。为此，她数年前就来到中国，在浙江绍兴工作。但她发现，绍兴外国人比较多，日常生活还是处在英语环境中。因此，她决定换一份工作。

Ola has been fascinated about the Chinese culture. Hence, she chose to work in Shaoxing, east China's Zhejiang Province, so as to make acquaintance with more Chinese people. However, she was still surrounded by English-speaking foreigners there. Then she decided to change her job.

去年，明珠在网络招聘平台上得知荆州绿地铂骊酒店招聘工作人员，而她恰好在学习酒店管理方面的知识，当即决定来试一试。经过数次面试后，今年3月她来到荆州。

Last year, Ola saw the online recruitment information of the QUBE Hotel in Jingzhou, and she was willing to give it a try with her knowledge of hotel management. Finally, she came to Jingzhou in March this year.

等待办理签证等手续的一个月内，明珠经常去荆州的景点“打卡”。“古城墙是一定要去的。”明珠说，她以前去过的地方都“很新、很有现代感”，但荆州这个古城非常有年代感，让她感受到中国历史文化的厚重。

Ola visited many tourist attractions in Jingzhou when waiting for visas. “The ancient city wall is a must-go destination,” said she, adding that places she had been to before were very modern, but the ancient city made her feel the richness and profoundness of  Chinese history and culture.

明珠喜欢荆州博物馆，尽管还不太明白那些文物背后的故事，她仍然热衷于欣赏这些穿越时空展现在自己面前的古代器具。每看到一件喜欢的，她都会兴奋地拍下好多照片，一张张发给朋友们看。

She is attracted by the Jingzhou Museum. Although having little knowledge of the stories behind cultural relics, she is still keen to appreciate the ancient instruments on the display. And she takes a lot of photos to share with her friends.

明珠还喜欢吃荆州锅盔。上班不久，她在工作的酒店附近吃过一次，就喜欢上了这种“中国披萨”——味道独特，吃起来也更方便。

Ola falls in love with Jingzhou Guokui, which she calls “Chinese pizza”. It is full of unique taste and very convenient to eat.

“荆州人都很热情，对我非常友好，我非常喜欢和他们做朋友。”明珠说，因为想和本地朋友们更顺畅地交流，自己一直在努力学习中文。她的口袋里总是装着几张小纸条，把平时接触到的新词记在上面，时不时拿出来温习一下。

“People here are enthusiastic and friendly to me. I really like to make friends with them,” she said. And she keeps learning Chinese to communicate smoothly with local friends. There are always a few notes in her pocket, in order to go over new words at times.

明珠很享受在荆州的慢生活，更让她印象深刻的是这里的“安全系数”。她说，在国外，人们总是把手机等贵重物品随身携带，哪怕坐在桌前都不离手。但在这里，她发现人们常常很随意地把手机放在桌上，并不担心会被偷走。

Ola enjoys the slow life in Jingzhou, and what impresses her most is a safe environment here. She added that people always carry valuables such as mobile phones with them in foreign countries, even if they sit at the table. But here, people often put their phones on the table casually, and they are not afraid of being stolen.

 “这是个安全的城市。”明珠笑着说，生活在这里感觉很安心。

“This is a safe city,” she smiled, adding that living in Jingzhou is very reassuring.