カナダからの帰国子女として人生の前半を過ごした私ですが、約３年の滞在では通訳が出来るほど英語が上達して帰国した訳ではなかった。日本語も英語も半分半分 - 考え方も行動も和洋折衷。しかし、自己形成に大きく影響を与えたカナダでの経験は、その後の人生において世界の人達と英語で接して生きていきたい、そして再び海外で生活したいという願望へと繋がっていった。しかし、月日が流れ日本での生活が長くなるにつれ、英語を話す機会も減り、いつしか西洋国で子育てをしたいという想いなども現実離れしていった。

　そんなある日、長男のアメリカ大学進学を機に、次男と２人でバンクーバー親子留学をしてこないか？と夫が提案してくれた。チャンスを取ることと現実の狭間で答えに迷いはあったものの、この機を逃せば次は無い。挑戦してみることを決めた2018年。

　９歳になる次男にとっては寝耳に水。そこから始まった親子奮闘劇。

　いざ渡加してみると、不安や恐怖心から頑なに英語世界に飛び込む事を拒否した息子。幼い頃、父の仕事でカナダへ渡った時の自分とは真逆の反応。そしてプライドが邪魔をし日本へも帰りたくない息子... どこへ行けばいいのか...世界規模で居場所を失った様に感じた。どうやって彼を救えばいいのか途方に暮れた。もがき苦しんだ期間、約半年。なんとか乗り越えた。結果3年半を過ごし帰国した今、息子はカナダに留学できたことを本当に喜んでいる。

　日本とバンクーバーを行ったり来たりした３年半。時間も気持ちも切り替える事に慣れていった。民族と文化の多様性を深めるカナダで過ごしたことにより、様々な国の人が様々な経歴や理由をもとにカナダに移住し調和して生きているのを見て来ました。自分の家はどこか？自分の居場所はどこか？究極を突き詰めると、今を幸せに生きているのならどこだっていいじゃないか、と思う様になった。それくらいフレキシブルに好きな場所で好きなことをする為に生きている人が世界には沢山いる。そういう視野を持つだけでも自分の世界観は格段に広がるのではないでしょうか？このプレゼンテーションでは、その様なことを共有できれば幸いです。

I spent the first half of my life as a returnee from Canada, but I did not return home with my English improved enough to be able to interpret during my three-year stay. Half Japanese and half English - a blend of Japanese and Western in my thinking and behavior. However, my experience in Canada, which had a great impact on my personal development, led me to a desire to connect with people around the world and to live abroad again in the future. However, as time went by and I lived in Japan longer, I had fewer opportunities to speak English, and my desire to raise my children in a Western country became less and less realistic. 　Then one day, my eldest son was about to enter university in the U.S., “why don’t you and second son go to oversea study (Canada)?” My husband had not forgotten my desire wanting to raise my children abroad! Although I was torn between taking a chance and the reality of the situation, I knew that if I missed this opportunity, there would be no next time. We decided to give it a shot in 2018. 　For my second son, who was 9 years old at that time, it was a bolt from the blue. The parent-child struggle began there. 　When it came time to come to Canada, my son stubbornly refused to dive into the English-speaking world out of fear and anxiety. His reaction was the complete opposite of my own when I first went to Canada for his my father's work in my childhood. I offered my son an option to return to Japan, but my son’s pride got in the way and he didn't want to go back to Japan either... Where to go... I felt like I lost my place in the world. I was at a loss as to how to save him. We struggled for about six months but we managed to get over it. Now that we have returned to Japan after spending three and a half years and as a result, my son is really happy that he was given a chance to study in Canada. 　During our stay in Canada, we went back and forth between Japan and Vancouver. From that experience, we got used to switching time and feelings. Having spent time in Canada, a country that has deepened its ethnic and cultural diversity, I have seen people from many different countries immigrate to Canada and live in harmony based on various backgrounds and reasons. Where is my home? Where do I belong? Ultimately, I came to think that it doesn't matter where you are, as long as you are living happily in the present. There are many people in the world who live to do what they want, where they want, with that much flexibility. I believe that just by having such a perspective, one's view of the world will expand dramatically. We hope to share something like that in this presentation.