8Y7M 6Y9M マレーシアに帰りたくない I don't want to go back to Malaysia

アラタが日本に住みたくてしょうがなくなってしまった。

マレーシア帰国当日も、朝から帰りたくないと泣いて大騒ぎ。帰国後一夜明けても朝からさめざめと泣いている。二日目の夜も就寝中に半分寝ぼけて泣き出し、夢遊病のように大騒ぎしたかと思うと、ベッドの上に嘔吐した。それを翌日アラタは覚えていない。

疲れているからだとは思うが、少し深刻。

帰国後は口癖のように「マレーシア、いい国じゃない」と言い始めた。昨日も「日本なら、エスカレーターに乗るとき片側を急いでいる人のために空けるのに、マレーシアは、ほら、あそこも、みんなブロックしてる」とか「トイレが汚い」とか・・・今までそんな文句はなかったのに。

次の休みも、願わくば、夏休み中にもう一度、日本に行きたいと言っているアラタ、どうしましょう。

Arata decided he wants to move and live in Japan.

On the day we were flying back, Arata cried a lot when we left my parents. Even after we came back to Penang, Arata woke up in the middle of night, crying, being angry and shouting, then he really threw up on his bed! He didn't remember all of these on the following morning.  I know he is tired but.....

Arata has started to complain about Malaysia. It's like this. "Look, mum, people are blocking the way on the elevator, where we are supposed to leave one side for the people who want to go fast, in Japan, we wouldn't do that" or "I don't like Malaysia because toilets are not clean"...... He never complained about Malaysia before...

Arata wants to go back to Japan at next school holiday. Or he even wants to go back again during the rest of the summer holiday. What shall I do??

8Y7M 6Y9M 近所のお友達、マレーシア語を話す外人 Making friends quickly, foreigners who speak Malaysian!?

堀崎町の夏末りで子供用おみこしをかつぐ

たった10日足らずの滞在だったが、近所の公園に行けば知ってる子供が遊んでいるし、公園で会ったクラスメイトが家に遊びに来たりで、アラタカラにとってはとても楽しい体験になった。

日本だと、近くにある公園にも二人だけで出かけることができるので（学校に歩いて行けるからこのぐらい大丈夫）、休みでも午前中公園に出かけっぱなしなんてこともあった。日本って、つくづく平和で安全な国なんだと思う。イギリスではありえないし、ペナンではこれだけ設備が充実した広い公園が徒歩圏内にない。

タカラは、友達に会えば「オリバー君！」と呼ばれ、アラタはクラスの女の子に「なかピー」とニックネームをつけられていた。（中里君と呼ばれることも不思議な感覚みたいだった。）

学校の子供たちのアラタカラに対する認識は、「マレーシア語を話す、マレーシア人」らしかった。ハーフだから見た目がちょっと違うけど、子供にとっては、「マレーシア人ってあんな見た目なのかなあ」で終わりだろう。

よく考えると、父がキウイだとか、学校だって私に聞かないから知らないし、大人は西洋人のハーフだろうとは思ったかもしれないが、日本姓のアラタカラ。先生方にとっても、不可解この上なかったかもしれない。誰にも聞かれなかったことが今となってはもっと不思議。日本ってこうだっけ？

Aratakara made lots of friends in just 10 days. When they went to the nearby park, they always saw some children they knew. A couple of Takara's friends even came to visit him to my parents' house.

It was quite easy for them to just walk to a park (if they can go to school on their own, it's no problem), and they could spend the whole morning there. I felt Japan was very safe. This can not be done in England or Malaysia.

Takara's friends called him "Oliver-kun" and Arata's classmates, especially girls called him "Naka-P". Well, it must have been a strange feeling to be called "Nakazato-kun" at school anyway.

Children at school thought Aratakara were Malaysian who speaks Malaysian language. Aratakara look different from ordinary Japanese, I mean it's apparent they are mixed races, but children must have only thought this is because they were Malaysian!

Actually the school never asked me about Jason and they didn't even know if Aratakara's father was Kiwi. Probably teachers knew they were mixed races, but their family name is Japanese, and they might have also confused and probably very curious. But nobody never asked me anything....

8Y7M 6Y9M 集団登校、一人で下校 Walking to school in group, coming home by themselves

大砂土東小学校は両親の家から歩いて5分弱。とはいえ、今まで一人で外出させたことか皆無だから、車にはねられるんじゃないかとドキドキする私。

集団登校は、6年生の班長の池田くん、4年生の副班長の柳沢くんに挟まれて、3年生の女の子二人の班にアラタカラも入れてもらった。朝、班長が集合場所に来ると、「きみは一年だから一番前」と、班長の次に並ばされるタカラ。みんなで真っ直ぐ一列になっておしゃべりもせずに通っていく姿はとても新鮮。

下校は同じ方向に帰る子供は基本的にグループで帰るが、強制ではないようだった。一年生のタカラは、学校を出てすぐのところで他の子供と別れて一人になり、そこから100メートルほどは一人きり。

初日は迎えに行ったが二日目からは、みんなと別れる地点までおばあちゃんが迎えに行くことにした。ところが、どうやら、下校時間を間違えていた私。一時間早く帰ってきた。

タカラが他の子供と別れる場所におばあちゃんの姿は無し。日本へ到着後4日目な上に、生まれて以来一度も一人で外を歩いたことがないタカラは当然迷子に・・・。

道に迷ったタカラは、お店をみつけて、その前にいた人に「中里くんの家はどこですか」と聞いたんだそうだ。残念ながらその人はわからず、タカラは間違った方向に向かって歩いて行った。しばらく行くと、こっちじゃないと気が付き、戻り、同じお店の違う人に同じ質問をして、（たぶんその人はお店のオーナーで実家のことを知っていた）教えてもらって帰ってきたそうだ。

おばあちゃんは、まだ時間に余裕があると、居眠りをしていたので、戸も開かなかったらしいが、タカラは家の周りを周って鍵のかかっていない窓から侵入。寝ている母の前に立って「おばあちゃん！」と驚かしたということです・・・。たくましい次男・・・。

It's only 5 minutes walk to Osato Higashi P.S. from my parents' house. But we have never let our kids go outside of house without us in their whole life, I felt really nervous.

In the morning, children walk to school with a group of other children. The group is pre-formed and there is a group leader and a sub-leader. In Aratakara's group, the leader is a Year 6 boy, and sub is Year 4 boy, then 2 Year 3 girls are with them. When the leader arrived at the gathering location, he said to Takara, "You are year 1, and you have to walk just behind me." The leader leads the group and the sub leaser comes last.

It's very interesting and to be honest, a bit wired to see kids go to school in lines silently.

When children come home, there are no particular groups, except for year 1 children. For Takara's case, he came home with other few children to the nearest corner from my parents. From there, he had to walk alone for about 100 meters. On the first day, I went to school to meet him, but from the second day, we decided to go to meet him at the corner. As I was out on the second day, I asked my mum to go there.

But Takara came back one hour earlier than I thought! Takara had been only in Japan for 4 days and he didn't exactly know where my parents' house was... he got lost....

Smart Takara didn't cry. He found a hardware store and asked a man standing in front of a vending machine, "Do you know where Nakazato's house is?" Unfortunately he didn't know. So Takarak decided to keep walking. Quite soon, he realised it wasn't the right direction. He went back to the same store, and asked the same question to another man. This man knew my parents. (I don't think he realised Takara was my parents' grandson, though.)

My mum was still having a nap thinking she had another hour before she went out to meet Takara, so that all the doors were locked. But Takara didn't give up. He walked around the house and found a window which was unlocked. He opened it, and climbed thorough to the house. He then stood in front of my mum, who was still dozing off, and said, "I'm back, Obachan." Of course, she was so shocked to see him!

8Y7M 6Y9M 日本で小学校に体験入学 Went to a primary school in Japan

今年の1学期は、ペナン日本人学校の一年生の体験入学は受け入れないということだったので、急遽2週間弱日本に一時帰国し、日本の小学校へ体験入学。

こういう決定は教育委員会というよりも学校の裁量に任されているので、両親宅から徒歩3分の私の母校、大砂土東小学校に父が電話すると快く受け入れてもらえた。

大砂土東小学校 Osato Higashi P.S.

ペナン日本人学校に何度かお世話になっているが、こちらは文科省の援助があるとはいえ、私立校の扱い。体験入学も学費が発生する。日本の公立校はもちろん無料。給食費と傷害保険料を納めるだけでスタート。


初日は朝の登校班の子供たちに挨拶をしたが、少し遅れて私が連れて行った。教頭先生と会議室でお話をし、1年4組の寺田先生、3年5組の田邊先生がアラタカラを迎えに来た。

初日の朝、多少緊張気味　First morning,  a bit nervous.

生まれて初めて体験する「上履き」に履き替える習慣、赤白帽子をかぶっての集団登校、給食、生まれて始めて一人きりで公道を歩いて下校・・・・私にとっては普通だけれども、日本の学校には独特の文化がある。

Penang Japanese School decided not to take trial children for year 1 for this term. We decided to send Aratakara to a school in Japan. We went to Japan for 2 weeks immediately after SCIPS finished.

If the school takes a trial child or not totally up to the school. When my father rang Osato Higashi Primary School, where I used to go, the deputy headmaster accepted our request. The school is only 3 minutes walk from my parents.

We have sent Arata to Penang Japanese School for a couple of times. Although the school is partially funded by the government, it's still a private school, and they charge us school fee. Of course, local schools in Japan are free. We only have to pay for the school lunch and some sort of insurance, then off they go.

On the first day, we met a group of children, with who Aratakara are going to go together, at 7.50 in front of my parents' house. Then I took them to school a bit later to meet deputy head master, Inoue Sensei. Soon after, Terada Sensei of Year 1 Class 4 and Tanabe Sensei of Year 3 Class 5 came to meet us  and take boys to each classroom.

A lot of "first" experiences for Ararakara. They have to change their shoes to Uwabaki, shoes inside of the school, they go to school by themselves wearing a red and white hat, they are provided with school lunch..... All of these are very normal for me, but for my children, everything is new.