記事詳細
日本人ではなく、海外の人は今回の震災をどうとらえたのか？
新しい視点で東日本大震災を感じてみたいと考え、石巻市立蛇田中学校のＡＬＴ（Assistant Language Teacher、外国人英語指導助手）の英語教諭キャサリン・シュー先生とカイル・ヘイデン先生に取材した。
キャサリン先生は、東日本大震災を宮城県で経験した。震災が起きた時、「何をすればいいのか分からなかった。死ぬかと思った。」と話す。色々な人のことが心配になり、特に他のＡＬＴたちが気にかかった。しかし、震災後アメリカにいる家族と初めて話した時は意外に落ち着いていた。「家族には、私は大丈夫！心配しないで！」と言えたそうだ。
キャサリン先生は震災後の８月にアメリカに帰国した。たくさんの友達やその家族が先生を心配していたことと、日本のみんなを勇気づけたいと思い、何百人もの前で震災の経験を話してくれた。震災後、アメリカで震災に対する意識は高まったか聞いてみた。「震災を経験したことがないので準備もなにもしていないと思う」
また、キャサリン先生は、「日本が大好きなので今年の３月にも行くつもり！日本人が復旧の為に力を合わせて一緒にがんばっている姿に驚いた。多くの人たちが親しい人を亡くしたのに、それでも前に進む勇気を持っている。私はそれをうらやましく思い、世界中の人達がそこから学ぶことを願う。気持ちを強く持って、あきらめないで。日本人の心が日本をすばらしい国にするし、再び成長させるから」と励ましてくれた。
カイル先生は、震災後の8月に石巻市に派遣された。アメリカのオレゴン州出身のカイル先生は、3月11日の震災をテレビで見て、「衝撃を受けた」と言う。震災前と後の日本について、「イメージは変わらない。日本はしっかり組織されている。それに、たくさんの国の人が支援に来ている」と答えた。今回の震災で大きな被害があったにもかかわらず、日本に来ることについて、「楽しみだった。心配はひとつもなく、日本を助けに来たかった。今は来ることができて幸せだ」と語る。カイル先生は、これまで日本に９回も来たことがある。「今回また来ることができて嬉しい。日本がとても好きで長い間いたい」。カイル先生が日本に来たのは８月なので、実際に震災を体験したわけではない。震災の影響について聞いてみると、「がれきが多く、店が閉まっている。海岸付近に行くとなにもない。仮設住宅が多く見られる」と話した。日本人にメッセージをお願いした。「Never give up!（あきらめないで！）Keep fighting things will get better.（がんばればきっと良くなるから）」
齋藤 桃香（蛇田中学校２年生）
2012/03/11
The Disaster as Seen by the ALTs(Assistant Language Teachers)
Interview with teachers Kyle and Catherine
Momoka Saito | 2nd year, Hebita Junior High School
Turning our attention form the Japanese, how did foreigners cope with this disaster? We wanted to get a sense of the Great East Japan Disaster from a fresh viewpoint, so we interviewed Catherine Sheu and Kyle Heyden – two ALTs (Assistant Language Teachers) from Hebita junior high school in Ishinokmaki city.
Catherine experienced the Great East Japan Disaster in Miyagi Prefecture. “I didn’t know what to do. I thought I might be killed”, she told us. She became concerned about a lot of people, particularly the other ALTs like her. However, when she first spoke to her family back home in America after the disaster, she was surprisingly calm. She found herself able to say, “I’m okay. Don’t worry about me!”
She returned to America in August after the disaster. Moved by the attention of her Japanese friends and their families that had worried about her, and wanting to encourage everyone in Japan, she gave a speech about her experience of the disaster in front of several hundred people. We asked her whether awareness of disasters had increased after the Great East Japan Disaster. She said, “As we have no experience of such disasters, I don’t think we have made any preparations.”
Catherine told us, “I love Japan so am planning on going again in March. I was stunned when I saw the Japanese people combining their efforts and working hard together to get things back to the way they were. Even though so many people had lost people they loved, they still had the courage to move forward. I admire this and wish that people all over the world will learn from their example.” She encouraged us, “Keep strong! Don’t give up! The spirit of the Japanese people will make Japan grow and flourish again.”
Kyle was sent to Ishinomaki City the August after the disaster occurred. He is from Oregon, and watched it unfold on television. “It had a big impact on me”, he said. How did he view Japan after the disaster compared to how he felt about it before? “My image of it didn’t change. Japan was very organised, and also lots of people were coming to help from many different countries. Even though the disaster had left so much damage, how did he feel about coming to Japan? “I was looking forward to it and didn’t have any second thoughts. I wanted to come to Japan to help, and was glad I could come this time”, he told us. He had already visited Japan nine times previously. “I am glad to have been able to come here again. I really like Japan and want to remain here for a long time,” he said. Just because Kyle came to Japan in August it doesn’t mean that he has not been affected by the disaster in practice. When asked about the effects of the disaster he said, “There is lots of rubble and the shops are closed. If you go to the coast there is nothing there. You can see lots of temporary accommodation.” He asked us to pass on this message: “Never give up! Keep fighting – things will get better.”
Special thanks to The Japan Foundation London Office Language Center
Mr Oliver Gryce, Ms Vanessa Abel, Mr Luke Adams, Mr Stuart Adams, Ms Cheryl Aldridge, Ms Josephine Audigier, Mr Timothy Bennett, Mr Levi Booth, Mr Simon Campbell, Miss Mikki Carlton, Mr Michael Carson, Mrs Ramata Cisse, Mrs Joanna Dare, Miss Isabelle Demaude, Miss Jennifer Dixon, – JAMES GAHAN, Ms Alison Gray, Mr Alan Gross, Ms Hannah Hunt, Ms Catherine Jakszta, Mr Edmund Jones, Mr Mustafa Kasim, Mr Keith Kelly, Miss Miki Kojima, Miss Ka Yan Li, Ms Angela Maggs, Ms Susan Meehan, Mrs Fiona Michishige, Ms Forum Mithani, Mr Chris Mudie, miss Karolina Nalaskowska, Ms. Takako Nose, Mr James Ovenden, Master Takasolo Ovenden, Ms Heidi Potter, Mr Alex Poulidis, Mr Daniel Pumbien, Miss Carley Radford, Ms Pamela Ravasio, Miss Poppy Reid, Mrs Claire Rennie, Ms Judith Reynolds, Mr Ed Richards, Ms Hana Sato, Ms Yilin Sim, Miss Kei Wun Siu, Mr Kevin Squibb, Ms Catherine Stead, Mr Peter Sutcliffe, Mr. Eric Sward, Ms Kyoko Tanno, Ms Claire Thompson, Ms Arisa (Alissa) Wada (Hew), Mrs Kerry Williams, Ms Kim Woodruff, Dr Haru Yamada, Miss Leanne Yu, Mr Seiji Fukushima, Ms Yuko Murata, Ms Eriko Nishikawa, Ms Takako Nose, Ms Hiroko Tanaka