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春休み前の休暇
日本にいる慶応ニューヨーク校時代からの親友から、ニューヨークで落ち合わないかという誘いを受けた雅子さん。日本では長い春休みでも、ここではほんの1週間の短い休み。しかも、彼女たちが来たのは中間試験の真っ最中でした。でも、断ったら後悔しそうだと感じた雅子さんはふたつ返事でその誘いに乗ることにしました。
Pre-Spring Break
By MASAKO YAMADA
A couple of months ago, my three best friends from high school told me that they were coming to the States for spring break. They asked me if I could meet up with them in New York. I immediately said, "Yes," even though I wasn't quite sure what I'd be doing then. I had just seen them during summer vacation, so it wasn't really a grand reunion. However, I felt that I had to be with them: I got the strange sense that if I didn't go, I'd regret it for a long time.
There are numerous reasons I felt this way. I wanted to take another mini-vacation, I felt a bit lonely being away from my familiar friends (they all go to the same college) and I got the feeling that we're not going to be able to do this sort of thing too often in the future. After we start working and having families, it's just not going to be possible for us to take off on the spur of the moment. It seems that we're entering a new stage of life, and I wanted to grab all I could of the "old" stage before exiting.
Spring break is a multi-month affair in Japan, but it's only a week's vacation for us. Unfortunately, my friends came just before my spring break. That is, they came during my midterms!! It didn't faze me, though. I arrived in New York via Grayhound on Saturday evening and took the Amtrack back to Boston on Sunday evening. I couldn't study at all during the 24 hours I had with my friends, but I had such a nice time that by the time I got back to Boston, I felt like studying again.
Actually, I got to make some new friends during this short trip because my old friends were traveling with the friends that they'd made in college. I felt very comfortable with them, even though I'd never met them before. I think they felt the same way in spite of my hurried entrance and exit.
We all stayed at my friend Teiko's home in New York, and even her parents joined us in the living room to chat. My old friends had obviously lived in the States before, but Teiko's dad put on a show for the newcomers by telling them about the wonders of New York. He boasted, "You're talking to a guy who spoke with Michael Douglas!! I was in an elevator with him, and he said, Excuse me."
I told one of them that although I'd never been the victim of any sort of crime in New York, I could see why the Japanese are easy targets. Even I, a "non-pro," can identify groups of Japanese from far away. I don't look at the facial features per se ― it's more a matter of identifying body language and expression.
After that night, we all took the train to Manhattan to play in the city. Our actual itinerary wasn't anything special: Battery Park, Chinatown, Little Italy, Soho, Times Square.... I've gone to the same places many times before, but the wonderful thing is that there is always something familiar and something new.
This time it was very foggy, so we looked at a blank white sheet of nothingness and tried to make out the shadow of the Statue of Liberty. In Chinatown, I ate a tiny species of snail for the first time. In Times Square, I noticed that there was a huge Disney superstore in a spot that used to be an all-Japanese porno shop. We didn't go to the Empire State Building ― a favorite ― because of the recent observatory shooting.
The fact that our group consisted of a different combination of people added to the interest. Three of the new friends I made were "non-Keio people," and I was grateful to have met them, as the Keio community in New York is quite insular. Of course, personally, I've made many new friends at Wellesley, BU and other colleges around Boston, but I can't deny the importance of knowing that I have people I can rely on "back home." Teiko's mom told me that after all these years she was worried if I could speak Japanese.
It's true that I actually speak and hear more Chinese than I do Japanese these days... but, fortunately, I had no trouble at all, and I was grateful for this.
A couple of months ago, my three best friends from high school told me that they were coming to the States for spring break. They asked me if I could meet up with them in New York. I immediately said, "Yes," even though I wasn't quite sure what I'd be doing then. I had just seen them during summer vacation, so it wasn't really a grand reunion. However, I felt that I had to be with them: I got the strange sense that if I didn't go, I'd regret it for a long time.
There are numerous reasons I felt this way. I wanted to take another mini-vacation, I felt a bit lonely being away from my familiar friends (they all go to the same college) and I got the feeling that we're not going to be able to do this sort of thing too often in the future. After we start working and having families, it's just not going to be possible for us to take off on the spur of the moment. It seems that we're entering a new stage of life, and I wanted to grab all I could of the "old" stage before exiting.
Spring break is a multi-month affair in Japan, but it's only a week's vacation for us. Unfortunately, my friends came just before my spring break. That is, they came during my midterms!! It didn't faze me, though. I arrived in New York via Grayhound on Saturday evening and took the Amtrack back to Boston on Sunday evening. I couldn't study at all during the 24 hours I had with my friends, but I had such a nice time that by the time I got back to Boston, I felt like studying again.
Actually, I got to make some new friends during this short trip because my old friends were traveling with the friends that they'd made in college. I felt very comfortable with them, even though I'd never met them before. I think they felt the same way in spite of my hurried entrance and exit.
We all stayed at my friend Teiko's home in New York, and even her parents joined us in the living room to chat. My old friends had obviously lived in the States before, but Teiko's dad put on a show for the newcomers by telling them about the wonders of New York. He boasted, "You're talking to a guy who spoke with Michael Douglas!! I was in an elevator with him, and he said, Excuse me."
I told one of them that although I'd never been the victim of any sort of crime in New York, I could see why the Japanese are easy targets. Even I, a "non-pro," can identify groups of Japanese from far away. I don't look at the facial features per se ― it's more a matter of identifying body language and expression.
After that night, we all took the train to Manhattan to play in the city. Our actual itinerary wasn't anything special: Battery Park, Chinatown, Little Italy, Soho, Times Square.... I've gone to the same places many times before, but the wonderful thing is that there is always something familiar and something new.
This time it was very foggy, so we looked at a blank white sheet of nothingness and tried to make out the shadow of the Statue of Liberty. In Chinatown, I ate a tiny species of snail for the first time. In Times Square, I noticed that there was a huge Disney superstore in a spot that used to be an all-Japanese porno shop. We didn't go to the Empire State Building ― a favorite ― because of the recent observatory shooting.
The fact that our group consisted of a different combination of people added to the interest. Three of the new friends I made were "non-Keio people," and I was grateful to have met them, as the Keio community in New York is quite insular. Of course, personally, I've made many new friends at Wellesley, BU and other colleges around Boston, but I can't deny the importance of knowing that I have people I can rely on "back home." Teiko's mom told me that after all these years she was worried if I could speak Japanese.
It's true that I actually speak and hear more Chinese than I do Japanese these days... but, fortunately, I had no trouble at all, and I was grateful for this.
Shukan ST: March 14, 1997
(C) All rights reserved
- break
- 休み
- meet up with 〜 in 〜 〜
- 〜 と 〜 〜 で落ち合う
- immediately
- すぐに
- what I'd be doing then
- そのころ何をしているか
- grand reunion
- 大げさな再会
- got the strange sense that 〜
- 〜 という妙な予感がした
- (would)regret
- 後悔するだろう
- numerous
- たくさんの
- felt a bit lonely being away from 〜
- 〜 と離れていたためにちょっぴり寂しかった
- familiar
- 親しい
- this sort of thing
- このようなこと(気軽に会う機会をもつこと)
- take off on the spur of the moment
- 急に思い立って出かける
- new stage of life
- 人生における新しい段階
- wanted to grab all I could of the "old" stage before exiting
- 「古い」段階から出ていく前にそこでできることを全部やっておきたい
- multi-month affair
- 1ヵ月以上にもおよぶ行事
- That is
- つまり
- midterms
- 中間試験
- faze
- 困らせる
- via 〜
- 〜 を使って
- Grayhound
- バス
- Amtrak
- アムトラック(全米鉄道旅客輸送会社の通称)の電車
- felt like studying
- 勉強する気になっていた
- in spite of my hurried entrance and exit
- せわしなくみんなに会って去っていっにもかかわらず
- chat
- おしゃべりする
- obviously
- もちろん
- dad
- 父親
- put on a show for the newcomers
- 訪問客を楽しませた
- wonders of New York
- 驚くべきニューヨークの話
- boasted
- 自慢した
- guy
- 男
- (had)never been the victim of any sort of crime
- 何らかの犯罪の犠牲になったことはない
- are easy targets
- ねらわれやすい
- "non-pro"
- その道のプロではない人間
- can identify 〜 from far away
- 〜 は遠くからでも見分けがつく
- don't look at the facial features per se
- 顔だち自体を見るのではない
- it's more a matter of 〜
- それよりも 〜 の問題だ
- expression
- 表情
- itinerary
- 旅行の予定
- Soho
- ワシントン広場に程近い芸術街。モダンアートの本拠地といわれる
- there is always something familiar and something new
- いつも何かなつかしいものと新しいものがある
- foggy
- 霧が深い
- blank white sheet of nothingness
- 白いシーツのような何もない広がり
- tried to make out 〜
- 〜 を見定めようとした
- Statue of Liberty
- 自由の女神
- tiny species of snail
- 小さなかたつむりの一種
- huge
- 巨大な
- in a spot that used to be 〜
- 以前 〜 だった場所に
- all-Japanese porno shop
- 日本人専門のポルノショップ
- favorite
- お気に入りの場所
- observatory shooting
- 展望台での発砲事件(2月23日、展望台で男が銃を乱射、1人が死亡し、6人が負傷した事件)
- consisted of 〜
- 〜 から成る
- different combination of people
- いつもの仲間と違う人たち
- 〜 added to the interest
- 〜 のせいでなおさら面白かった
- "non-Keio people"
- (雅子さんの母校)慶応ニューヨーク校出身でない人々
- was grateful to 〜
- 〜 して楽しかった
- (is)insular
- 孤立している
- personally
- 個人的には
- Wellesley
- ウェルズリー大学
- BU =
- Boston University
- can't deny the importance of knowing that 〜
- 〜 の大切さを否定できない
- have people I can rely on "back home"
- 日本にも頼りになる友人がいる
- mom
- 母親
- had no trouble at all
- 全く不自由しなかった