2015.05.12
スーザンに想う2
佐藤賢太郎 

 スーザンは我が家に3週間滞在したいといっている。家内は食事や言葉が通じないので大変だと言っておりました。私もウファーの滞在は2週間が適当であろうと思った。彼女はほとんど日本語を使わないで、英語で話します。私は彼女の言うことが半分しかわからないこともしばしばあります。 

昨日、私は午後の仕事を指示して母の病院へ参り、仕事場に戻りました。仕事場にいるはずのスーザンはどこにもいません。呼んでも返事がなく、散歩でもしているのかと思った。アメリカ人は日本人と違う、しょうがないと思った。夕方自宅に電話すると散歩していると家内は言うのです。 

内心不満な私は彼女に注意しようと思った。まず、彼女がどうして仕事場にいないか問いただしました。すると、彼女は私の作品の石を2時間くらい磨き、寒くなったので帰ったというのです。私は「寒いのはわかった。そこを移動するときは家内に伝言するか、メモを残して私はここにいると知らせるべきだ。あなたがいないのでとても心配した。もし、トラブルや事故に出会ったら私たちの責任になる。次回からは、こんなことはないように必ずメモをしておくこと」と告げた。こんなことを英語で話さなければならないのです。 

ウファーの受け入れは中高生の体験学習のような一面もあるが、日本の文化や習慣を学びたい方が来られていると思う。まさしく、私たちは外国人との親善交流最前線にいると思う。

Susan2

 Yesterday I had the pleasure of learning to plant rice. This is one of the things I hoped to experience during this trip to Japan. The morning started with a drive into the mountains to pick up pallets of rice from the greenhouse. The view on the way there was stunning. We brought the rice to the paddies where I was surprised to find out that it is planted by a tractor driven machine. It was easy to imagine rice planting in the past when many people would gather to happily plant the rice, ending the day by sharing a meal. This was made sweeter by the fact that surrounding the rice paddies is a cemetery. I felt like the village ancestors were watching over us all day.

 Being from America I was brought up with excess and never learned to value what I had. One of the things that impressed me on my first trip to Japan was how this style of living is culturally not a part of daily life. There certainly is wealth and ownership; many people live a very affluent lifestyle, drive nice cars, and wear lovely clothes. Just like in America, many people don’t. The difference is in daily thinking or a style of living. When I returned to Japan I wanted to experience a more traditional style of living. This is why I chose to live and work on Japanese farms.

This morning at breakfast we had a discussion about wastefulness. Kentaro was talking about the leftover rice, and how some farmers, after planting what they need, just discard what is left. This led to a conversation about recycling, and composting as a way of life. Coming from a country where those things are not a requirement but a choice I can really appreciate this way of thinking. For me it is comforting to live this lifestyle for the time I am here.

This morning at breakfast we had a discussion about wastefulness. Kentaro was talking about the leftover rice, and how some farmers, after planting what they need, just discard what is left. This led to a conversation about recycling, and composting as a way of life. Coming from a country where those things are not a requirement but a choice I can really appreciate this way of thinking. For me it is comforting to live this lifestyle for the time I am here.