アメリカのコネチカット州に留学中の澤田日菜さんから第3回目の留学報告が届きました。
Happy new year! コネチカット州に留学中の澤田日菜です。今回のテーマは「文化の違い」です。まずは、食べ物について紹介します。日本では朝は味噌汁に魚とヘルシーなものが一般的ですが、アメリカでは巨大パンケーキに大量ベーコン、時にハンバーガーが出ます。最初のころは朝からガッツリ食べれなかったけど今となってはアメリカの人たちに「まだ食べるの？」と驚かれるくらい胃袋が大きくなりました。ホストファザーから呼ばれているあだ名はSUMOちゃんです。さすがにこれ以上太ったら日本に帰った時に私と気づいてもらえないので最近はダイエットを頑張っています。次に学校で感じた文化の違いです。アメリカには日本のように先輩後輩というものがありません。勉強が得意な子は年上のクラスの子たちと勉強します。敬語というものもないので気軽に話すことができます。話したこともない子に「ガム持ってない？」と聞くところとか、急にハグやグータッチを求めてくるところは今だ戸惑いますが、この文化がアメリカのフレンドリーさを生み出していると思います。始めて学校に行った日、突然後ろから「どこから来たの？初めて見たとき可愛いと思ってて話したかったの。」と話しかけてくれたり、毎日みんなからかわいいと言われてお世辞だとわかっていても嬉しくなります。これがアメリカの人たちが自信に満ち溢れている理由の一つだと思います。私はアメリカのこういう文化が本当に好きです。最近はすれ違ったお姉さんからすっごくいい匂いがしたのでどこの香水を使っているか聞いたとてもうれしそうに教えてくれて、買った理由や世間話をしてくれました。アメリカにいたらコミュニケーションが苦手な人も得意になると思います。 今回のレポートではあまり悪いところを言っていなかったので付け加えておきます。授業中に乱闘が始まって巻き込まれる。危ない薬のにおいがどこからも匂う。授業中なのにエアポッツ音漏れがすごすぎてうるさい。ボディータッチが激しすぎる人がいる。など 文化の違いわかっていただけましたか？あと何回レポートがあるかわかりませんが、最高に楽しいアメリカライフを最後までみんなに伝えられるように頑張ります！アディオス！
Happy New Year! I’m Hina Sawada, studying abroad in Connecticut.
This time, the theme is “Different Cultures,” and I’d like to share some of my memorable experiences with you!
First, I’ll talk about food. In Japan, we generally eat fish, miso soup, and other healthy dishes in the morning. But in the U.S., they eat big pancakes, large servings of bacon, and occasionally hamburgers. At first, I couldn’t eat junk food very much, but now my stomach has gotten bigger. People here are surprised and often ask, “Are you still eating?” My host father even calls me “SUMO-chan.” I’ve been trying to lose weight recently because if I gain any more, people might not recognize me. Lol.
Next, I’ll talk about the cultural differences I’ve noticed at school. In the U.S., there’s no strong culture of seniority or hierarchy. If you get a high score, you can move up to a higher-level class with older students. Also, there’s no need for 敬語, so it’s easier to talk to anyone.I’m still puzzled by some things, like when people ask, “Do you have any gum?” even though they haven’t spoken to me before, or when they suddenly give me a hug. It still confuses me, but I think these customs are what make American people so friendly. On my first day at school, someone suddenly asked me, “Where are you from? I thought you were cute when I first saw you and wanted to talk to you.” I was happy, even though I know it was just a compliment, because everyone tells me you are cute every day. I think this is one of the reasons why Americans are so confident. I really like this aspect of American culture. Recently, I passed a lady who smelled really nice, so I asked her which perfume she was wearing. She was very happy to tell me, and we had a small conversation about it. I think that if you stay in the U.S., you’ll become good at communication, even if you’re not great at it at first.
I should also add that I didn’t mention some of the less pleasant things in this report. For example, a fight broke out during class and I got involved. The smell of dangerous drugs is in the air everywhere. The sound of airpods leaking is too loud, even during class. And there are people who touch each other too much.
Did you understand the cultural differences? I’m not sure how many more reports I’ll have to write, but I’ll do my best to share my enjoyable experiences in the U.S. with you! Adios!
I should also add that I didn’t mention some of the less pleasant things in this report. For example, a fight broke out during class and I got involved. The smell of dangerous drugs is in the air everywhere. The sound of airpods leaking is too loud, even during class. And there are people who touch each other too much.
Did you understand the cultural differences? I’m not sure how many more reports I’ll have to write, but I’ll do my best to share my enjoyable experiences in the U.S. with you! Adios!
