渡米1ヶ月頃のできごと
今回の記事は拙いですが英語です
先日、職場でスピーチコンテストがありました。5分のスピーチを録画して応募する形式。良い機会かと思い渡米直後の体験を語り応募しました。結論から言うと落選。入選したのはもっと軽いテーマ達（パンの焼き方をユーモア交じりに語ったり）。私がテーマとした多様性の話はお呼びでなかった感はあったのですが、せっかくまとめたので自身の悪あがきの記録として残しておくことにします。英語を理由に海外就職を躊躇する人が一人でも減ったら是幸いです（ちなみに、海外就職で最も必要なのは英語やスキルよりビザ、と思う派です）。
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渡米1ヶ月頃の体験談だよ
Hello, I am Toshi. I internationally transferred from Japan 6 months ago. Today, I would like to talk about two experiences that I encountered during my first month here in Seattle, which illustrates how difficult for non-English-speakers to start their new life in English-speaking countries.
そこにいるのは誰だ！？
The first story is about a frightening experience I had while crossing the street. During lunchtime, I decided to cross the busy road in front of my office to go to the nearby Whole Foods. Suddenly, someone called out, "Wait!" I had just joined the team, and I was worried that leaving for lunch a little early had been noticed. But to my surprise, there was no one around. Then, I heard the voice saying "wait" again. I was unsure how to respond to being called out like that, as I couldn't figure out who it was or what they wanted. Eventually, I realized it was the pedestrian signal announcing it was safe to cross. As you all know, when crossing such a busy road, we press the button and wait for the signal. With my limited listening skills back then, it sounded like someone was unexpectedly stopping me on the street. This was a scary experience I had during my first week in Seattle.
レストランのオーダーはまだ慣れない
The second experience occurred when I went to buy lunch at a poke rice bowl, I mean a fish rice bowl, restaurant. I chose the size and toppings and placed my order. However, when the food arrived, it was just a pack of fish without any rice. My speaking skills were so inadequate that I couldn't even understand how I may have misspoken, and my listening skills were insufficient to grasp what the staff had asked me. This happened about a month after I arrived at Seattle.
でも何とかなる（今のところは）
Despite these challenges, I have now been living in Seattle for six months. Each day is filled with adventures, from moving to Seattle to searching a school for my children, spending nearly $2,000 at a dentist, and purchasing my first car. However, with lots of help from my manager and team members, I have survived through them all. While I used to be a part of the majority back in Japan, I am now clearly in the minority here in Seattle. There are probably many things I haven't been able to express properly. Nevertheless, my team members have warmly embraced me because I think I have been able to contribute something small with my experience in Japan. And also, this is because my team is an organization that values diversity. I am truly proud to be a member of such a great team. If you have any team members from non-English-speaking countries, I hope you remember this story. Please try to listen attentively and try to understand what they are going to say. By doing so even if it's just a little bit, they will be able to leverage their skills, and your team will become even better. Thank you for listening.
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いかがでしたでしょうか？海外生活、海外就職。冒険の毎日はまだまだ続きます。