何にも変えられないぐらい価値のある出会い

南山国際高等学校2年　M.A

カオション行きの電車の中で私は初めてホームステイの家族に会うという実感しました。駅に着くとそこには樹徳高校のみんなが待っていてくれていました。そして見つけるなり、私たちに駆け寄り抱きしめてくれたりして暖かくむかえてくれました。

私のホームステイの女の子はクレアという、恥ずかしがり屋の女の子でした。家に連れて行ってもらい、「家の探検」をしましたが、一番に驚いたことは家にエレベーターがあるということでした。自分の部屋ももらい、とてもリラックスができる空間があり、とてもよかったです。家の近くの公園に散歩にいき、そこでお互いのことを話しました。私たちはあまり共通点がなく、話す話題に困るかもっという心配はありましたが、女子特有の恋愛相談にのるなどで話は盛り上がり、簡単に打ち明けることができました。その夜はクリスマスで家族で外食しに行きました。そこでブタの腸を食べるという貴重な体験をしました。その次の日は発表をするグループのミニーとサンディーとクレアで市内ツアーをしてくれました。愛河や夜市などにいき、そこで台湾の有名人に会うなど充実した日になりました。

３日目に樹徳高校で発表の準備をしました。そこでケン、デニー、ジェニー先生に対面しました。私たちはその日を入れて２日間しか準備する日も練習する日もなかったので、話し合う時間もあまりとれずに作業に進みました。それが問題で意思の疎通もうまくできなく、不満もできましたが、言い争うことなく解決することができてよかったです。WYMと違って今回は初対面のあまり知らない人とグループということでメンバーとのコミュニケーションが大切なんだなと思いました。

４日目は学校案内を午前にやりました。同じグループのメンバーの学校を知るのは楽しかったです。その高校の方針、教育がとても豊かで是非日本でも同じような高校が設立してほしいなと思いました。学校案内時に、あいさつをしてまわったり、質問をされたりしました。生徒のみなさんがとても明るくてフレンドリーでした。午後になり私たちはまた作業にとりかかりました。その日にはヘレンもそろい、そして自分のアイディアを言い合える、よいコミュニケーションをはかれたと思います。でも完成したのは遅く発表の練習は個人でやることになりました。メンバーと別れ、クレアと家に帰りました。家に帰ると電話が来て、イブという子の家で集まり、プレゼンの練習をすることになりました。イヴの家族もとても明るくていい人でした。イヴの家族は英語はまったく通じませんでしたが、暖かい想いが伝わってきました。

目が覚めるとその前の日に覚えた台詞は緊張のせいかすべて忘れていました。私たちの出番は午後だったのでお昼時間もずっと練習していました。最後の練習はとてもうまく行き、これなら大丈夫だと思っていたのですが、本番はそんなにうまくいきませんでした。ステージに立った瞬間に台詞は頭からとんでしまって、練習どおりなんてできませんでした。やるときはやる。またみんなが納得のいく発表にするにはもっと前もって話し合うべきだな。発表がうまくできなかったことは正直かなり悔しいですが、この失敗から学べたらなと思います。発表の後はパーティーをしました。色々な国の文化や今流行っていることが分かって、とてもおもしろかったです。

台湾にいって本当によかったと思っています。国際交流をできるいい機会になりました。初めはなかなか打ち解けることができなくてもお互いの想いを伝え合うことでどこの国とか関係なく大きな絆ができるんだなと深く感じました。

A Priceless Meeting

Moe Arimoto, Nanzan Kokusai High School

I was on the train to Kaohsiung. That was when I started to get nervous. This was the first time for me to home stay alone. I didn’t know much about my home stay student so I was more like worried than anxious. When we arrived, we saw a crowd of girls waiting for us holding a welcoming poster. Even though we hadn’t met each other, they gave us a warm welcome; smiles and hugs. Soon I realized that my anxiety was changed into excitement. Claire was there and we couldn’t express our feelings of joy easily. Claire was a shy girl who was kind and was always smiling but she didn’t know how to have a conversation or how to communicate. She lived with her mother and father. She also had a brother but he is studying in America but came back for holiday on my stay. Her father was waiting for us at the station and took me to their house. Claire gave me a tour around her house. It was a big house with 5 floors!! I couldn’t believe it! It had elevators too. They gave me a room for my own so it was really comfortable and relaxing. We took a walk and told about each other. For dinner, they took me to a restaurant and I ate Beijing duck and other things as well. They suggested me to eat pigs’ lung. It was a challenge for me.

On the 2^nd day in Kaohsiung, Claire went to the city and I met 2 of my members for the presentation, Miny and Sandy. We didn’t discuss about the presentation but had fun talking and playing in Macdonald and around the Love River. They also took me to the night market where I had a chance to know their culture.

On the 3^rd day, we went to the SHU-TE high school. I met Ken, Ms　Jenny and Denny. We started with our power point. We tried to speak in English but when we got confused we seldom used Japanese. We only had that day and the following day. So we had to finish them in a hurry. But because we couldn’t communicate and tell each other how we felt about the presentation, we had a problem. We noticed it so we took sometime talking about it and managed to solve it nicely without a big quarrel. After that, we went to the night market and had a dinner with the presentation members and home stay students members.

On the 4^th day, we went to a school tour and it was very fun. They were excited as us, seeing foreign people. On this day, we met a member new for me named Helen. We got on the presentation. That day, we were able to tell our own ideas and thoughts so we became more together as a group and worked hard on it. We were able to finish the script but we had almost no time to practice together. We took our script and went back home. Arriving home, we received a call from my members and talked that we should practice doing a sleepover at Yukiko’s home stay student, Eve’s house. The family there was very kind too. They gave me snacks which you cannot find in Japan and other wonderful presents. Their family was entertaining and I enjoyed staying at their house too.

The 6^th day was the day of our presentation. I was nervous and not confident so I couldn’t remember the lines. We practiced at lunch break and we did quite well. So I thought maybe we could do it fine. Unfortunately we couldn’t do as we practiced. Some of us skipped the lines and I forgot the lines. I think it went horrible but that was our best. I wanted to cry but I thought it would be better if I kept the feelings inside of me and try to learn from our failure. After the presentation, we enjoyed our party and went back home. Claire and I talked till midnight about the days but I was tired that I went fast asleep while talking with her.

When I woke up, I found out that it was the last day. I quickly packed everything up. And we headed to the airport but went to the school one more time to see my friends. My friends cried because we were so close to each other and had to be parted. We promise to keep in touch and visit each other someday.

As I remember the days in Taiwan, I am amazed how we could be so close to each other in such a short time. The days in Taiwan became a special experience. Although our presentation didn’t go so well, we were satisfied for what we had worked hard. We also learned that at first it was hard to thaw but our hearts made a huge bond no matter what country we are from.