英語課講師のシンディー先生は、日本に住んで4年。

「日本人になったなー」と思う瞬間の体験をまとめています。

故郷に帰国中、電話で話すときにおじぎをするのを見たお母さんがビックリされた話。
また、故郷でゴミの分別を自然にしている自分に気づいた話。

英文に挑戦してみてくださいね。

Hi! I’m Cindy.

The other day I got off the phone in Indonesia and my mother told me that I had been bowing as I said goodbyes and thank yous. She looked at me in amusement and I was confused myself. Why would I bow when the person is not in front of me?

 “I think I’m turning  Japanese, I really think so….. “ A lyric from a pop song from the early 1980s  I knew.I also find myself starting any request with the words ‘sorry, I know you are very busy but……….’or asking somebody at first with ‘sumimasen’. Phrases that ate not usually necessary in my own language. I was surprised when I got very upset or annoyed if a shop assistant tells me something without saying “I am sorry but…..” or in Japanese “申し訳ありませんが….”

   I was actually putting the burnable and non-burnable rubbish seperately and fold some empty milk cartons before throwing them to the bins in Indonesian where I don’t have to do it whenever I go back home. Not feeling scared or worried about getting robbed whenever I left my phone and a bag for a while in the restaurants. I always felt unsafe about my things when I was in Indonesia, but not anymore.

　Everything changes without you noticing it. But there are some customs I wish I could acquire such as Japanese patience. I could not possibly wait silently to taste a popular matcha tiramisu at Kyoto for 3 hours.