「7」のつく日のBIEE通信【2017年07月17日号】
6月も終わりに近いある日、数年前に海外からの留学生をホストしてくださったご家族からメールをいただきました。前夜9時過ぎ、以前ホストした留学生が突然に家を訪問してきたとのこと。日本語を勉強するために数日前に再来日したらしいのですが、事前に全く連絡なしに夜遅く訪問してきた留学生に対し「何と礼儀知らずなのだろう」という怒りがこもった報告メールでした。突然訪ねてきた留学生を見て、最初は「もしかしたら何か文句を言いに来たんじゃないか」というお気持ちにさせ、さらに留学生の「あなたは私が出て行った時、『またいつでも来てください』と言いました」というコメントにまた腹を立てられている様子。きちんと指導をしていない団体への強い抗議と受け止めました…
翌朝、偶然に日本からの留学生を含め、これまで何人もの留学生をホストしているアメリカ人のホストマザーのFACEBOOKの「今朝の最高の出来事！」という投稿を見つけました。
Best surprise ever this morning! I came downstairs this morning after drying my hair to find my Belgian daughter in my living room! Haven't seen her in a year and she showed up to surprise us!
（今朝、髪を乾かして下に降りて行った時、何とリビングにベルギー出身の娘がいるではありませんか！1年も会っていなかった子が私たちを驚かせるためにそこにいたのです！）
受け入れた留学生とホストファミリーの滞在中そして帰国後の関係によって状況は違うのかもしれません。と同時にここでも「文化の差」を感じました。欧米では過去の留学生が訪ねて行くと、事前連絡をしなかった場合でも「あ～久しぶり！」と迎え入れてくれることが多いようです。しかし日本の場合はダメ。訪問者を迎えるためにはそれなりの準備をするのが多くの日本の家庭のやり方のようです。「またいつでも来てくださいね」「近くにお越しの際には寄ってね」という挨拶を言葉通りに受け取ってはいけないのが日本です。そういえば数年前、山形県の学校の先生から「先日プログラムを修了してアメリカに帰った留学生がまた毎日学校に来ているんですけれど…どうしていいか困ってるんです」というお電話をいただきました。驚いて本人に話をすると「『学校の先生からいつでも戻ってきていいですよ』と言われましたから日本に来ました！」…すぐに東京に移動させ、日本人のコミュニケーションについて説明し、そして帰国させました。
文化によって考え方は異なる、留学生は受け入れた国のやり方にあわせることが大前提であるといったことは、参加者を含め、このプログラムにかかわるすべての人が頭の中では理解しているものの、やはり難しいですね！団体としてどのような指導が必要なのかまた考え込んでいます。
自分の1学年間を振り返り、客観的に評価することで「自分は本当に頑張ったんだ」という自信につながるのかもしれませんね。
（ ●は女子留学生、●は男子留学生の回答）
①自分自身の留学を振り返り、あなた自身、高校交換留学生としての他への貢献度や自分の“頑張り度”を100点満点で何点をつけますか？
②時間を1年前に戻してやり直せるのなら、どのようなことをやりたいですか？ ●①貢献度90点・頑張り度70点
②とにかく何事も（新しいこと）挑戦する。色々な友達と話して、さらに楽しい生活を送る。
●①貢献度80点・頑張り度80点
②やり直せるなら学校始まってすぐやり直したい。もっと積極的にみんなに話しかけて、自分からガンガン攻めたかった。
●①貢献度95～120点・頑張り度98点
②時間は戻したくない！けど、もう一年体験したいとは思う。また一年すべてを知ったうえで新しい経験ができると思うから。
●①貢献度90点・頑張り度95点
②自分はこの留学生としての一年間、どの一年間よりも頑張ったし、自分の最大限をこの留学に尽くしたと思います。もし、一年前に戻れるのなら、時間をちゃんと無駄にせずに使いたい。例えば、ホストファミリーが家にいない日は部屋をキレイにするなど、ホストファミリーがよろこぶことをもっとやりたいです。
●①貢献度90点・頑張り度75点
②vocabularyを自分でしっかり勉強する、本をもっと読む。
最後に､プログラム最終段階に入った今のあなたの感想・心境､これからの計画､何でも自由に 「英語で」書いて下さい。
● I’m really really a lucky girl. I mean I got a nice opportunity and met sweet people who are my host family and friends. Honestly, when I came here, I wished to go back to Japan too many times because I couldn’t talk in English. I always asked myself “What should I do?” But I didn’t know the answer. However, my host family and friends helped me out. They told me “You can do it. Don’t be in a hurry.” I learned I was not alone. In addition, although we speak different language, we can understand feelings each other. Before I came here, I didn’t know what I was going to be in the future. But now I can see my future, or what I want to be. I’ll keep studying English and I want to go to an American collage. When I go back home, I’ll talk with my parents about it.
I absolutely love this sweet country city Avery? I’ll be back here and want to live here!!!
I will never ever forget this wonderful experience in America. Thank you my real family, host family, friends and members of Bunsai (Ms. Shimokawa and Mr. Hozumi) for everything you did for me. I loved this city. I’m going to miss my wonderful American life
●Recently, I think that I don’t want to leave here, I want to stay here. But I also think I want to go back Japan. I want to meet my friends. My feeling is very complicated. I am lucky that I have an amazing family and a lot of friends. They are very important in my life. After I came back home, I am going to back to school and study hard and go to university. I think I want to learn about Asia. I want to study abroad again. lol
I had good experience in America. This experience made me. This experience changed me. I could find my value and what I should do in the future.
Final exam is coming soon… I hope I can get great grade. I am busy now because I have four presentation and some end of courses exam and final exam…
I want to eat Nabe, Sushi, Tempura, Yakisoba and so on… I can eat these soon!!! I’m so excited to eat!!! I can’t wait!!! I’m ready to cry. lol I’m looking forward to meeting everyone!!! See you soon!!! Adios
●I can’t believe that my exchange year is almost over. Honestly, when I just came here I couldn’t get used to a new environment because different family, different friends everything was different so I was thinking I want to go back to Japan. But when I realized my family and friends were supporting me to stay here comfortably, I decided to make memories with them and build good relationship with them. After that it was getting better day by day.
I can’t enjoy and spend American life without many people’s help so I really thank them. I’ve learned many things what I needed to grow up through this exchange year.
I must not forget these things what I learned here and want to share these with my Japanese family, friends… What I need right now is just describe the feeling of thanks to the host family, friends… and respect them. I can’t waste my time on things I don’t need so just enjoy America
●I can’t believe my year as a foreign exchange student is almost over. Time passes really fast… The day I left Japan feels like just yesterday. I don’t want to leave here. I wish I could stay here forever, but I have to go back to Japan and tell my experiences to people around me as a foreign exchange student.
My year as a foreign exchange student was awesome. I got many fabulous memories. How lucky I am…My host mom is such a wonderful woman. She always cared about me. I can’t express my appreciation to her enough. She was always there for me when I was depressed and lonely. Now we are like a real family. I’m so glad that she was my host mother. My American friends are always nice to me. They taught me many English words and American cultures. They made my American school life more exciting. Thanks to them, I was able to make really great memories in my American school. I will never forget them and all the memories I made with them. My American teachers always helped me and supported me. It was really hard for me to take classes in English. If they didn’t help me, I would have given up to study. I’m very thankful for their help.
My American life was very hard for me. I thought I should have not came here many times, but people around me encouraged me every time when I thought like that. I’ll never forget my year as an exchange student. I’m very thankful for people who supported mew. I’d like to study in America again!
●It is so difficult to describe by a word about this year. It has been such a great year having all my new experiences. I got second family and friends that I can call them “family”. I’m not that sad like I expected so far. I feel like it’s enough to staying here because I tried everything I could. I did my best. But I can’t imagine how hard it is to say good bye to all my friends. One thing I never forget is how blessed I am. Many many people including my real family supported me and loved me while I’m here. And thank you BIEE!! If you’re not there for us, those great experiences never be exist. Thanks again and I will do my best until I go back to Japan!
●First of all, I’m very honored to be here as foreign exchange student. I’d like to say “thank you so much” to people who supports me. I feel like I’ve been growing up myself this year. I learned a lot of things how people thinks, also difference between U.S and Japan. But one thing that I think I had to do that is reading more English Books. I should’ve read but I didn’t.
Anyway thank you so much again. I can’t wait to see you again.
●My feelings are very complicated. I’m excited to see my family and friends. Also I miss Japanese food, taking a bath, and Japanese TV shows so bad. But also I’m not excited to leave Daleville. I’m very thankful for the people I met here. At first I had hard time making class friends. Because I was struggling to improve my English. So I didn’t talk very much. But now I have best friends here. Also I have a lot of friends at school. My English wasn’t improved as much as I expected before. But my friends are being helpful all the time. They listen to me even if I can’t speak perfect English. I’m just so glad that I experienced and tried new things here. I received a lot of kindness and supports here. Also I found I had received a lot of kindness and supports when I was in Japan too. I’m very thankful about that. Thank you so much for the people who supported me in this exchange program. I still have few weeks until I go back to Japan. I’ll try to spend time not only for myself but also for the Americans who I really want to say “Thank you.”
●My exchange year is about to be over. I have experienced so much things during this exchange year in Kokomo. I have a lot of thankful to all of people who have supported me in the US. Thank you for having the opportunity to study abroad in the US especially in Kokomo. The experience in Kokomo has changed me a lot. I have really complicated feeling now because I am so excited to graduate from KHS on June 2nd. Actually, I cannot wait to go back to Japan and see my friends, eat authentic Japanese food, or something like that. However, I am so sad to say goodbye to my international friends in Kokomo. I am sure I will be missed them so much. Anyway, I will do my best during the rest of my exchange year in Kokomo.
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