加州新时代的印度退休社区

    Young people come from around the world to work in Silicon Valley. Some, however, are struggling to find the best way to care for their aging parents.
    来自世界各地的年轻人都到硅谷工作。然而有些人正在努力寻找照顾年迈父母的最佳办法。

    Increasingly, they are turning to "affinity" retirement communities. These are communities where older people from countries like India and China can live near, but not with, their adult children.
    他们越来越多地转向“亲和力”退休社区。这些社区可以让来自印度和中国等国的老年人住到成年子女附近,但是又不住到一起。

    These types of communities are a change from traditional Asian customs where parents and children normally live together.
    这类社区是对父母和孩子通常住在一起这种亚洲传统习俗的一种变革。

    Asha RaoRane moved from India to be closer to her three daughters who had immigrated to San Francisco.
    Asha RaoRane从印度移居过来,就是为了跟三个已经移民旧金山的女儿更近一点。

    She said, "The children are so busy these days, they are all the time working, taking care of their kids, so we do not want to interfere in their lives."
    她说:“如今孩子们都很忙,他们一天到晚忙着工作、照顾孩子。所以我们不希望干涉他们的生活。”

    Her daughters explored a traditional senior retirement community. But they had trouble finding one that their mother would fit into. Eventually, they found Priya Living, a retirement community for people with similar interests, such as yoga and meditation.
    她的女儿们考察了一家传统高级退休社区,但是她们难以找到一家适合她们母亲居住的社区。最终她们找到了Priya Living这家退休社区,它为具备瑜伽或冥想等相似兴趣的人群提供服务。

    Arun Paul is a real estate developer. He developed Priya Living as a place for his parents to live. His parents moved from Los Angeles four years ago and are still in a ground floor apartment.
    Arun Paul是一家房地产开发商。他把Priya Living建成了适合他父母居住的地方。他的父母4年前从洛杉矶搬过来,现在还住在一楼的公寓里。

    Paul said, "In living here in America, as the son of immigrants, I've realized that there's very unique needs that immigrants have."
    Paul表示,“作为在美国生活的移民第二代,我意识到了移民的独特需求。”

    "The old system was based on a different time when women were in the house, really taking care, in many cultures, of their husband's parents," Paul said. "Obviously the role of women in society has changed globally.
    Paul说:“很多文化中的旧体制都是基于妇女在家照顾公婆这样一种特殊时代。但显然女性在社会中的角色已经发生了变化。”

    A conflict of new and old
    新旧矛盾

    For Bhagyashree RaoRane and her mother Asha, finding Priya Living has been a dream come true.
    对Bhagyashree RaoRane以及她的母亲Asha来说,找到Priya Living是梦想终于成真。

    "We walked in and instantly it was like walking into an Indian community in India," said RaoRane. "Even the building is painted the same color as so many of the buildings in India are painted."
    RaoRane表示:“我们走进去,就像是走进了印度的一家印度社区。甚至连建筑物都跟印度的很多房子一样涂上了相同的颜色。”

    Others are not so sure about this type of affinity communities.
    还有些人对这种亲和力社区心里没底。

    Nagendra Prasad, 62, and Manjula Neelakantaiah, 53, came from India to visit their daughter who works for Google. They have stayed at Priya for the two-month visit.
    62岁的Nagendra Prasad和53岁的Manjula Neelakantaiah从印度过来探望在谷歌工作的女儿。他们在两个月的探访期内都住在Priya。

    "Really, in the beginning we were surprised," Neelakantaiah said. "In India the younger people, they definitely take care of the aged people."
    Neelakantaiah表示:“真的,一开始我们都很惊讶。在印度年轻人肯定要照顾老人。”

    For Dr. Byravan Viswanathan and his wife Lakshmi, the community is not a perfect fit.
    对Byravan Viswanathan博士和她妻子Lakshmi来说,该社区并不是一个完美的选择。

    They were born and raised in India but spent much of their adult lives in a small town in Pennsylvania. They made many American friends there, and they had adapted to a Western lifestyle.
    他们在印度出生和长大,但是成年后大部分时间都生活在宾夕法尼亚州的一个小镇。他们在那里结交了很多美国朋友,并且适应了西方生活方式。

    When they moved to Priya, they had to re-learn Indian ways of living again. They found that people were speaking languages that they had not used for many years. Their daughter is now looking to find a more American community for them.
    当他们搬到Priya,他们必须重新学习印度的生活方式。他们发现,人们都说着他们多年没说过的各种语言。他们的女儿现在正指望为他们找到一家更加美国化的社区。

    Welcoming everyone
    欢迎每个人

    While the majority of Priya's residents come from India, Paul said the community welcomes people of all backgrounds. There are a few non-Indians who call Priya home.
    Paul说,虽然Priya绝大部分居民来自印度,该社区也欢迎各种背景的人士。这里也有几位非印度人把Priya称作家。

    Carlos McCann is an 89-year-old WW II veteran. He has lived in the community for almost 20 years, long before it was purchased and remodeled to become a majority-Indian community.
    Carlos McCann是一位89岁的二战老兵。他早在这个社区被买下并改建成印度社区之前,就已经在这个社区住了近20年。

    "Everything has sort of come together at this location- it's like it's the center of the world," he said.
    他说:“这个地方包罗万象,就好像它就是世界的中心。”

    I'm Phil Dierking.
    我是菲尔·德尔金。(51VOA.COM原创翻译,禁止转载,违者必究!)