この『えいごで読む物語』シリーズでは、ランカル英会話に所属するメイトの日常や思い出をえいごでお届けします。

今回はアメリカ出身・Samがメイトのみんなに「日本に来る前に思い描いていたこと」と「母国のリアルな文化・価値観」をインタビューしました。

個人的には「日本は世界からこう見られてるの？」と少し驚きを感じる内容で、メイトのみんなの目から新たな日本を知ることができたような気がしました。

初心者の方は「エクステンシブ・リーディング（多読）」の読み物として、こちらのシリーズを読んでみることもオススメです。

この練習法では、知らない単語や表現が文中に登場しても、そのたびに調べるのではなく、先をどんどん進んで読んでいきます。
とにかく最後まで読み進めることから、自然と読む力がつき、文章の組み立ても早くなります！
詳しくは下にまとめてみたのでチェックしてみてくださいね。

このシリーズでは、文章中の押さえたい英単語や表現を記事内で随時まとめてご紹介しています。
ぜひ活用して、一通り読んでみてくださいね！

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Intro

It’s only natural that we have expectations in life, and equally natural when those expectations don’t really pan out. Whether it be the anticipation to try the hot new restaurant that you saw on instagram only to be disappointed by an overpriced and mediocre meal, or being fully blown away by the cheap and unassuming local eatery, life always seems to have a way of turning our expectations on their head.

This of course also applies to travel. Visiting a different country, one cannot help but have some form of expectation of what that country will be like. Portrayal in media, word-of-mouth, or even potentially harmful stereotypes all have an impact on the expectation of any and every destination.

On the topic of expectations, I took the time to ask a few of our mates about their own expectations about Japan before moving here as well as common misconceptions about their own home country. I hope you enjoy it, and can learn something new!

Meya – Poland

My expectation was that everything would be digital and very futuristic but it turned out that Japan is still quite an old fashion, paper based country.

The stereotype is that Poland is super cold and we are a Nordic snow filled country. The reality is, we have four normal seasons with super hot summers that can sometimes get up to 40 degrees C, and it snows in winter for maybe only a month or so.

Ant – USA

I initially thought that Japanese people would not be so helpful to me because I couldn’t speak Japanese but countless times I have experienced people going above and beyond to help me despite our communication barrier.

An inaccurate stereotype would probably be that all Americans love guns. Guns can serve a good purpose but not everyone loves them or possesses them.

Debbi – Italy

In my country we have the image of Japan as a perfect country where everything is extremely punctual. When I came here I realized that transportations can still have delays, especially buses.

Also, even if Japan is known for cyber technology and hi-tech products, it’s really hard to find free and open wifi outside. This part shocked me a lot, because in my country we can survive just using public open wifi almost anywhere, even in small cities.

Luckily or unfortunately, most of the stereotypes about Italy and Italian people are true. People from all over the world have the image of Italian people being super cheerful and always friendly, but I have to say that is not 100% true.

In my life I met a lot of introverted people and also I could find people, especially those who work in public at supermarkets or shops, a little bit rude and not really kind.

Conclusion

How was that? Were you surprised by some foreigners’ expectations about Japan? Did you believe some of the stereotypes about other countries? Each experience is of course individual, and you can never truly know a place until you have spent a significant amount of time there and really get to know the local people.

I know that for myself there have been many things about Japan that did not quite live up to my expectations, and far more that went far beyond them.

Being able to take part in such an international community makes it interesting to hear various perspectives, and learn more about each other’s culture. If you want to learn more about the ‘reality’ of living in different countries all over the world, come chat with any of the lovely mates who helped contribute to this article, as well as many others from all around the world!

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いかがでしたか？
「もっとデジタルな街だと思ってた！」と私たちが思う日本と異なる姿をイメージしていたメイトもいました。
もしかしたら漫画やアニメなどの影響から、そのような姿を予想していたのかもしれませんね。

一方で、私たちもポーランド、アメリカ、イタリアに対して、本物とは異なる姿を想像してしまっていたことにハッとさせられたのではないでしょうか？
「この国はこのような人いる、これが好き」といったイメージを決めつけるのではなく、個人を尊重することの大切さに改めて気づくことができた内容でした。

さて、「エクステンシブ・リーディング」に挑戦した方はいかがでしたか？

ここでの目標は細かな意味を理解することよりも、最後まで読み進めることです。
ぜひほかのえいごで読む物語シリーズでも、エクステンシブ・リーディングに挑戦して読解力をUPさせていきましょう！

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気になる方は下のプレビュー動画をチェックしてみてくださいね。
*ランカル英会話の公式アプリなら100本以上の学習動画が見放題。すべての冒頭部分は会員登録しなくてもアプリで視聴できるのでよかったらアプリから見てくださいね。

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