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現地で作った友達の輪
期末試験が終わり、オーストラリアでの滞在期間も残りわずかとなってきました。
帰国を間近に控えた今、武藤さんはほっとする気持ちと心配する気持ちが入り混じった複雑な感情を抱いています。
現地での生活を通してたくさんのことを学び、経験した武藤さんですが、
これまで一生懸命築いてきた、世界各国からの留学生や現地学生との友情の行く末が心配になるのです。
The network
So, at long last, I finished my exams, which means my course in Australia has come to an end, and yes, it's now time for me to head back to Japan.
I have mixed feelings about going home. Part of me is relieved, part of me is worried. I look back at everything that I've experienced in Sydney, the good and the bad. I look back at all the new people I've met here and the close friendships I've formed. You always learn something from meeting new people, but I can't even begin to tell you how much I've learned from my friends here. And I'm going to have to leave them soon. It's going to be hard to let go.
I have made many friends from different countries here: China, Taiwan, Korea, Germany, Sweden, Thailand, Peru, France, America, Canada, Sudan, and of course Australia. It wasn't easy. It took a lot of effort, when the greatest temptation can be to hole myself up in my room and shut out the world. I worry that these friendships will weaken when I go back to Japan, because distance can be the greatest enemy of human relationships. I'm afraid I will lose my friends.
But I'm sure that, even between now and when I get on the plane, I'll meet new people, and here's something new to worry about: How should I behave toward them? Making new friends can take time and effort, especially when living abroad, but I don't really have that much time left. Is there much point in embarking on a new friendship when it may just fizzle out after I leave. Perhaps I should be concentrating on the friends that I already have.
But even concentrating on the friends I already have comes with its fair share of problems. How should I behave toward them too? Should I tell them what's on my mind, this fear that when I go back to Japan our friendship will gradually fade away? I want to tell them, but at the same time, I'm afraid that if I do tell them, they'll be worried for me, or they might not understand. My friends in Japan probably wouldn't understand either: what it feels like to leave somewhere so imbued with memory.
When I was in Japan, I never really thought about these things because, obviously, I'd never been in a certain place for only a very limited amount of time. I'd never really been aware of restrictions like this. They're cruel and unfair, these study-abroad programs, because once you've formed these deep relationship it's time to go home and everyone scatters across the globe.
These thoughts have been heavy on my mind recently. Then, one day, my friend Shirley gave me a call and told me that she and some of my other friends had decided they would hold a farewell party for me. When I heard the word "farewell" I felt like I was having a heart attack. "Everyone will be there," she said, and hung up before I could ask who.
- at long last
- ようやく
- exams
- 試験
- means 〜
- 〜を意味する
- has come to an end
- 終わりを迎える
- it's now time for me to 〜
- 〜するときがやってきた
- head back to 〜
- 〜に戻る
- mixed feelings
- 複雑な感情
- Part of 〜
- 〜の一部分
- is relieved
- ほっとしている
- is worried
- 心配している
- look back at 〜
- 〜を振り返る
- (have)experienced
- 経験した
- the good and the bad
- よかったことと悪かったこと
- close friendships I've formed
- 築いた親密な関係
- learn 〜
- 〜を学ぶ
- can't even begin to tell you 〜
- 〜についてはとうてい語り尽くせない
- leave 〜
- 〜と別れる
- let go
- 思い切る
- Germany
- ドイツ
- Thailand
- タイ
- of course
- もちろん
- took 〜
- 〜が必要だった
- effort
- 努力
- temptation
- 誘惑
- hole myself up
- 引きこもる
- shut out 〜
- 〜と関係をたつ
- weaken
- 薄れる
- go back to 〜
- 〜に戻る
- distance
- 距離
- enemy
- 敵
- human relationships
- 人間関係
- (am)afraid 〜
- 〜だと心配している
- lose 〜
- 〜を失う
- (am)sure that 〜
- 〜だと確信している
- between now and when 〜
- 今と、〜するまでの間に
- plane
- 飛行機
- behave
- 振舞う
- especially
- 特に
- abroad
- 外国に
- Is there much point in 〜
- 〜することにさほど意味があるのだろうか
- embarking on 〜
- 〜を築き始める
- fizzle out
- 先細りになる
- Perhaps
- おそらく
- be concentrating on 〜
- 〜に集中する
- comes with 〜
- 〜がつきものだ
- fair share of 〜
- それなりの〜
- what's on my mind
- 思っていること
- fear
- 懸念
- gradually
- 徐々に
- fade away
- 消えていく
- at the same time
- 同時に
- understand
- 理解する
- somewhere
- 場所
- imbued with 〜
- 〜でいっぱいの
- memory
- 思い出
- obviously
- 明らかに
- in a certain place
- ある場所に
- limited
- 限られた
- (had)never really been aware of 〜
- これまで本当に〜を意識したことがなかった
- restrictions
- 制限
- cruel
- 残酷な
- unfair
- 不公平な
- study-abroad programs
- 留学プログラム
- once 〜
- 〜したと思ったら
- deep
- 深い
- go home
- 帰国する
- scatters across the globe
- 世界各地に散っていく
- heavy
- 重い
- recently
- 最近
- one day
- ある日
- gave me a call
- 電話をくれた
- had decided 〜
- 〜することを決めた
- hold 〜
- 〜を開く
- farewell party
- 送別会
- heart attack
- 心臓発作
- hung up
- 電話を切った