是北京青年报的文章，题目是“感受荷兰人”
正文如下：
当我从阿姆斯特丹机场离境时，荷兰海关官员用中文向我说了一声“再
见”。这一句再见，让我顿时感到亲切无比，也感到了惊奇。我走过十几个
国家，虽说多数国家的海关人员也都很友善，但却没有一个用汉语向我告别。
我不知荷兰海关官员是不是都用外国旅客的母语向他们道别，还是我恰
巧遇见了一位汉语爱好者。不管怎样，这一句“再见”，让我回想起一个个
热心肠的荷兰人。
那天晚上我到了阿姆斯特丹，原打算在那儿住一夜再去海牙参加全球反
腐倡廉大会。没有想到的是，全城的旅馆爆满，旅馆介绍处的工作人员告诉
我，如果我快一点，还赶得上去海牙的末班火车，那不过是一小时的路程，
她还帮我预订了海牙的一家旅馆。于是我连忙往火车站赶，到了车站正好有
一列去海牙的火车就要开了。我抬腿登上火车，找个座位坐下，几乎是在同
时，火车开动了，我长出了一口气。
但此时我想起，还没买票呢。
荷兰人是个遵纪守法的民族，每一个到了荷兰的游客会立即意识到这一
点：处处整齐有序。然而并非有谁强令他们这样做，这已溶为了他们的生活
方式。换句话说，荷兰人不会不买票，就溜进汽车或火车。我可不想让乘务
员查出我没有票，那可是极大的尴尬，我马上问旁边的一个荷兰小伙子到哪
儿可以补票，并向他解释了我如此匆忙的原因。正说着，列车员过来检票了。
小伙子向他说的第一句话让我好感动：“这是我的中国朋友，她没来得及买
票……”看，我不过与他说了几句话，他便称我为朋友了。接着他开始讲荷
兰语，列车员听罢，微笑着收下我递过的钱，为我补了一张票。我回北京后
和一个荷兰朋友说起这件事，才知道对于没有车票的人除了补票外还要处以
罚款。我感谢列车员对我的体谅，感谢称我为朋友的小伙子的热心肠。
荷兰的纬度比北京要往北10度左右，夏天天黑得晚，晚上9点多了，才有
傍晚的感觉，这种时间的错觉常常导致我“废寝忘食”——当我觉得天色已
晚该吃晚饭时，会议新闻中心的餐厅早已关门了。
那天我饿着肚子回到旅馆，看门人正在餐厅里看电视。我知道旅馆的餐
厅只供应早餐，但我还是试探着问能不能买点什么吃的。看门人一听说我没
有吃晚饭，跳起来跑到柜台后面忙活起来。几分钟后他端出两个三明治，我
要付钱他连连摆手，我也就不客气了。一个三明治下肚，我便饱了，看着盘
子里的另一个，心想，人家好心好意给你做了，若不吃了有负人家一番美意，
可若吃了，又会撑得慌……正思忖着，值班人好像看透了我的心思，“吃不
了了？给我吧。我正有点饿呢。”说完，他把盘子端到柜台后面。也许，他
真的饿了，过会儿会去吃，也许，他不想让我背负上“浪费”的心理负担。
不管怎样，他的善解人意让我感觉像是在家里。
读者朋友可能会想：看你在荷兰待得挺自在的，你一定会说荷兰语吧？
其实，我是一个词都说不上来，可我遇到的荷兰人个个都会说英语，所以你
不用担心语言障碍。我觉得荷兰是我去过的非英语国家中英语普及程度最高
的国家。原因何在呢？火车上遇见的那位小伙子对我说过：荷兰不是大国，
我们不能指望世界各国都来学荷兰语，但我们的各行各业，从旅游到高科技，
都要与全世界打交道，我们自然要学好英语。”因此，荷兰知识分子的英语
普及不在话下，就是出租司机、旅馆看门人、餐厅服务员、售票员……都能
用英语接待顾客。正是通过这种语言，我才结识了那么多普普通通的荷兰人。
如今，再说起荷兰，我眼前不仅仅是郁金香和菲利浦电器，更多的是那
一张张真诚开朗的笑脸。
As I was exiting Amsterdam at the end of a recent trip to the
Netherlands, a Dutch customs officer looked up at me and said, “
Zaijian!” I was pleasantly surprised. I have traveled to a
dozen countries in recent years, and in most places the customs
officials were cordial enough, but never had I encountered one
who could say goodbye in Chinese.
I don't know if Dutch customs officials always say goodbye to
travelers in their native tongue; perhaps I had simply happened
on one who was interested in China. Still, that zaijian made me
reflect on all the kindnesses great and small bestowed on me by
total strangers while I was in the Netherlands.
When I first arrived in Amsterdam, I was scheduled to spend
the night downtown and then go on to the Hague the next morning
to attend the Global Forum on Fighting Corruption and
Safeguarding Integrity. Having unwisely neglected to book a
hotel room, I discovered to my dismay that nothing was available
in the city. The people at the hotel reservation centre near the
train station told me that if I hurried, I could catch the last
train to the Hague; there, just under an hour away, I could still
get a room for the night. I hotfooted it to the station,
arriving just as the train was about to pull out. I plunked
myself down in the carriage with a sigh of relief. Almost at
once the train started to move.
But then I remembered: I hadn't bought a ticket!
You must understand what any Chinese visitor will immediately
note: The Dutch are an intensely law-abiding people. Everywhere
neatness and order prevail, yet no one forces the Dutch to be
tidy, clean, orderly and civil - that really is just the way they
are. I didn't want to be found without a ticket - a great
embarrassment - so I asked the young Dutchman next to me where I
could buy one on the train, and of course I also explained why I
didn't have one yet. Just as I was finishing my tale, along came
the conductor. The young man took the lead: “This is a friend
of mine from China. She was in such a rush to catch the train
that she forgot to buy a ticket.” Then he switched into Dutch.
We had only exchanged a few sentences, but he was willing to call
me his “friend ” and speak up for me. The conductor listened,
then took the money I had in my hand, gave me a ticket and the
change, and moved on with a smile. Later, when I was back in
Beijing and related the experience to a Dutch friend, she told me
that ordinarily one would not only pay for the ticket but also
pay a fine.
In summer in the Hague, about ten degrees of latitude farther
north than Beijing, it gets dark a good deal later than here;
dusk set in at about 9 o'clock. This was disorienting: I wasn't
getting hungry or sleepy at the right time. When I thought it
was about time for dinner, the dining room in the conference
press centre was already closed.
One evening, returning hungry to my hotel, I saw the person
on duty watching TV in the dining hall. I knew the hotel only
served breakfast, but I decided to ask if there was any chance of
getting something to eat. Learning that I had not had supper, he
immediately got up and set to work behind the counter. A few
minutes later he presented me a tray with two sandwiches on it.
I wanted to pay, but he just waved me away. After one sandwich I
was full, but I didn't want to appear ungrateful by letting the
other go to waste. The man seemed to catch what I was thinking.
“Can't finish? ” he asked. “Give it to me. I'm feeling
peckish myself. ”And with that he took the tray and placed it
behind the counter.Maybe he ate it later, or maybe he was just
sparing me embarrassment. In any case, his kindness made the
hotel seem like home for me.
Chinese readers may wonder how I got about so freely in the
Netherlands - I must speak Dutch, right? No, not a word. But
every Dutch person I met spoke English, often excellently, so
communication was no problem. I have been to many countries
where English is not the main language, but in none of them is
English more widely or confidently spoken than in the Netherlands.
The fellow who was so helpful on the train told me why: “
Holland is not a big country, and we can't count on other people
to learn Dutch. But we now deal with the whole world in areas
ranging from tourism to high tech, so we need to master English.”
Nor is it just university-educated people who can speak English
in the Netherlands; taxi drivers, shop assistants, waitresses and
ticket vendors all seem to be able to rattle away in the language.
It was thanks to their English that I got to know so many
ordinary Dutch people.
Now when I think of the Netherlands, it's not just tulips and
Philips that come to mind, but even more the honest, open,
welcoming faces of the people who made my stay there so pleasant
and memorable. . (51233)
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