88歳おじいちゃんの渡米記🇺🇸第一日目③「サンノゼ着陸、夢始動」

6時40分、機は静かに滑るように成田の地を離れ、13,000 m の上空を一路アメリカへ。窓の外ををのぞいても、すでに薄暮に包まれて何も見えない。2時頃になると機内食が配られる。私は肉食は余り好まない方だが、その夜のステーキは旨かった。

At 6:40, the aircraft glided down the runway at Narita and lifted gently into the air, rising 13,000 meters to our road to America in the sky. I looked out the window, but we were shrouded in a faint darkness, and there was nothing to see. A meal was served around two a.m. I don't care much for meat, but the steak tasted good that night.

人々は皆眠りに入る。8時間の機内も思ったより長く感じなかった。 何時間経ったのか、機外が明るくなり小窓から遠く大陸の山々が視界に入る。やがてベルト着装のアナウンスがあり機は静かに着陸態勢に入り、間もなく着地滑走を始める。静かに止まったところはカリフォルニア州サンノゼ空港である。

Everyone fell asleep. The eight hours we spent on the plane did not seem as long as I had expected. I don't know how many hours had gone by when it began to grow light outside, and I could see distant mountains through the porthole. Finally, there was an announcement for us to fasten our seat belts, and we quietly prepared to land, touching down soon after. When the aircraft came gently to a stop, we were at San Jose Airport in California.

時に19日午前10時45分である。時差は承知していながら、まだ19日であり、面喰らう。乗客は静かに列をなし、今度は入国手続きである。ここで初めてアメリカの地を踏んだ事になる。成田空港程混雑していない。それから４、５分バスに乗ると荷物受取所である。史子と友人のミスターマイクが迎えに来ている。涙の対面である。手を取り合って言葉は出ない。只嬉し涙、涙である。見ればそこには未だ見たこともないリムジン車でのお出迎えである。貴賓車なので乗り込むにも一寸ためらう。何か有名人になった様な錯覚を起こす。

It was 10:45 a.m. on the 19th. Although I knew there was a time difference, it was mystifying that it was still the 19th. The passengers lined up quietly, and we got ready to go through immigration. It was the first time I had ever set foot on American soil. The airport was not as crowded as Narita. Then we rode a bus for a few minutes to the baggage pick-up area. Ayako and her friend, Mr. Mike, had come to welcome us. It was a tearful encounter. Ayako and I stood there holding each other's hands, speechless. There were only tears, happy tears. When I looked up, I saw they had come to pick us up in a limousine, which I had never seen before. It looked like a VIP car, and I hesitated getting inside. It made me feel like some sort of celebrity.

English translation by Paul Atkins
英語のリスニングの練習をしたい方は、是非動画もご覧ください。

#祖父 #おじいちゃん #アメリカ #渡米
#夢 #夢継ぎ #夢代人 #アメリカンドリーム
#英語 #アメリカ英語 #バイリンガル