国際交流・留学のEvents詳細
2007年11月28日
英語英米文学科 八日市屋
ハワイセメスタープログラム留学生レポート
英語英米文学科 二年生 Y.I
2007年の4月から約3ヶ月半、私はハワイ大学のセメスタープログラムに参加しました。最初の頃は何もかもが始めてで、驚きの毎日でした。
ハワイ大学のn.i.c.e.プログラムでは、色々な国の留学生と一緒に授業をするので、英語を通して多くの友達を作ることができました。また、ハワイ大学の生徒が授業に参加するインターチェンジでは、私たちに文化や食べ物、生活習慣、音楽、ショッピングなど多くの事を教えてくれてとても参考になり、英語で自分の意見を話すことで積極的になれました。寮生活ではすべて自炊だったので、学校帰りに買い物に行ったり、また毎日献立を考えるのにも苦労しました。時には友達同士衝突することもあったけれど、振り返ってみると、そのことでお互いを理解することができたと思うし、より一層絆を深めることができたと思います。
また福祉に配慮したハワイの人達の考え方にはいろいろと気づかされることもあり、ハワイだからこそ学べることも多かったと思います。これからも英語の力をもっともっと磨いていきたいと強く感じました。
"my mistake on the bus" by M.K
I encountered a lot of different cultures after I came to Hawaii. And I often made mistakes. I would like to talk about how and what I learned from my mistakes on the bus.
On the bus, I noticed various kinds of things are different from what I know in Japan. I was surprised to learn that we must pull on a string when we want to get off the bus. At first, I was at a loss because in Japan, we push a button to get off. There is another more important difference that I learned there. It's about priority seats. In Japan priority seats are provided on public transport. Priority seats are for elderly people or handicapped people. In Hawaii, there are priority seats too.
In Japan, few healthy people sit on priority seats. So, when I first got on the bus in Hawaii, I didn't sit on a priority seat but stood on the walkway. And I didn't realize by doing so, I was blocking other passengers and even the driver. After some time on the bus, I became aware of that. And I noticed a cultural difference.
I think that American people don't hesitate to give up seats quickly for the elderly and the handicapped. Very few Japanese give up their seats. When I see Americans do so, I felt ashamed of myself because I was too self-conscious to give up my seat for others; I was not really thinking about them. It was there in Hawaii that I learned to give up my seat to someone who needs it more than me.
About six months have passed since I came back to Japan from Hawaii. So, I can give up my seat for the elderly or handicapped. I feel as happy here as in Hawaii when I hear them say "thank you" to me. By doing so, as I did in Hawaii, I even begin to talk with them. I think that I have learned how to be useful for others.
