We’ve been reporting on the theme of a life of self-restraint and enjoying a trip to Syria at home, “A trip to Syria at home! But this will be the last time. The last thing we will send you is the people of Syria. The ruins and culture are of course lovely, but what I found most fascinating about Syria was the Syrian people I met. He is kind and friendly, but he is also a little mischievous. It’s all lovely and is the number one reason I’m drawn to Syria. Finally, we bring you the charm of such Syrian people!
Harran is the village where I spent two years. People in the village are with someone every day. It really is like a family, and I was included as part of it.
同じ村に住んでいる同僚。仕事でも生活でもすごく面倒を見てくれました。／Colleagues who live in the same village. He took great care of me at work and in my life.ほぼ毎日来ていたハムゼとアカラム。いつも一緒にお茶を飲みながら水たばこを吸ってました。／ Hamze and Akram, who came almost every day. We always drank tea together and smoked water cigarettes.向かいの家のおばさん。ハランの母とおばあちゃんのようなもので、ご飯は食べたのかなどいつもいろんな心配をしてくれました。／ The lady from the house across the street. She was like Harran’s mother and grandmother, always worrying about whether he had eaten or not.アカラム宅での食事。行くといつもなにか出してくれます。／ A meal at Akram’s house. Whenever I go there, they always give me something to eat.近所の子どもたち。顔をあわせるとヒロ、ヒロといつも寄ってきてとてもかわいかったです。／ Neighborhood children. Whenever we met each other, Hiro and Hiro always came up to me and were very cute.イヤード一家。同じ職場、家も近くでよく遊びに行ってました。／ The Iyad family. We worked together and lived close to each other, so we often went to visit each other.右のムハンマドは今でも仲良くしていて、今はトルコで家族をもって生活しています。／ Mohammad, on the right, is still on good terms with them and now lives with his family in Turkey.隣人バーセルの結婚式。／ Neighbor Bursell’s Wedding.村での結婚式ですが、とりあえず来いよとよばれました。／ It’s a wedding in a village, but I was told to come anyway.村の悪ガキたちです。／ They are the bad kids of the village.
職場の人たち／People in my work
沢山けんかもしましたが、なんだかんだで一番一緒にいる時間が長かった人たちです。
We had a lot of fights, but somehow we spent the most time together.
配属先の同僚、アイマンとラーバア。私のカウンタパートです。二人とも超頭がよくて真面目でした。／ Ayman and Raba’a, two of his colleagues. This is my counterpart. They were both super smart and earnest.スルガヤ農業試験場のワファ。こちらもほぼカウンターパート的存在。試験場に行くといつも帰りに何か持たせてくれます。／ Wafa at Sergaya Agricultural Experiment Station. This one is also almost a counterpart. Whenever I go to an examination site, they always let me have something on the way home.スルガヤ試験場の場長、ロトフィー。あまり試験場にはいませんし、なんか面倒くさそうに話しする人でしたが、何でもやらせてくれました。／ Lotfi, the director of the Surgaya Proving Ground. I wasn’t at the testing site very often, and he seemed like a bother to talk to, but he let me do whatever I wanted to do.普及局職員、サーレヘ。活動の後半はこの人なしにはあり得なかったです。本当に感謝してもし切れない恩人です。／ Dissemination Department officials, Saaleh. The second half of the activity would not have been possible without this person. I can’t thank you enough for what you did for me.配属先の同僚ワーエル。部屋も一緒で年齢も近く何でも話ししました。／ Wael, a colleague of mine. We were in a room together, close in age, and talked about everything.配属先の作業員。いじめられたこともありましたが、困ったときには助けてくれる頼もしい人たちです。／ Workers on assignment. I’ve been bullied at times, but they are dependable people who help me when I’m in trouble.おちゃめな人ばかりでした。／ They were all mischievous.配属先の同僚。仕事…というよりはよく愚痴話をしていました。／ Co-workers at my place of employment. Work…or rather, we used to complain about it.スルガヤ普及所の職員。いつも冗談を言う調子のいい人でした。／ He is an employee of the Sergaya extension office. He had a good tone and was always joking.配属先近くの普及所職員。たまに遊びに行っていたのですが本当はもっと絡みたかった…そんな人たちです。／ The staff of the extension office near the place of assignment. I used to hang out with them once in a while, but I really wanted to be more involved with them… they are such people.節水灌漑の講習会にて。普段はおちゃらけてますがやるときはまじめにやる人たちでした。／ At a training session on water-saving irrigation. They are usually playful, but when they do, they are serious.講習でお世話になった人たち。本当に楽しくやらせてもらいました。／ The people who took care of me in the course. I really enjoyed it.
ダマスカスで出会った人たち／People in Damascus who I met
ダマスカスは大好きな街でもあり、赴任して最初に住んだ思い出の場所です。
Damascus is one of my favorite cities and the first place I remember living when I was posted there.
赴任初日に公園で会った人たち。つたないアラビア語でも話ししてくれました。／ The people I met at the park on my first day on assignment. He also spoke to me in humble Arabic.最初に住んでいた家の近くのお店。当初はここで何でも買ってました。／ A shop near the house where I first lived. In the beginning, I bought everything here.これも赴任直後、近くの八百屋さんです。／ This was also at a nearby grocery store immediately after my posting.JICAシリア事務所のジハード。英語もペラペラで楽しい人でした。／ Jihad in JICA’s Syrian office. His English was very good and he was fun.旧市街のお土産屋のイブラヒム。赴任直後に知り合い、JICAボランティアの知り合いも沢山います。／ Ibrahim in a souvenir shop in the old town. I made many acquaintances immediately after my arrival and many of them are JICA volunteers.アラビア語の先生、アハマド。イラっとすることもありましたが、教えるのはとても上手でした。／ Ahmad, the Arabic language teacher. It was frustrating at times, but he was very good at teaching.ラマダン中に現れる、タマルヒンディー屋ですが私は苦手で飲めませんでした。／ The Tamal Hindi vendors who appear during Ramadan are not good for me and I couldn’t drink them.ダマスカス旧市街にて。水たばこを吸う姿がかっこよくて何回もお願いして煙を吐いてるところをとらせてもらいました。／ In the old city of Damascus. It was so cool to see him smoking a water cigarette that I asked him many times to let me take a picture of him breathing out smoke.旧市近くの八百屋。通りがかっただけだったのですが、写真を撮れと言われて撮った一枚。そういえばこういうのってよくありました。／ A grocery store in the old town. I was just passing by, but he asked me to take a picture, so I took this one. Come to think of it, this kind of thing used to happen a lot.
They can be shy, open-minded, or friendly. There were really a lot of different people there, but they were all kind.
カナワットで出会った子どもたち。はにかむ姿が印象的でした。／ The children I met at Khanawat. I was impressed by his frowning.アルネのりんご農家。泊まらせてもらって、また来いよと何度も電話をくれました。／ An apple farmer in Arne. They let me stay here and called me many times to ask me to come back.日本での交流会で会ったアルハーン一家と。日本で少し会っただけなのですが、シリアでも連絡を取り続けていて、何度も同期と遊びに行きました。／ With the Alhaan family, whom I met at an exchange meeting in Japan. We only met a little in Japan, but we kept in touch in Syria as well, and I went to hang out with my peers many times.こちらもアルハーン一家。必ず泊めてくれて本当に家族みたいでした。／ This is also the Alhan family. They made sure to let us stay over and it was really like a family.ハッサケの研究者、ムハンマド一家と。講習で一度一緒になっただけなのですが、来いよと何度も誘ってくれ、遊びに行って宿とご馳走を世話になりました。／ Hassakeh’s researchers, with the Muhammad family. We only got together once in the course, but he asked me to come over many times and took care of the inn and treats for me.ハッサケでたまたま会ったシリア人と。ご飯食べてないんだったらおいでと誘われて図々しく行ってしまいました。／ With a Syrian I happened to meet in Hassakeh. If I hadn’t eaten, he invited me to come to his place, so I went there on a whim.セルビス（乗合バス）にて。セルビスは便利だけではなく、シリアの人たちとコミュニケーションが取れる最高の場所。すぐに仲良くなれます。／ By Service (shared bus). Service is not only convenient, but also a great place to communicate with the Syrian people. We hit it off right away.パルミラにて。パルミラではスズキタカシと名乗るシリア人がいて、日本人を見ると近づいてきます。悪い人ではなかったとは思いましたが。／ At Palmyra. In Palmyra, there is a Syrian man who calls himself Takashi Suzuki, and when he sees a Japanese man, he approaches him. I didn’t think he was a bad person, though.スウェーダのバスターミナル近くの店にて。道がわからなくて聞いたら周りから集まってきて詳しく教えてくれました。／ At a shop near the bus terminal in Sweda. I didn’t know how to get there, but when I asked, people gathered around me and gave me detailed information.ナバックにて。こちらも道を尋ねたときに寒いから入れと事務所の中に入れてくれてお茶をもらいました。／ At Navak. When I asked for directions, they let me into their office because it was cold and gave me a cup of tea.旅で仲良くなったタクシー運転手の両親です。とても仲良し夫婦。家に招待されご飯を頂いただきました。／ They are the parents of a taxi driver who became good friends on the trip. They are a very close couple. I was invited to my house and had dinner with them.お祭りで出会ったベドウィン（？）と。直前に歌や踊りの訓練をしていて、おそらくやとわれベドウィンではないかと思ってます。／ The Bedoin (?) we met at the festival. and. I had a last-minute song and dance training session, and I’m thinking it’s probably a Bedouin.砂漠の移動市場いて。こちらはおそらく本物のベドウィンです。／ Moving market in the desert. This is probably a real Bedouin.ベドウィンの少年。砂漠でラクダを飼いならす姿が印象的でした。／ A Bedouin boy. I was impressed by the sight of taming camels in the desert.
A trip to Syria at home, presented three times! But what did you think? I’d be happy if the appeal of this place was conveyed to you and you were tempted to go there. I can’t travel to Syria right now, but one day, when the new coronavirus is under control and the situation in Syria is calmed down, you should definitely go there. The people of Syria will surely greet you warmly.
そんな日が早く来る日を祈って、今は一つとなってこの難局を乗り越えましょう！
Let’s all pray that such a day will come soon, and for now, let’s get through this difficult time as one!
