永不言放弃 Never Give Up

I am almost 57 years old, but I don't feel I am getting old at all. Instead, I keep reading and striving to achieve my small goals. But ultimately, it is easy to feel nostalgic, I often look back at the path I have walked, and am filled with a lot of emotions.

1.My first leap in life

When I was in elementary and junior high school, my studies were not as intense as they are now, and I had to do farm work during my free time. The land allocated to our family was located in the northeast of the village, adjacent to another village's land. It took about forty minutes to walk there, and there was also a small river in the way. Around the National Holiday one year, I followed my sister to work there. We needed to wade barefoot through the slightly cool river water, and it was also drizzling in the sky. Although wearing a bamboo hat, I still got my clothes wet. It's not easy to come here. We had to finish the farmwork before going home for dinner. I was hungry and cold, and sometimes I kept jumping to keep warm. At that time, I had an idea: I must leave the countryside, rural life is really difficult.

In 1985, after graduating from junior high school, I was admitted to a secondary vocational school and became a person who ate "national treasury grain", thus leaving the countryside.

At that time, only 10 spots were allocated to a commune (now a town) to participate in the county's exams, and in the end, 1-2 people would not be able to pass. At that time, there were 1000-2000 graduates in the entire commune, with a success rate of less than 1%.

2.My second leap in life

In 1989, after graduating from vocational school, I went to a large state-owned enterprise. In the late 1990s, the textile industry was impacted, leading to a decline in enterprise efficiency and delayed payment of workers' wages.

During my time in the enterprise, I completed my studies in the English major for junior college and undergraduate education through self-study exams, and also obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree. I aspired to take the postgraduate entrance examination to leave the stagnant enterprise, but failed three times, so I had to find a new path.

In 2002, I applied to a foreign trade company and was 34 years old that year. In 2003, which happened to be a period of vigorous investment promotion nationwide, I was fortunate enough to be admitted to the newly established investment promotion bureau in the district and became a government employee. That year, I was 35 years old. From enterprise to government agency, relying solely on my own hard work, without background and connections, I think it is both fortunate and inevitable. I see this as the second leap in my life.

I have been doing this job for over 20 years, and in a blink of an eye, I am approaching retirement age, but I have not relaxed at all. During these 20 years, I have continuously studied English, and my reading, translation, and listening skills have greatly improved. I have also obtained the qualifications of a junior and intermediate economist. I also earned some money through English translation and worked hard on writing on Steemit/Live/Blurt, earning some income while improving my writing skills.

I am learning about international trade and looking forward to finding a job after retirement.

Chairman Mao said, “So many deeds cry out to be done，and always urgently；the world rolls on，time presses. Ten thousand years are too long；seize the day，seize the hour!”

I think a person's life should be spent like this: Seize the day, seize the hour, and never give up!

已近57岁的年龄，可我一点也不觉得自己老，反而是不断阅读，时时努力去实现自己的小目标。可终究是容易怀旧，时常会回过头来看看自己走过的路，颇多感慨。

一、我的人生第一次飞跃

上小学和初中时，学习并没有现在这样的紧张，不上课的时间还要干农活。分给我们家的地有一块是在村子的东北方，与另一个村子的土地紧挨着，走到那里也要四十多分钟的样子，中间还要趟过一条小河。有一年大约十一前后，我跟着姐姐去那里干活。光着脚趟过有点凉的河水，天上还下着蒙蒙细雨，尽管戴着竹子编制的帽子，可还是淋湿了衣服。来一趟不容易，要把活干完了才会回家吃饭，我又饿又冷，有时在地里不停地蹦跳来取暖。那时的我就萌发了一个念头：一定要走出农村，农村生活实在是太难了。

1985年，我初中毕业后考上了一所中等专业学校，成了一名吃“国库粮”的人，从此走出了农村。

那时，分配给一个公社（也就是现在的镇）只有10个名额参加县里的考试，最终还会有1-2个人考不上。当时全公社的毕业生足有1000-2000人，成功率不足1%。

二、我的人生第二次飞跃

1989年，中专毕业后我去了一家大型国营企业。九十年代末，纺织行业受到冲击，企业效益下滑，工人工资也不及时发放了。

在企业的这段时间里，我完成了高教自学考试英语专业专科、本科的学习，还拿到了文学士学位。我立志考研，凭此走出萧条的企业，可三次考研未成功，我只好另辟蹊径。

2002年，我应聘去了一家外贸公司，那一年我34岁。2003年，正好是全国招商引资如火如荼的年代，我有幸考入了区里新成立的招商局，成了一名政府工作人员。那一年，我35岁。从企业到政府机关，既无背景也无关系，全凭着自己的打拼，既是幸运也是必然，我把这看作是自己人生的第二次飞跃。

这一干就是20多年，一晃就临近退休的年龄了，可我一点也没有松懈。在这20年间，我不断学习英语，阅读、翻译和听力水平有了较大提高，还考取了初级、中级经济师资格证书。也通过英语翻译赚到了一笔钱，也在steemit/hive/blurt上辛勤写作，有了一点收入，同时提高了写作水平。

我在学习国际贸易的有关知识，期盼着退休后能够找到一份工作，有一份收入。

毛主席说：“多少事，从来急；天地转，光阴迫。一万年太久，只争朝夕。”

我想，一个人的一生应当这样度过：只争朝夕，永不言放弃！

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_{Posted from https://blurtlatam.intinte.org}