テキサス州トラビス高校に留学中の廣川花音さんから第3回目の留学報告が届きました。

 こんにちは廣川花音です。この間私がたんぽぽアレルギーなのをファミリーに言っていなくてシスターが密室の車内に奴らを連れ込んじゃったという軽い事件が起きました。それで思い出したんですけどそろそろ花粉の時期ですね、花粉症ダメージ受けちゃう人大丈夫ですか？今シーズンは雪の降らないここで冬を過ごしたのでいつ冬は終わったんだって感じですが友達がすでにタンクトップのみで歩いていたのでテキサスはもう春なんだなと解釈しようかな。本当は英語面について思う事、こっちでの友達とファミリーと色々あった事書きたいものは沢山あるけど長くなるのでこれらは次回がラストになるであろう4回目のレポートに書きたいと思います。

 アメリカの文化ってテーマは凄く広くて私には難しかったので私が影響を一番受けた事ふたつにします。１つ目はやっぱりアメリカのティーンネイジャーってかっこいいんだよって事ですね。これはこの８ヶ月間のなかでしょっちゅう感じます。アメリカ以外の色んな国のことも話してきたり、同い年なのにビジネスの世界で頑張っている子にも会ってきて”自信“があるんだなって皆に共通して感じます。意見を求め合う場が来たら他の人に遮られようと自分の意見を言うまで諦めない所も、好きなものは好き・好まないものは無理って言うところも、それは時に良くも悪くも写るけど好きな様に生きている姿はシンプルにかっこいいなあって思いますね。

 あとお話する事が本当に大好きなんだなってよく感じます。こっちの人って家族とも友達ともパーティーの場でも何時間と話すしそれが例え初対面の人とでもです。しばらく前マザーの友達が泊まりに来た時にその人もずーっと一緒に話していて最後に「私色んな人と話すのが好きでその人がどんな人か知るのって面白いよね」って言われた事がありました。その後周りの人たちも私も私もって盛り上がった時単純にあ、素敵だなーって感じて、私も人と話す事が好きだけど、初対面の人とは何時間もなんて持たないし、何よりiphoneのある今やっぱりそれを触っている時間の方が長いのかなって、例えば何気ない会話の中で飛行機操縦するの好きなんだよねって言われた時は、いや話のスケールでかってびっくりしたけどそのあと助手席に私を乗せて飛ばしてくれるってなった事があったみたいに、会話の流れで一生縁のなかったものを触れる機会が出来たり、色んな事知れて面白いなって年も性別も人種も関係なくとにかく沢山の人と会話する時間を大切にしたいと思うようになりました。

 聞いて知るのと実際に感じて知るのは全くもって違うので最近はアクティビティでも食べ物でも何でもとりあえず知らないものはどんどん試しています(笑) 帰ってから後悔するのだけは嫌なので残りあと３か月自分なりに勉強して楽しもうと思います。最後まで読んでくれてありがとうございました！ちなみにレポート英語の方と日本語の方若干違う内容書いたりしているのでぜひ英語版も読んでくれると嬉しいです、ではまた次のレポートで

 Hi everyone, this is Kanon. How have you guys been? Although it’s getting to be warm in Austin, Texas these days, in Japan already getting to be warm? By the way I apologize to you guys about I’m running late to turn in this report. I’m going to share something I was impressed from American teenagers and culture but before that let me write a few things about precious memories on last December and November.

 First of all I was going on trip to Minnesota on December. I had been staying there for ten days but it was such a great time that I felt the time had gone so fast. I got four Christmas party on first of half days at mom’s parent’s house, her sister’s house and her grandparent’s house with all members of mom’s family and then we crushed at guest house. I was very surprised to know that they had been getting present and made Christmas stocking for me. I could be able to see and talk a lot of people and all of their families in Minnesota are such a sweet. Then, we spent the rest of the day at mom’s aunt and uncle’s house which is front of the big lake in Minnesota. They gave me amazing memories. I got experience to do ice fishing at the ice house which was made by themselves on the big lake and Bob took me and host sister to the house by snowmobile. That was could be super fun. At the night, we got a bunch of food for Christmas dinner and even more after that they got sushi for me! Even though I should have stopped eating because I was sure I ate too much, I kept eating. I just want to say don’t get surprised to see how did I gained weight lol. Anyway I had an amazing winter vacation with snow in Minnesota. And after two month later, my family made one of my dream that visiting and skiing in Colorado come true. That should be on the list of my great memories in American life. I hope come and visit there again someday.

 Next I’m going to tell you guys what I got and feel from friends and people are around me these days. Recently I got something impressive happened. A few weeks ago, I had kind of big lacrosse game and other days I had a meeting as the first practice after the game. Our coach asked us about what and how should we practice for being strong as almost everyone in my team had each clear opinion and told that to each other. Our couch gave us that time just 20 minute for that but we took about an hour to talk that after all. I felt almost all of people are around me have their opinion and can tell each other easily even whatever situation it is. They don’t matter how other people feel. As Japanese I think it is the most far different from American and kind of Japanese culture. Through that thing and as I’ve been here, I getting to be positive in everything and being not afraid to speak English more than before came here.

 I appreciate exchange student report these days because reading other student, friends report gets me going to do harder and makes me feel we are coming up together in each countries. I have just three month left. I knew it’s up to me whether rest of the day will be fun or not. That’s why I want to get more thing before go back to Japan, I’ll keep doing my best.

 Thank you guys for reading, I was running a few weeks late though.

See you next report.