ドイツに渡った。久しぶりの海外旅行となったドイツ修行の旅だ。道中、中国人に間違われたことで自分はアジア人であることを自覚しながら始まった海外旅行だ。隣の席の中国人の親子と仲良くなり、中国の現状と世界の現状を会話の中で肌で感じ、一部ではあるが国際的な感覚を自分の中に取り入れて成長する自分を感じる。多言語を操れるわけでもないのに今何語で話すべきか脳が大混乱だ。一つ都度自覚するのは中国人から見ても私は中国人に見えること、もちろん北京中継の航空便であったからではあるが、必ず中国語で話しかけられ、しかし一度英語とわかると、ちゃんと次からは英語で話しかけてくれる、異文化が交差する国際社会での無意識の相手の文化を尊重する態度が新鮮に感じた。
さあ今日から稽古を中心に１週間強の生活だ。体調に気をつけながら楽しもうと思う。
I have arrived in Germany. It has been a long time since my last trip abroad, and this journey for training in Germany has finally begun.
Along the way, I was mistaken for Chinese, which made me keenly aware that I am, after all, Asian. I became friendly with a Chinese parent and child seated next to me, and through our conversations I gained a tangible sense—however partial—of the current situation in China and in the world. I could feel myself growing as I absorbed a more international perspective.
Even though I do not command multiple languages fluently, my brain is in constant confusion over which language I should be speaking at any given moment. One thing I became newly aware of is that, from a Chinese person’s perspective, I look Chinese as well. Of course, the flight connected through Beijing, so that was part of it. I was always first addressed in Chinese. But once it became clear that I spoke English, they would respectfully switch to English from then on. I found it refreshing to experience this unconscious respect for another person’s culture within an international society where different cultures intersect.
Now, beginning today, I will spend a little over a week centered on training. I intend to enjoy it while taking good care of my health.
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