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China and II am Jaime FlorCruz, Jimi to friends, also known as 吉米 in Chinese. I first arrived in Beijing in August 1971. Only 20 years old, I was one of the 15 Filipino youths who were invited by the China Friendship Association for a three-week study tour. By quirk of fate, I stayed on and, 36 years later, I'm still here. Through the years, I have experienced China in unusual ways. In 1972, I planted rice, picked tea leaves and fed pigs in a farm in Hunan Province. A year later, I worked in a trawler of a Shandong fishing company, navigating ships and shoveling fish. In Beijing, I learned Mandarin at the Beijing Languages Institute (1974-76) and earned a degree in Chinese history at Peking University (1977-82). I love sports and singing. In my sparetime, I played basketball for Peking University’s varsity team and, along with Ms. Peng Wenlan, taught English songs on CCTV's weekly program "English on Sunday". I also taught conversational English to students at the Beijing Normal College and to teachers at Peking University who were preparing for post-graduate studies overseas. I am always happy to give back to my local community by sharing my skills and expertise whenever I could. Beijing has brought me countless blessings. I met my Filipino wife and raised my two children here. It was also here where, 25 years ago, I started my career as an international journalist: first as reporter for Newsweek and later as correspondent and Beijing bureau chief of TIME Magazine. I covered the 1988 Seoul Olympics for TIME Magazine and Sports Illustrated. Now I am looking forward to covering the Beijing Games as well, this time as CNN's Beijing Bureau Chief. It would be fun not just to report on it but to actually participate as one of the torch bearers during the relay. My daughter Michelle and I are both aspiring to be one of the torch-bearers. We are glad that Beijing has come a long way and will soon host the Summer Olympics. We would be thrilled if we could join the relay and carry the Olympic torch in the city we call our “home”. 我是1971年8月从菲律宾来到北京的，那时我20岁。我与其他14位菲律宾青年应中国友协的邀请，来华进行为期三周的访问。但访问结束后，我因故留了下来，成家立业，在北京生活了三十多年。 过去这些年来，我用不同的方式体验并体会着中国。1972年，我在湖南农场下乡插队,体验农村生活 。一年后，我又去山东烟台渔业公司，开船下海打鱼。 后来我回到了首都北京。74年到76年间，我在北京语言学院学习汉语，然后在北京大学攻读中国历史并获得学士学位。我爱好体育和唱歌。业余时间，我在北大男篮校队打球，还与彭文澜女士一起在中央电视台周末节目《星期日英语》中教观众唱英文歌曲。在北大期间, 我曾给一批准备出国深造的北大教师上英文课，同时也在北京师范学院教英语口语。无论何时何地，用所长回馈社会都让我感到无比快乐。 北京给予了我太多太多。在这里我遇到我太太，她也是菲律宾人，我们在北京养育了一双儿女。25年前，我在北京开始了记者职业生涯，从《新闻周刊》到《时代》杂志，再到后来担任《时代》北京记者站站长。1988年我为《时代》的读者报道了汉城奥运会，现在作为美国有线新闻网北京记者站站长，我正全力以赴为报道2008年北京奥运会作准备。对我而言，参与2008年奥运会的报道工作固然振奋，但是如果能够作为”北京居民”参与奥运火炬传递，我将感到无尚光荣。 我和女儿（Michelle FlorCruz，火炬手候选人——译者）共同申请担任奥运火炬手，我们为北京承办2008年奥运会感到骄傲，为北京感到自豪。如果我们父女能够在“家乡”北京肩并肩地传递奥运圣火，我们将终生难忘。
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