网帖翻译

What does it feel like to grow up wealthy?

富裕起来是什么感觉？

Anonymous
When my kindergarten teacher asked the class to draw our houses at the age of 4, I drew a 15 stories building.
I wouldn’t consider our family the crazy rich of the world, but in a developing country like mine, I know for sure our family lives in a different circle far different from the average 3000$ income yearly of the people in my country.

4岁的时候，幼儿园老师让全班同学画房子，我画了一栋15层楼的房子。
我不觉得我们家是世界上最富有的，但在发展中国家，我们家和我们国家年均收入3000美元的人是完全不一样的。我们和他们生活在完全不同的圈子。

Unlike my sister, I was born at a time my father’s business was growing. My birthday marked the beginning of my father’s company and hotel. 2001 in Vietnam, a country barely out of war, was far different from any countries. I feel my answer will not depict any tremendous wealth, but rather how astounding money can separate you from the rest of society.

和我姐姐不同，我出生后我父亲的生意迅猛发展。我的生日标志着我父亲的公司和酒店的开业。2001年，越南这个刚刚摆脱战争的国家和其他的国家都不一样。我觉得我的答案并不是对任何巨大的财富进行刻画，而是说明为什么大量的金钱可以把你与社会其他人区分开来。

For as long as I could remember, we’ve always had personal drivers and maids. While kids my age back then were taken to kindergarten on the back of their parents’ scooters, I was sitting comfortably in a car, driven by my personal driver. My house was 5 minutes from school, but I was forbidden to walk, or biked, or taken to school on a scooter. I still remember how one of the new drivers was fired on the first day of work because he took my sister home from school on a scooter. At the time, compared to others, my family was living much more comfortably.

从我记事起，我们就有私人司机和女佣。当我那个年纪的孩子坐着他们父母的脚踏车上幼儿园时，我有专门的私人司机接送我上下学，我家离学校只有5分钟的路程，但他们不让我走路，骑自行车或者骑摩托车上学。我还记得一个新来的司机在上班第一天为什么就被解雇的，因为他用摩托车把我妹妹从学校接回家。当时，与其他人相比，我的家庭生活水平要比其他人都要更加优越。

In terms of business, I know my parents have made a reputation for themselves since the early ages. When Television started appearing in the daily lives of the Vietnamese, there were only 4 companies running ads, we were one of them. In 2001, our hotel was the second highest building in the country. Yes, i know it’s nothing compared to the world outside, but it was something. Now, my father is finishing a 58 stories building, the 5th highest in the country, while also making money out of mining. In short, my father was the pioneer of his time, laying the foundation for the economy of Vietnam, starting from scratch, and he’s still working days and nights to “better the economy and lives of the Vietnamese” - according to his words. He’s never meant to make profits for himself, rather, he’s always tried to create something for the country and the people.

在生意上，我知道我父母早年就已经名声大躁。当电视开始在越南普及时，只有4家公司在做广告，我们家公司就是其中之一。2001年，我们的酒店是全国第二高的建筑。是的，我知道和外面的世界比起来算不上什么，但在我们国家还是可以的。现在，我父亲正在造一座58层的建筑，这是全国第五高的建筑，同时也靠采矿业赚钱。简而言之，我父亲是他那个时代的先驱，他从零开始为越南的经济打下了基础。他说他为了“改善越南的经济和人民的生活水平”，仍然在日夜工作。他从来没有为自己谋利，相反，他总是想为国家和人民创造一些东西。

Now, 17 years later, with me being a senior in High school, I feel like I’ve witnessed how different my family has always been compared to the rest of society. In kindergarten, I drew a 15 stories house, not to brag, but it was really my house. Money was no obxt when I was a kid, and I grew up knowing I could afford anything I wanted in Vietnam. My friends were just friends. I never knew how different we were. As I entered elementary school, I was finally able to grasp how I was not like others. I was taken to class on a BMW convertible while friends were using the school buses. When I invited friends over, they were shocked that my house was a hotel. Middle school, I was bullied because my driver took me to school on a Hummer (it was extremely rare in Vietnam). They were cyber bullying me, calling me things I am scared to hear anonymously because I was so different from them. Highschool, I am free to apply to any universities in the US without having to worry about the financial aids or scholarships, because our family can easily pay for the tuition of Ivy Leagues and top schools. My classmates? They are worried as hell because they can only contribute as much as 10k or 5k a year. As I grow up, I can not be as oblivious as I used to be. I used to think going out for dinner and paying 2000$ a night is nothing, or paying 250$ an hour for tutoring was normal, but the reality is that most of my friends can barely pay for the school tuition in Vietnam (which is 200$ something for public schools or maybe 5000$ for private schools). I rarely talk about money with people now, and when asked who’s taking me home, I’ll just answer “my relative” to avoid the wonders and jaw-drops of people when they hear the word “personal driver”.

17年后的今天，我已经读高中，我亲眼目睹了我们家和社会上其他人有多么的不同。在幼儿园时候，我画了一栋15层楼的房子，不是为了炫耀，而是它确实是我的房子。当我还是个孩子的时候，钱就不是问题，我从小就知道在越南我可以买得起任何我想要的东西。我的朋友只是朋友。我从来不知道我们有多不一样。当我进入小学的时候，我终于明白了我和别人是怎么不一样的。当时朋友们都坐校车，而我做宝马敞篷车去上学。当我邀请朋友过来时，他们对我们家是一栋酒店感到震惊。
中学时，我被欺负了，是因为我的司机开着悍马送我上学，而悍马在越南这是极为罕见的。他们对我使用网络暴力，匿名说一些我害怕听到的话，因为我和他们太不一样了。高中时，我可以自由申请美国的任何大学，而不必考虑经济资助或奖学金，因为我们的家庭可以轻松支付常春藤联盟和顶级学校的学费。
而我的同学呢？他们就非常担心，因为他们每年只能存1万或者5千。随着我的成长，我不能再像以前那样不食人间烟火了。我以前认为出去吃晚饭，一顿饭花2000美元不算什么，或者每小时250美元的家教费是正常的，但事实是，我的大多数朋友付不起越南的学费（公立学校200美元左右，私立学校5000美元左右）。我现在很少和人谈钱，当被问到是谁送我回家时，我只回答“我的亲戚”，以免别人听到“私人司机”一词时感到惊讶。

My parents rarely tell me how much we have, and they choose to surround me not with other rich kids of the country, but smart kids. I got into the most prestigious high school in the country (acceptance rate being less than 5%). Students from my school go on to attend Yale, Harvard, and many prestigious universities in the US. When it comes to my education, safety and comfort, my father never hesitated to spend. I have a personal tutor aiding me with my school work, a private counselor helping me with the college application because our school doesn’t have one, I take one on one classes with foreigner teachers every week to learn about things I like even when the rate for an hour is the school year’s tuition. My father will only let me fly business class when I’m traveling abroad, even if I tell him I can sit in economy to save him some money. My parents never splurge on luxury clothing or handbags, they deem it unnecessary. My father has been wearing a 200$ watch for years despite owning a Rolls-Royce. My mother still teaches at a public school earning 2000$ a month despite the fact that my father can easily support her and our family.

我的父母很少告诉我我们有多少钱，他们选择不让我和该国其他有钱的孩子在一起，而是让我与聪明的孩子在一起。我考上了全国最有名的高中（录取率不到5%）。我们学校的学生很多在耶鲁、哈佛和许多美国著名大学继续深造。对于跟我的教育、安全以及生活舒适相关的事情，我父亲从不吝于花钱。我有一个私人家教辅导我的学习，一个私人顾问帮我完成申请大学，因为我们学校没有这样的顾问。
即使一小时的费用抵得上一个学年的学费,我每周都要和外教进行一对一的课程，从而学习我喜欢的东西。即使我告诉他我可以坐经济舱为他省点钱，我父亲仍然要求我在国外旅行时坐商务舱，我父母从不把钱挥霍在奢侈的衣服或手袋上，他们认为没有必要。尽管他有一辆劳斯莱斯，但我父亲多年来一直戴着一块200美元的手表。尽管我父亲可以很容易地养活我母亲和我们的家庭，但我母亲仍然在一所公立学校教书，月收入2000美元。

However, there is always that side to the lifestyle that hampers me somehow. I’m so much more privileged than my friends, and I feel like I’ve never earned it. In fact, I feel like I’ll never earn it no matter how hard I work. I was born into it. I was just lucky. I got into good schools, but I got access to all the best tutors helping me along the way. I feel like I’ll never be as good as my father is. I’ll never be able to take over his empire. I’m scared of failing and losing everything he’s built. My friends think I’m lucky because I don’t have to worry about getting a good job after college. However, the truth is I’ll be just as inexperienced as they are, yet I’ll have to take over a large enterprise. I can’t choose my future husband, because my family may deem them too average for us like they have with my sister’s ex boyfriend. And even if they do allow me to love any one I wish, I know there is always a barrier between me and the rest of society. My current boyfriend wasn’t brought up the way my parents brought me up. His parents didn’t give him money when he scored high on a test like I did, he doesn’t have a credit card to pay for his meals or our cinema tickets, his parents don’t have the connection for him to be in specific government exchange programs. My family has dinner with prime minister and politicians, we are friends with influencers of society, and they expect me to be in that same circle one day. I feel like everything was given to me so easily and I’m ashamed of having so much. I feel like i’ve never been prepared for the real world. I’ll be studying in the US next year all by myself, no more maids to cook my meals and make my beds, no more driver taking me to classes, and I’m honestly scared as hell. No one has taught me to do those things on my own or take care of myself. I feel like Im an irresponsible and spoilt child. I hate the class systems, I tell my teacher I’m astounded by how people treat the poor but I’m scared I’ll be just as mean one day. Sometimes people tell me how much they admire me for being academically outstanding, how pretty I am, how rich and well- behaved I am, and I’ll just smile to them not knowing how to feel. It was all given to me and I was just somehow lucky to have those things the moment I was born.

然而，我的生活方式在某种程度上总会对我有所阻碍。我比我的朋友们有更多的特权，但这些不是靠我自己得来的。事实上，我觉得不管我怎么努力，我永远也无法靠自己赚取这些特权。我只是很幸运，生来就拥有了它们。我进了好学校，我有机会接触到所有最好的导师，他们一路上都在帮助我。我觉得我永远不会像我父亲那样出色。我永远无法接管他的帝国。我害怕失败，害怕失去他所建立的一切。我的朋友们认为我很幸运，因为我不用担心大学毕业后能不能找到一份好工作。
然而，事实是我和他们一样缺乏经验，但我必须接管一家大型企业。我不能选择我未来的丈夫，因为我的家人可能认为他们对我们来说太平庸了，就像他们对待我姐姐的前男友一样。即使他们允许我去爱任何一个我想要的人，我知道我和社会上的其他人之间总是有障碍的。
我现在的男朋友，他父母抚养他的方式和我父母抚养我的方式不同。当他像我一样在考试中得了高分时，他的父母没有给他钱，他没有信用卡支付吃饭的钱或我们的电影票钱，他的父母也没有为了让他能参加特定的政府交换项目而提前打招呼。我的家人与总理和政治家共进晚餐，我们的朋友都是社会上有影响力的人，他们希望我有一天也能和他们在一个圈子里。我觉得所有的东西都是那么容易就能得到，我为我能拥有这么多而感到惭愧。
我觉得我从来没有为现实世界做好准备。明年我将独自一人在美国学习，不再有女佣给我做饭和铺床，不再有司机带我去上课，我真的很害怕。没有人教过我自己做这些事情或者照顾好自己。我觉得我是个不负责任的被宠坏的孩子。我讨厌班级制度，我告诉我的老师我对人们对待穷人的方式感到惊讶，但我害怕有一天我也会变得同样刻薄。有时人们会跟我说，我是多么的富有，他们对我在学业上的杰出表现是多么的钦佩，我是多么的漂亮，我是多么的富裕和举止得体，这一切都是父母给我的，我只是幸运地在我出生的那一刻就拥有了这些东西。

I hope one day when I’m matured enough I’ll find my path and make something better out of what my parents have given me. I feel like all my life whatever I’ve accomplished is just something my parents gave me.
How’s it like growing up wealthy? You’re destined to live in oblivion, and once you realize how 90% of the population live, reality hits hard.


我希望有一天，当我足够成熟的时候，我会找到自己的路，让父母给我的东西变得更好。我觉得我一生所取得的一切成就都是我父母给我的。
富裕起来感觉怎么样？你注定要生活在遗忘中，一旦你意识到90%的人是如何生活的，现实就会受到沉重打击。

Mia Kristine, studied at Lillestrøm Videregående Skole
I’m not “rich” in that sense. My parents don’t drive Porsches (although some of our family friends do), and I don’t live in some huge mansion with 300 acres of land surrounding it.
When I was younger I never realized, however, just how comfortably I had grown up. We moved a little bit out of the capital when my younger brother was born, a year younger than me. Although I knew some of my friends lived in more cramped apartment complexes I never thought it was anything strange, I didn’t even realize our small municipality had “better” and “worse” areas.

我不是那种意义上的“有钱”。我父母不开保时捷（虽然我们的一些亲戚朋友会开保时捷），我也不住在周围有300英亩土地的豪宅里。
然而，我年轻的时候，我从来没有意识到我长大后有多舒服。比我小一岁的弟弟出生的时候，我们搬出了首都。虽然我知道我的一些朋友住在更拥挤的公寓里，但我从未觉得这有什么奇怪的，我甚至没有意识到我们这个小城市有“更好”和“更差”的地区。

But I got the toys I wanted for christmas. You know those Bratz-dolls that were super popular? I loved them for a long time, and although they were ridiculously overprized (in Norway anyways, I think they listed at $40), I think I must have collected 10 or more out of them. I had a bike, regularly changed every couple of years when I outgrew it. I had skis, both downhill and cross-country, because we have a cabin in the mountains we would visit often. I got money for my birthday to buy a Micro-scooter. I never had to share a room with my brothers, and at one point we just extended our house when my 2nd brother came along. I always used new clothes. I was always able to try out the things I wanted: handball, ballet, disco, freestyle, gymastics, judo, horseback riding… mention something and I tried it at some point. I continued with swimming all up until 11th grade and was always able to join the trips we had.

但我得到了圣诞节想要的玩具。你知道那些超级流行的布拉茨娃娃吗？我很长一段时间都很喜欢它们，尽管它们的价格被高估得可笑（不管怎样，在挪威，我认为它们的标价是40美元），我想我一定收集了10个或更多的布拉茨娃娃。我有一辆自行车，长大后每两年就换一辆。我有滑雪板，既有下坡的，也有越野的，因为我们在山区有一个小屋，我们经常去那。我买了一辆微型摩托车作为生日礼物。我从来不需要和我的兄弟们同住一个房间，有一次，当我的二哥来的时候，我们就扩大了我们的房子。我总是能穿新衣服。我总是能尝试我想要的东西：手球、芭蕾舞、迪斯科、自由泳、体操、柔道、骑马……上面提到的这些，我都尝试过。我一直游泳直到11年级，而且经常旅行。

We went on holidays all over Europe, often to Spain when I was younger but also to all those countries you see in the movies. This year we had a 3-week roadtrip in California. I went to Los Angeles with my friends in February (which I myself paid for). My parents are paying part of the IB-tuition for me, what is not subsidized by the government. Personally I’ve been into fashion and brands lately, and by saving up for a little while I’ve been able to buy the shoes I want and the clothes I want.

我们去欧洲各地度假，我小时候经常去西班牙，也去过电影里看到的所有国家。今年我们在加州进行了为期三周的公路旅行。二月份我和朋友们去了洛杉矶（这笔钱我自己付了）。我父母为我支付了国际文凭学费的一部分，这部分学费没有政府补贴。就我个人而言，最近我已经涉足时尚和品牌领域，通过攒一点钱，我就能买到我想要的鞋子和我想要的衣服。

The thing is, it’s all about how you define money and richness. I’d say you’re rich when money is never tight. We have two cars and always money for gas. Sometimes my dad says “we’ll have to wait for my payday,” if I ask for something, but if I’m stuck in the city nearby at night, it’s 1,5 hours until the next bus comes and he’s had a glass of wine so he can’t drive, he tells me he’ll pay for my taxi home.

问题是，这一切都与您如何定义金钱和财富有关。我想说的是，当你的钱从来都不紧张的时候，你就是有钱人。我们有两辆车，这得花钱买汽油。有时我爸爸说“我们得等到发薪日”，如果我想要什么东西，但如果我晚上被困在附近的城市里，离下一班公共汽车来还有1.5小时，当他喝了一杯酒而不能开车时，他告诉我他会付我坐出租车回家的钱。

I kind of lived in a glass house for a long time, waiting to have rock thrown in to shatter my illusion. When I started high school, I kind of did. I got new friends, of course. From all over the region as opposed to the small place I lived. Suddenly it took me an hour by public transport, rather than 10 minutes. And I realized that I shouldn't take holidays as a given. My friend saved up for years to visit her home country. We plan according to how much money is in the ban: do we have money for food to make at home? Do we have money for bus tickets? Generally, when we get together and make food, we raid the 50%-section and buy the cheap option because it costs less. I was never aware of how much food actually cost until then.

我在温室里住了很长时间，等着有人扔石头来打破我的幻觉。当我开始上高中的时候，我确实这么做了。当然，我有了新朋友。与我住的小地方不同，他们来自各个地区。突然间，我需要花1个小时坐公共交通工具，而不是10分钟。我意识到我不应该把假期当作理所当然的事。我的朋友攒了好几年钱才能回国。我们根据有限的钱来制定计划：我们有钱给家里买食物吗？我们有钱买公共汽车票吗？一般来说，当我们聚在一起做饭时，我们选择半价的，便宜的东西购买，因为它的价格更低。在那之前，我从来没有意识到食物的实际价格。

We have the money to be critical of what we eat. We have the money to buy birthday presents for my friends. We have the money for gas. I have my own room, and we have a cabin in the mountains. In a country where my parents pay the highest income tax at 50%, we still live comfortably. We don’t need to worry about next month’s rent. To me, that is being rich.

我们有钱，于是可以允许我们挑食。我们有钱给我的朋友买生日礼物。我们有钱买汽油。我有自己的房间，我们在山上有一间小屋。在我父母以50%的最高税率缴纳所得税的国家，我们仍然过着舒适的生活。我们不必担心下个月的租金。对我来说，这就是富有。

Anonymous
In my country, the majority of locals live in subsidised public housing. Our country is so land-scarce that even just a tiny private flat would fetch seven-digit prices. My parents were so rich, we didn't even qualify for public housing anymore. We stayed in a 1700 square foot (read huge) apartment right next to the country's most upscale shopping district. I never went hungry, never had to worry about school fees, never had to think about money.

在我国，大多数当地人住在有补贴的公共住房中。我们国家土地稀缺，即使是一个小小的私人公寓也能卖到7位数的价格。我父母太有钱了，我们甚至都没有资格申请公共住房了。我们住在一个1700平方英尺的公寓里，就在这个国家最高档的购物区旁边。我从不挨饿，不用担心学费，也不用考虑金钱。

And yet I never even realised the extent of my privilege. What does it feel like to grow up wealthy? It feels like nothing.
Thing is, I grew up in wealth and never had anything else to compare to; I went to a brand-name school which were full of other rich kids - most of my friends went to exotic places for holidays every year, filled their days with expensive extra curriculars that their parents paid for, and, like me, had never even gone hungry before.
To me, being wealthy was the norm and therefore was something that I didn't even spare a thought for.

但我从未意识到我的特权范围。富裕起来是什么感觉？感觉没什么。
事实上，我是在富有的环境中长大的，从来没有其他东西可以用来比较；我去了一所名牌学校，那里都是有钱的孩子，我的大多数朋友每年都去其他国家度假，他们的生活中排满了父母花钱买来的昂贵的课外课程，而且，和我一样，他们从来没有挨饿过。
对我来说，有钱是很正常的，因此有些事情我甚至连想都没想过。

After ten years of formal education progressing from one elite school to yet another, I finally ended up in a ‘mainstream’ college where the majority of students come from significantly less endowed backgrounds. And it's a college - tuition fees are expensive and it's an established fact that college kids, in comparison to the rest of society, are richer than most. Yet, compared to my previous fancy schools, there's already a stark difference. It's only now that I realise just how rich my friends back in those schools were. And how privileged I am.

经过十年的正规教育，从一所精英学校到另一所私立学校，我最终进入了一所“主流”大学，那里大多数学生的家境明显较差。这是一所学费昂贵的大学，与社会上其他人相比，大学生比大多数人更富有，这是一个公认的事实。然而，与我以前的私立学校相比，已经有了天壤之别。直到现在我才意识到我在那些学校里的朋友们是多么富有。以及我是有多么幸运。

My friends now, they tell me about how they worked two jobs during their secondary school holidays to support their younger siblings. What was I doing then? Flying off to Japan, Taiwan, Europe, spending money instead of earning it. They tell stories of alcoholic fathers, sleepless nights of hunger, bailing siblings out of jail. Stories completely foreign to me. I can't relate to them; and they can’t relate to me. We grew up in two completely different worlds.

现在，我的朋友们告诉我，他们是如何在中学假期期间做两份工作来养活弟弟妹妹的。我当时在做什么？飞到日本，台湾，欧洲，花钱而不是赚钱。他们讲述了酗酒的父亲、饥饿的不眠之夜、把兄弟姐妹从监狱里救出来的故事。这些故事对我来说完全是陌生的。我不能理解他们，他们也不能理解我。我们在两个完全不同的世界长大。

Right now, at this stage of my life, I can't help but feel guilty. For having been given so much privilege through no act of my own. It's so terribly unfair. I don't deserve all this any more than the next person. I owe my family and my society a great debt, and I have the responsibility to make best use of my privilege to give back.

现在，我不禁感到内疚。因为我什么也没做就获得了如此多的特权，太不公平了。我并不比其他人更配得上这一切。我欠我的家庭和社会太多了，我有责任充分利用我的特权来回馈社会。