我的吉普赛房客（观点）
Opinion: Our Racial Tolerance Was Put to the Test as Our Romani Gypsy Tenants Moved Into the Neighborhood
来源: 大中网/096.ca 南茜(Nancy Jin)
四年前我们一家在多伦多以北购置了新房后，决定将现有房屋作为投资房产出租。很快，我们与两个来自罗马尼亚的吉普赛裔的大家庭签订了租赁合同。但让我们没想到的是，让一个来自遥远陌生族裔的家庭招租入住这个树荫环绕的中产社区并非简单易事，最终成为对我们的文化多样性和族裔包容性之承诺的一场严峻的考验。
今天你也许关心的话题：
长周末 8月7日（周一）是公民休假日！那些地方开？哪些公园可以享受喝酒
安省教育厅推动"恢复基础教育"：制定优先课程，制定教师进修日新规
结束18年婚姻，加拿大总理特鲁多和妻子苏菲于周三宣布分道扬镳
Four years ago, after buying a new house in North Toronto, we decided to treat my family home in a tree-lined middle-class neighborhood as a rental property, putting it on the rental market. Soon after, we signed a lease with two big Romani families who were Gypsy refugees. However, we did not anticipate that having tenants from a distant racial group settle into our neighborhood would pose challenges, ultimately putting our commitment to cultural diversity and racial tolerance to the test.
吉普赛民族有着延续1000多年的游牧历史。他们为了谋求生计四处奔波，家无定所，但却珍爱自由，豪放不羁。这种非传统的生活方式使他们广受歧视和虐待，促使很多人投奔多元文化国度加拿大寻求庇护。这两个吉普赛家庭的到来，也将其特有的族裔文化传统带到这个移民国度。他们在族裔内广结良缘，建立同族裔的大家庭并享受共同相处所提供的慰籍和安全感。因此，大型聚会成为日常生活中必不可少的一部分，常常在延至深夜的派对中，伴随着喧闹的音乐，吸烟饮酒，高谈阔论。
Gypsies have a nomadic history that spans back 1000 years. Traditionally residing in caravans or wagons, they traveled from place to place in search of work, cherishing their freedom and embracing a carefree spirit. This unconventional lifestyle has made them vulnerable to widespread discrimination and persecution, leading many to seek refuge in the multicultural country of Canada. The two Romani families arrived in the adopted country, bringing with them their distinct cultural traits. They pursued close-knit ties within the Romani group, finding solace by forming a large extended family that offered them a sense of security. Large gatherings in outdoor spaces - either on the front lawn or in the backyard - were part of their daily life, as they indulged in eating, drinking, and smoking while playing loud music, often late into the night.
但他们的豪放不羁的生活方式似乎与加拿大的生活规范格格不入，引起了许多邻里街区的加国居民的不满。在我们房客到来后， 他们的这种又生杀活鸡，又搞派对，扰乱社区宁静的颇带游牧式的生活方式让许多邻居颇感不安。一些邻居地对其举止大发牢骚，而另一些则眼不见为净，威胁要在他们的后院建造实体篱笆，把我们的后院挡在其视线之外。出于对其生活方式会影响社区房价的担忧，一些人建议我们不要续签合同，并找更好的租客。的确，在租房市场如此火热的今天，找到能付更高房租而又不给我们带来麻烦的租客是即可行又具诱惑力的。
But their carefree spirit was seemingly incompatible with the Canadian cultural norm, which raised eyebrows among many local Canadians in the neighborhood. Upon our tenants' arrival, neighbors reacted with disapproval over their semi-nomadic lifestyle - from brutally killing a chicken to hosting noisy parties that disrupted the neighborhood's peace and tranquility. Several neighbors were on edge, ranting about the disturbances caused. Others threatened to build a solid fence to keep our backyard out of their sight. Amid concerns that their behavior would negatively impact property values, some suggested that we stop renewing the lease with them altogether and seek out more suitable tenants. Indeed, with the rental market as hot as it is, finding tenants who could afford higher prices while not causing us so much trouble was tempting.
我们的吉普赛租客搬进来时正值难民住房危机席卷加拿大之际。大量难民涌入多伦多使其安置系统不堪重负，在现有设施达到极限后，上百名难民仍找不到居所。当多伦多政府宣布难民收容呈紧急状态，并恳请多伦多市民为急需住房者慷慨提供住所的今天，我们无法想象把我的房客扫地出门，让他们流浪街头，加剧目前尚有难民无家可归的危机局面。毕竟，几十年前加拿大慷慨地接纳了做为移民的我们，并给我们提供了可安居乐业的安全港湾。
Our tenants moved in at a time when a refugee housing crisis unfolded in Canada. The influx of refugee claimants into Toronto had overwhelmed its shelter system, leaving hundreds struggling to find a roof over their heads as available facilities reached maximum capacity. As the city council declared a refugee shelter emergency, pleading with Torontonians to generously provide rental accommodations to those desperately in need, we couldn’t bear the thought of taking their home away, potentially contributing to a crisis that has stranded hundreds of asylum seekers on the streets. After all, Canada embraced us when we were newcomers decades ago, offering us a safe haven we now call home.
不满的声浪终于渐渐散去，代之以更平和接纳的氛围。我们的房客也逐渐适应了这个街区，而邻居们也更容纳了他们的生活方式和文化习俗。我们的吉普赛房客对能在全球一流城市多伦多的中等社区找到体面且可支付的住房心存感激。最终，慷慨意味着包容，意味着接纳与我们自身存在冲突的差异，特别是当他人的生计和命运受到威胁的重要关头。
The voice of rejection has eventually died down as our tenants gradually adapt to the community, while the neighbors become more accepting of their lifestyle and cultural norms. The Gypsies were grateful that we provided them with decent and affordable housing in the middle-class neighborhood of the world-class city of Toronto. In the end, being generous involves practicing tolerance and embracing differences that may conflict with our own, especially when the well-being and livelihoods of others are at stake.
今天你也许关心的话题：
长周末 8月7日（周一）是公民休假日！那些地方开？哪些公园可以享受喝酒
安省教育厅推动"恢复基础教育"：制定优先课程，制定教师进修日新规
结束18年婚姻，加拿大总理特鲁多和妻子苏菲于周三宣布分道扬镳
Four years ago, after buying a new house in North Toronto, we decided to treat my family home in a tree-lined middle-class neighborhood as a rental property, putting it on the rental market. Soon after, we signed a lease with two big Romani families who were Gypsy refugees. However, we did not anticipate that having tenants from a distant racial group settle into our neighborhood would pose challenges, ultimately putting our commitment to cultural diversity and racial tolerance to the test.
吉普赛民族有着延续1000多年的游牧历史。他们为了谋求生计四处奔波，家无定所，但却珍爱自由，豪放不羁。这种非传统的生活方式使他们广受歧视和虐待，促使很多人投奔多元文化国度加拿大寻求庇护。这两个吉普赛家庭的到来，也将其特有的族裔文化传统带到这个移民国度。他们在族裔内广结良缘，建立同族裔的大家庭并享受共同相处所提供的慰籍和安全感。因此，大型聚会成为日常生活中必不可少的一部分，常常在延至深夜的派对中，伴随着喧闹的音乐，吸烟饮酒，高谈阔论。
Gypsies have a nomadic history that spans back 1000 years. Traditionally residing in caravans or wagons, they traveled from place to place in search of work, cherishing their freedom and embracing a carefree spirit. This unconventional lifestyle has made them vulnerable to widespread discrimination and persecution, leading many to seek refuge in the multicultural country of Canada. The two Romani families arrived in the adopted country, bringing with them their distinct cultural traits. They pursued close-knit ties within the Romani group, finding solace by forming a large extended family that offered them a sense of security. Large gatherings in outdoor spaces - either on the front lawn or in the backyard - were part of their daily life, as they indulged in eating, drinking, and smoking while playing loud music, often late into the night.
但他们的豪放不羁的生活方式似乎与加拿大的生活规范格格不入，引起了许多邻里街区的加国居民的不满。在我们房客到来后， 他们的这种又生杀活鸡，又搞派对，扰乱社区宁静的颇带游牧式的生活方式让许多邻居颇感不安。一些邻居地对其举止大发牢骚，而另一些则眼不见为净，威胁要在他们的后院建造实体篱笆，把我们的后院挡在其视线之外。出于对其生活方式会影响社区房价的担忧，一些人建议我们不要续签合同，并找更好的租客。的确，在租房市场如此火热的今天，找到能付更高房租而又不给我们带来麻烦的租客是即可行又具诱惑力的。
But their carefree spirit was seemingly incompatible with the Canadian cultural norm, which raised eyebrows among many local Canadians in the neighborhood. Upon our tenants' arrival, neighbors reacted with disapproval over their semi-nomadic lifestyle - from brutally killing a chicken to hosting noisy parties that disrupted the neighborhood's peace and tranquility. Several neighbors were on edge, ranting about the disturbances caused. Others threatened to build a solid fence to keep our backyard out of their sight. Amid concerns that their behavior would negatively impact property values, some suggested that we stop renewing the lease with them altogether and seek out more suitable tenants. Indeed, with the rental market as hot as it is, finding tenants who could afford higher prices while not causing us so much trouble was tempting.
我们的吉普赛租客搬进来时正值难民住房危机席卷加拿大之际。大量难民涌入多伦多使其安置系统不堪重负，在现有设施达到极限后，上百名难民仍找不到居所。当多伦多政府宣布难民收容呈紧急状态，并恳请多伦多市民为急需住房者慷慨提供住所的今天，我们无法想象把我的房客扫地出门，让他们流浪街头，加剧目前尚有难民无家可归的危机局面。毕竟，几十年前加拿大慷慨地接纳了做为移民的我们，并给我们提供了可安居乐业的安全港湾。
Our tenants moved in at a time when a refugee housing crisis unfolded in Canada. The influx of refugee claimants into Toronto had overwhelmed its shelter system, leaving hundreds struggling to find a roof over their heads as available facilities reached maximum capacity. As the city council declared a refugee shelter emergency, pleading with Torontonians to generously provide rental accommodations to those desperately in need, we couldn’t bear the thought of taking their home away, potentially contributing to a crisis that has stranded hundreds of asylum seekers on the streets. After all, Canada embraced us when we were newcomers decades ago, offering us a safe haven we now call home.
不满的声浪终于渐渐散去，代之以更平和接纳的氛围。我们的房客也逐渐适应了这个街区，而邻居们也更容纳了他们的生活方式和文化习俗。我们的吉普赛房客对能在全球一流城市多伦多的中等社区找到体面且可支付的住房心存感激。最终，慷慨意味着包容，意味着接纳与我们自身存在冲突的差异，特别是当他人的生计和命运受到威胁的重要关头。
The voice of rejection has eventually died down as our tenants gradually adapt to the community, while the neighbors become more accepting of their lifestyle and cultural norms. The Gypsies were grateful that we provided them with decent and affordable housing in the middle-class neighborhood of the world-class city of Toronto. In the end, being generous involves practicing tolerance and embracing differences that may conflict with our own, especially when the well-being and livelihoods of others are at stake.
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