I can’t believe I only have two more months left here in Japan. Time really does fly like an arrow, and if I could change anything in this exchange, I wouldn’t. Every single memory made with my current host family, school friends, other exchange students that have already left, and the exchange students that are here- I would not change a single thing.
I have so many things I want to say, and it will take more than three minutes. However, I’ll try my best to tell all of you how my exchange has been, and how sad I am that it is ending.
最初来たとき、「ここは日本」との実感も気づけなかった。最初のホストファミリーでとても大変で、「やっぱり帰ったら苦しい事も無くなる。」と思いました。でも、その時は、十ヶ月間しか日本にいないも実感しました。日本語を話せるように留学をして、英語で表現するのと同じように日本語で自分の思いや、意見などを友達に言いたい。母国語であるかのように話せるようになりたいの気持ちも増えてきました。十ヶ月間しかいないという事実も今まで分かっていたので、毎日無駄にしない事にしました。大変だったけれど、留学の理由は新しい言語習うのみならず、人生についても習う事があります。
I came here on the 4th of April. When I first arrived in Japan, I was only just a little bit excited. I was still in shock that I was in a foreign country all on my own, and the shock of leaving my family and friends behind in New Zealand numbed me from reality. However, the excitement of knowing I only had 10 months to make as many memories as possible in one of the most coveted cities in the world quickly grew. My love for the language also grew day by day, and I wanted so badly to express myself in Japanese the way I do so in English and Chinese.
帰国した留学生のおかけで、今のホストファミリーと知り合った。七月真ん中くらい、今のホストファミリーの家に引越しました。もし我慢できなかったら、本当に残念だったと思います。なぜなら、引越したら、日本がどんどん好きになって、日本の文化と言語の興味も増えてきました。引越しする前に、同級生の家を私の為にあけてくれた。そのころ日本人の優しさも気づけました。困ったとき、外人に問わず、助けてくれた。やっぱり、皆の心はとてもいいです。皆わたしを応援してくれて、感動しました。
I’ve been through hard and lonely times here in Tokyo. Sometimes I would even consider how much easier it would be if I just went back to New Zealand. Prior to summer vacation, I was extremely hopeless, and if not for the help of my other exchange friend, I would not have moved to my new host family. Come the start of summer vacation, things were starting to look better. In between moving houses, I stayed for a week in my classmate’s house that so warmly welcomed me in. It was from this point on, that I realized how kind Japanese people were. I didn’t expect my classmate to take any interest in my problems whatsoever, but after a few phone calls, I was packing my bags and moving to Chiba within a day.
新しいホストファミリーのおかけで日本人の優しさをもっと知りました。ホストファミリーは、とてもいい人で、私のことを大事に思っているし、一緒に住むととても楽です。両親の料理も本当に美味しくて、量もたくさん作ってくれて、すごい太ってしまった。好きな食べ物をホスト両親たちに聞いたら、今度もちろん作ってくれます。そこまで私の事を考えてくれて、すごい感動しています。今までも、これからも、ありがとうございます。ホストファミリーと一緒に過ごす時間も大事にしています。夏休みの間、一緒に浅草の花火祭り行きました。友達と一緒に横浜と江戸川の花火祭りも見に行きました。三つの場所はとてもよかったです。最近ホストファミリーと伊豆まで行きました。楽しくて、もっといい思い出を作る事が出来ました。やっぱり、帰りたくないです。なぜ帰りたくないかというと色々理由あるけど、その中の上位は、ホストファミリーと離れたくないからです。自分の家族みたいに大事にしていますから、離れたら、皆の事も恋しくなると思います。
After a week of staying at my classmate’s house in Chiba, I moved to another part of Chiba where my new host family is staying. Thanks to my new host family that has so kindly taken me in since the start of summer vacation, I have come to see the true kindness of Japanese people. I love Japan just as much as I do my own country, if not more. My current host family is one of the nicest people I have met in my life. They are so loving and understanding, and they are also very open-minded. My host dad and mom both work extremely hard at their job, and my host sister is really interesting and funny. I have gained so much weight ever since I moved here because they cook such yummy Japanese food. I don’t know how I’ll go back to New Zealand and not be able to eat such delicious Japanese food. They have taken me to so many places to eat outside too, and I experienced my first viewing of fireworks with my new host mom in Asakusa, and I loved it so much, I went to the Yokohama and Edo Gawa festivals too. I’ve been shopping with my host mom, and down to Izu over a weekend last month. These memories spent with my host family will never ever fade. I love them all, and they are also one of the reasons why I do not want to go back to New Zealand. I love them like I love my family.
夏休みは本当に留学の最高な時間だったと思います。毎日友達と一緒に時間も過ごせたので、いい思い出を作ることが出来ました。夜の景色はやっぱり写真を見ても、感じることが出来ない。道を歩いて、空気を感じて、東京の美しさも分かってくる。時間はどんどん早くなっていくから、毎晩寝たくないです。もう一日終わったと思うのは本当に嫌で、日本を離れたくないです。夏休みが終わる前に最初に出来た友達は、皆帰国しましたので、｢さよなら｣と言うことの痛みも初めて味わった。留学で一番つらい事は皆と一緒に短くても、本当に仲良くなっても、結局離れなければなりません。それは大変ですが、時間も大事にしている理由も分かってきます。人間の関係は本当に大切なので、大事にしないと、自分の人生にも意味が無くなる。その痛みも日本で味わってるのはとてもありがたいことです。
Summer vacation was truly the highlight of my exchange. I went to Kamakura, and three fireworks festivals. Before coming onto this exchange I didn’t have any expectations of going on any trips. I started to love Japan even more than I thought possible, and I hated going to bed every night knowing that I will be one day closer to the day that I will have to leave this place, with all the people I’ve come to love in it.
All the exchange friends I’ve become best friends with have all returned home to continue on with their own lives, while I am still here in Japan, finishing my exchange. I never understood what it truly meant to feel loss, and to say goodbye to someone you might never see again, until I came on exchange. I am so grateful that I did experience this because I now realize how important it is to treasure the time you have with someone. No matter how long, or how short, the relationship you have with another person is one of the most important things in your life.
「いくつの言語を話せますか。」と私に聞いたら、答えがなくなります。英語と中国語ならまだしも、日本語は同じように表現する事が本当に出来るのかなど、まだ分からない。普通の会話ならまだしも、大事な話題で色んな専門用語はまだ知らないので、参加する事ができないと思います。本当に話せるレベルって、誰にでも会話できれば、どんな話題があっても話せるなら、「日本語を話せます」と言える。残っている時間でもっと上手になりたいです。
When people ask me how many languages I can speak, I’m not sure if I can include Japanese quite yet. I can have simple conversations in Japanese, of course, but I think that it would take more than a year for anyone to learn a foreign language. I want to be able to express myself in Japanese just as well as I do in English and Chinese. I can express myself to a fair level in Japanese but I want to be able to have conversations with all kinds of people here in Japan, on any given topic too. With the remaining months left here, I want to become even better in my proficiency.
将来また日本に戻ってきます。戻るとき、品女に来るはずで、久しぶりな場所にもう一回戻ったら、今年作った思い出がよみがえってくると思います。今年間につらい事があったのをきっかけにして、私の性格は強くなりました。この世界で嬉しい事と一緒に、悲しい事も来ます。だから痛みを通じて、今から前進するよりほかない。成功にしろ失敗にしろ、結局最後の結果にかかわらず、どうやって結果にたどり着いたということが一番大切です。もし努力したら、これは成功しただけましだ。皆のおかけで、この事も気づくことが出来たので、ありがとうございます。皆がいなかったら、私もここまでの考え方も持ってなかったと思います。言葉で言うだけで、私の本当の気持ちを表現する事ができません。帰国しても、皆の笑顔と優しさを絶対に忘れないです。この学校、私の留学と日本人の友達、私のホストファミリー、優先生と工藤先生、皆も、ありがとうございました。応援してくれて、いい思い出を一緒に作ってくれて、世界中どこにいっても皆の事絶対に大切に思います。
When I come back, I want to visit this school again, and meet the new exchange kids that will be in my place. I want to come back here, and hopefully say that I haven’t forgotten how to speak Japanese too much, and also thank everyone once again for contributing to one of the best years of my life yet to come. Even though times here in Tokyo have been lonely, I wouldn’t have it any other way. With joy comes sorrow, and if I had to go through pain to become the person that Japan has made me become, then it’s all worth it. I have changed so much as a person, and I have learned not to regret anything. It’s not about if I succeed or not, but its all about how I get there in the first place. Thank you everyone, for always supporting me. It’s been such a great experience and words cannot express how grateful I am to all of you for always being there for me. This school, my host families, my Japanese school friends, and all the exchange students that have left, and are still here, I will never forget you.
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