Extra Edition: 'The First Person' - A story about the original experience that connected me to the world abroad.

【🧩 Things I felt abroad】
- Extra Edition.

This time, it's a naive diary of memories.

It's a trivial piece of writing, but since it's a precious memory,
I would be happy if you could
get to know what kind of person I am✨

⬇️Read decent articles⬇️
🧩 Things I felt abroad
☑️The story of the guy I met at a bus stop in New Zealand
☑️A step of courage with Guam's family
☑️"Sense of wonder" From "Shark's Cave"
→ Highly recommended✨✨
☑️Extra Edition [The First Person]The origin of me and the world abroad
☑️The story of feeling "God" during a major blackout🆕
→Highly recommended✨✨

Please bear with me for a moment✨


ーーーーーーーーーーーー



How long ago was it, I wonder――

Probably when I was in 3rd or 4th grade of elementary school.

On my way home, passing through the shopping street as usual.

In front of the pharmacy at the intersection, there was a "foreigner" guy,
looking flustered all by himself.

I tried asking him what was wrong, but...
I couldn't understand a word he said,
but he seemed to be lost.

I managed to catch that he was saying
the name of a station about a 15-minute walk from here.

(Because the station name was in Japanese...)

I tried to explain it somehow, but I realized a big problem...
I was in 3rd grade and...

I didn't know if
"Right" was "Light"
or "Left".

The Super Famicom
controller also had
L and R,
which looked like the same 'Ra' row from my perspective back then...

Also,
how should I say
"straight"?
Back then,straightto me
= the image of a type of punch...
(also influenced by games)

I couldn't have a conversation at all...

In that state,
explaining a 15-minute walk was
extremely difficult...

At a loss, after thinking about it, I said to the foreigner,


"Stop, stop here"
chanting a mysterious spell,

I rushed home (I was a latchkey kid✨),
threw my school bag aside,
hopped on my bike,
and returned to that spot.

And then,

"All right!! Follow me!
I'll take you there soon!"

with that meaning in mind,

with all my might

"Let's go!!"

I said.

The guy said
"OK!"
and followed me.

On the way, we used clumsy words to
tell each other our names and ask where we were from.

He talked to me, a third-grader, with all his might.
As equals.

I have already forgotten his name, but

Amidst what I couldn't understand, I somehow managed to hear
-Canada-, -Toronto-
the words.


At that moment,
I still remember that shock even now.

Until then, countries of the world
existed for me only
as flat things on the maps in social studies textbooks and newspapers.

This guy came from that big country in the top right of that flat map,
and here we were talking.

I thought it was something amazing.

Saying "〇×△◇＃ thank you" with
immense gratitude, he disappeared into the station.

On the way home from the station where I sent him off,

in my heart,
the sound of -Canada-, -Toronto-
sounded very wonderful.

(I just couldn't understand anything else...)

I went home and told my mother
about the wonderful experience I had today
with a bit of excitement.

My educated mother
gave me a proper reply.

"You must not
　　follow strangers!"

Hmm, what a wonderful mom...

(Even though it was the guy
　　who followed me--.)

I also remember feeling sad that my own flesh and blood
denied my excitement.

Setting that aside,
some time after that,
I learned that the famous Niagara Falls
was near Toronto.

It was a place I had longed for
ever since I was overwhelmed
watching it on a nature program.

From then on, Canada and Niagara Falls
were always on my bucket list.

--15 years later,

I actually
ended up going to Toronto & Niagara.

Both the lake in Toronto and
Niagara Falls were magnificent.

(The things next to the trees are people✨)

Of course,
I couldn't meet him,
but being able to go to the city where he lived,
I felt that our past selves,

[The him who was panicked after getting lost in a foreign land]
[The me who was desperately shouting Katakana],
were saved.

This was
the story of the first person
who connectedthe world abroad to me✨

Is it okay to share a story like this
once in a while?

Thank you for
staying with me✨

If you have any thoughts,
I would be very happy🍀✨✨


⬇️Read other relatively decent articles⬇️
🧩Things I felt abroad
☑️The story of the guy I met at a bus stop in New Zealand
☑️A step of courage with Guam's family
☑️"Sense of wonder" From "The Shark's Den"
→ Highly recommended✨✨
☑️Extra Edition [The First Person]The origin of the world and me
☑️A story about feeling "God" during a major blackout🆕
→Highly recommended✨✨


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