How many of you are tired of seeing celebrities adopting kids from the African continent?
你们之中有多少人已经对那些从非洲领养小孩的明星而感到厌倦了？
Well, it's not all that bad. I was adopted. I grew up in rural Uganda, lost both my parents when I was very, very young.
嗯，那也不全是坏事。我就是被其中领养的一员。我在乌干达的郊区长大，在我很小的时候，我的父母就去世了。
And when my parents passed, I experienced all the negative effects of poverty,
在我父母离世之后，我经历了所有贫困带来的困难，
from homelessness, eating out of trash piles, you name it.
从无家可归，到捡食路边的垃圾，所有你能想得到的。
But my life changed when I got accepted into an orphanage.
但自从我被一家孤儿院收养，我的生活就发生了巨变。
Through one of those sponsor-an-orphan programs, I was sponsored and given an opportunity to acquire an education.
通过孤儿院的一个补助项目，我获得了接受教育的机会以及相应的资助。
I started off in Uganda. I went through school, and the way this particular program worked,
一开始是在乌干达。我去了学校念书，而根据这个项目的运作流程，
you finished high school and after high school, you go learn a trade
他们会在你读完高中以后，送你去学一门手艺，
to become a carpenter, a mechanic or something along those lines.
比如木匠，或者机修工，或者其他的一些专业技术。
My case was a little different.
而我的情况却有所不同。
The sponsor family that was sending these 25 dollars a month to this orphanage to sponsor me,
每个月我会在孤儿院收到25美元补助。这钱来自资助我的家庭，
which -- I had never met them -- said, "Well ... we would like to send you to college instead." Oh -- it gets better.
我从未见过他们，他们说，“我们希望资助你去上大学”。哦，那再好不过了。
And they said, "If you get the paperwork, we'll send you to school in America instead."
他们还说：“如果你能通过申请，我们会把你送到美国的大学读书。”
So with their help, I went to the embassy and applied for the visa. I got the visa.
所以，在他们的帮助下，我去大使馆申请了签证。并且我得到了签证。
I remember this day like it was yesterday.
那一天对我来说就像昨天一样。
I walked out of the embassy with this piece of paper in my hand, a hop in my step,
我拿着手里的文件走出大使馆，一路蹦跳，
smile on my face, knowing that my life is about to change.
难掩笑意，我明白我的生活将不复从前。
I went home that night, and I slept with my passport, because I was afraid that someone might steal it.
那天晚上我回到家里，抱着我的护照睡着了，因为我担心有人会把它偷走。
I couldn't fall asleep. I kept feeling it. I had a good idea for security.
而我辗转反侧。那念头依然挥之不去。我突然想到了一个万全的主意。
I was like, "OK, I'm going to put it in a plastic bag, and take it outside and dig a hole, and put it in there."
我说：“好吧，我可以把它放进一个塑料袋里，然后在外面地上挖一个洞，把袋子放进去。”
I did that, went back in the house. I could not fall asleep.
我真的做了，然后又回到屋子里。但我依然无眠。
I was like, "Maybe someone saw me." I went back...
我想，“也许有人看到我了。”我又回去了。
I pulled it out, and I put it with me the entire night -- all to say that it was an anxiety-filled night.
我把袋子拿出来，然后抓着它度过了一宿，我只想说那真是焦虑的一晚。
Going to the US was, just like another speaker said, was my first time to see a plane,
来到美国的感受，和其他初来乍到的人一样，那是我第一次坐飞机，
be on one, let alone sit on it to fly to another country.
坐在座位上，飞向另一个国家。
December 15, 2006. 7:08pm. I sat in seat 7A. Fly Emirates.
2006年12月15日晚上7点08分。我坐在7A座位上。乘坐阿联酋航班。
One of the most gorgeous, beautiful women I've ever seen walked up, red little hat with a white veil.
一个我有生以来见过的最美的女人朝我走来，她戴着红色的帽子和白色的口罩。
I'm looking terrified, I have no idea what I'm doing.
我真的吓坏了，我简直手足无措。
She hands me this warm towel -- warm, steamy, snow white.
她递给我一张温热的纸巾，温暖，湿润，白净如雪。

I'm looking at this warm towel; I don't know what to do with my life, let alone with this damn towel...
我盯着这张温暖的纸巾；我都不知道我该拿我的生活怎么办，更别说这张纸巾了。
I did one of the -- you know, anything anyone could do in that situation: look around, see what everyone else is doing.
我做了一件--你懂的，任何人都会做的事：我环顾四周，看其他人的举动。
I did the same. Mind you, I drove about seven hours from my village to the airport that day.
然后我也跟着他们做。顺便一提，从村子到机场，那一天我开了7个小时的车。
So I grab this warm towel, wipe my face just like everyone else is doing, I look at it -- damn. It was all dirt brown.
所以我拿起那张温暖的纸，效仿着别人擦拭了自己的脸，我看了看纸巾--该死。已经变成屎黄色了。
I remember being so embarrassed that when she came by to pick it up, I didn't give mine. I still have it.
我记得我是那么的尴尬，以至于当她来回收纸巾的时候，我没好意思给她。我现在都还带着它。
Going to America opened doors for me to live up to my full God-given potential.
美国向我敞开了大门，让我能够发挥自己最大的潜力。
I remember when I arrived, the sponsor family embraced me, and they literally had to teach me everything from scratch:
我记得我刚到的时候，我的资助家庭迎接了我，然后他们就把一切从头开始教给我：
this is a microwave, that's a refrigerator -- things I'd never seen before.
这是一个微波炉，那是一个冰箱--那些都是我以前闻所未闻的东西。
And it was also the first time I got immersed into a new and different culture.
那也是我第一次被放置在全新的文化环境当中。
These strangers showed me true love.
这些陌生人向我展示了真正的关爱。
These strangers showed me that I mattered, that my dreams mattered. Thank you.
这些陌生人让我明白，我很重要，我的梦想很重要。谢谢。
These individuals had two of their own biological children. And when I came in, I had needs.
他们有两个亲生孩子。当我走进他们家庭的时候，我急需帮助。
They had to teach me English, teach me literally everything, which resulted in them spending a lot of time with me.
他们要教我英文，教我几乎所有的事情，这导致他们要在我的身上花费很多的精力。
And that created a little bit of jealousy with their children.
而这致使他们的亲生孩子对我产生了一丝妒忌。
So, if you're a parent in this room,
所以，如果你们有人是家长，
and you have those teenager children who don't want anything to do with your love and affection
而你又有这样一群青少年小孩，他们对你们的爱和关心置若罔闻，
in fact, they find it repulsive -- I got a solution: adopt a child. It will solve the problem.
事实上，还对你们很冷淡，我有一个办法：领养一个孩子。问题就会迎刃而解。
I went on to acquire two engineering degrees from one of the best institutions in the world.
在一所世界一流的学府中，我获得了两个工程师学位。
I've got to tell you: talent is universal, but opportunities are not.
我必须要说：天赋人人都有，但机会一缘难求。
And I credit this to the individuals who embrace multiculturalism, love, empathy and compassion for others.
我想要赞美那些拥抱多元文化的人，那些关爱、理解并且同情他人的人。
We live in a world filled with hate: building walls, Brexit, xenophobia here on the African continent.
我们生活在一个充满憎恨的世界上：高筑围墙，英国脱欧，非洲大陆的仇外心理。
Multiculturalism can be an answer to many of these worst human qualities.
而这些人类最负面的东西都可以被多元文化海涵。
Today, I challenge you to help a young child experience multiculturalism.
今天，我挑战你们在座的观众们，去帮助一个年轻的孩子感受多元文化的魅力。
I guarantee you that will enrich their life, and in turn, it will enrich yours.
我保证那会充实他的生活，作为回报，你们的生活也会得到升华。
And as a bonus, one of them may even give a TED Talk.
而作为奖励，他们其中之一也许还会在TED演讲。
We may not be able to solve the bigotry and the racism of this world today,
我们也许无力解决当今社会的种族歧视与偏见，
but certainly we can raise children to create a positive, inclusive, connected world full of empathy, love and compassion.
但我们完全可以引导我们的孩子去创建一个积极的、包容的、紧密相连的世界。那里将充满理解，关爱，同情。
Love wins. Thank you.
真爱无敌。谢谢。