外国でも平和を話し合うために

アダム・ベック

米国イリノイ州出身。ニューヨークの大学と、サンフランシスコの大学院で演劇を勉強。大学院生のときに「ピースコール」というボランティアとして、ヨーロッパのチェコで英語の先生をした。広島市安佐北区在住。

English Challenge

前回の課題は、漫画「はだしのゲン」の感想でした。広島市安佐南区のＹｕｍｉｋｏさん、呉市のＭａｃｋｅｙさんたちは、家族がゲンと同じように原爆に遭ったことを記してくれました。爆風でけがをした両親や家族、亡くなったり行方不明になったりした親類、戦後の生活の大変さ…。いろんなことを考えずにはいられません。

当時まだ若かった私の両親が、もしもあの日広島にいたら同じように原爆の被害を受けていたはずです。核兵器や戦争がある限り、人類はどこに住んでいようとも常に危機にさらされているのです。

今回の課題「海外でのボランティア活動について」へジャンプ

　　前回の日本語訳

What are your impressions of
"Barefoot Gen"("Hadashi no Gen")?

「はだしのゲン」の感想を教えてください。

"Barefoot Gen" is one of the most powerful depictions of war and nuclear weapons I have ever seen. One of my strongest impressions, in fact, is connected to today's main article in "Hiroshima Koku": food and hunger. During the war, after the war, the characters of "Barefoot Gen" were constantly hungry. Even one grain of rice was like gold to them. Personally, I have never experienced anything close to that kind of hunger. I grew up in the United States where food is plentiful and often wasted. A lot of people there eat too much and grow fat. Japan, too, has plenty of food. Not long ago I went to a buffet restaurant in town and I thought about "Barefoot Gen." And I thought about how defferent Hiroshima is today. We're very fortunate, of course, and it's important to keep that in mind. A lot of people in the world will go to bed tonight as hungry as Gen.

「はだしのゲン」は、私が読んだ中で戦争や核兵器について強烈に表現してある作品の１つだと思います。特に、ひろしま国６９号の特集テーマにもなっていた、食料と飢餓が印象的でした。戦中、そして戦後、はだしのゲンの登場人物たちは常に空腹でした。米１粒でさえ黄金のようでした。私は、それほどまでの飢餓状態になったことがありません。生まれ育った米国は食べ物が豊富にあり、時に無駄にされていたりします。多くの人たちが食べすぎで太っています。日本にも同様に食べ物がたくさんあります。先日、近所のバイキングレストランに行った時、はだしのゲンのことを思い出しました。あの頃と広島もずいぶん変わったな、と。私たちは非常に恵まれているということを忘れてはいけません。世界には、ゲンのようにお腹を空かせて眠りにつく人が大勢いるのです。

ベックさんのコメント

Ms.vine eggs:	Thank you for another essay. Yes, I remember the part of the story you were describing. I think it was the uncle in the family. The family loved him, but after he became injuried in the bombing, they were afraid to go near him. And they paid Gen to take care of him. It was very sad. I recommend trying to read "Barefoot Gen" in English. Since you already know the story, it should be easy to follow.
Ms.JPN:	I agree that "Barefoot Gen" is a clear "window" into the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and the difficult life that people faced afterwards. I wish more people in the world could read it. Thank you for sending me your ideas.
Ms.Yumiko:	We are about the same age so I was moved by the story of how your family was impacted by the bombing. As a result, I thought about my own parents, my own family. I wish you and your family all the best. Thank you for your essay.
Ms.Mackey:	I was impressed by your essay, too. I'm very sorry about your grandfather. Your grandmother sounds like a very strong woman. I agree that it's important to keep the story of "Barefoot Gen" in mind. I think that remembering Gen can help us appreciate our own lives and stay strong when we face difficulties.
Mr.SOS男:	Thank you for your essay. I'm always glad to hear from you. The story about your classmate, though, is very sad. What a terrible tragedy. We can only hope and pray that no other children will suffer as your friend did.

最近、子どもたちの成長の早さを見るにつけ、時の早さを感じます。ご存じの通り、ひろしま国の中に「地球人として生きる」というコーナーがあります。２０年近く前、私もチェコでボランティア活動をしていました。今回の課題は、海外でのボランティア活動についてです。もしも海外でボランティア活動をするなら、どこで何をしたいですか？その理由も教えてください。もしすでに海外でのボランティア経験があれば、その時の話を書いてください。皆さんのエッセーを読むのを楽しみにしています。

If you could have a volunteer experience overseas, where would you like to go? What would you like to do? Why? (If you've already had a volunteer experience overseas, feel free to write about that.)

From 1992 to 1994, I was a volunteer in the Czech Republic. Actually, at the time I went there the country was still Czechoslovakia. However, while I was there, it split peacefully into the two nations of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. I was a member of a U.S. government program called the Peace Corps--it's similar to JICA. In 1989, Czechoslovakia experienced a revolution and broke free of the former Soviet Union's influence. Before that time, the people were forced to study Russian. However, after the revolution they became eager to learn English. So I was sent there to teach English at a university in the city of Plzen and help train new English teachers. The Czech Republic is a beautiful country and the people are very friendly and lively. I had an exciting experience as a volunteer there and I hope someday I'll have the chance to return for a visit and see old friends again.

＜Vocabulary＞
The Czech Republic ＝チェコ共和国,　revolution ＝革命,
break free ＝自由になる, the former Soviet Union ＝旧ソビエト連邦,
nfluence ＝影響, force ＝強制する

　※締め切りは５月１６日（必着）です。

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