新千歳空港から札幌市内へ行く方法は2つ。
バスか汽車（※北海道人は「電車」ではなく「汽車」です）。
今回は到着時間も早かったので汽車で札幌市内へ。
この汽車は北海道経済の低迷要因だと思うくらい市内まで時間がかかり、本数も少ない。
ただ、この汽車が唯一天候に左右されない交通手段なので使わざるを得ない。とうぜん海外から来た観光客も多かれ少なかれこれに乗ることになる。
面白いのは車内アナウンスに英語のアナウンスもあるにはあるがこの英語が「ブリティッシュ訛り」なのである。オーストラリアやら香港などの英国領系の人が多いためだと察したがこれは全国的に珍しいかも知れない。
－－－
到着してそのまま狸小路にあるオーストラリア人がやっているアイリッシュパブへ軽くビール呑みに行く。時間帯は夕方前、5時頃だったので遅い時間ではない。道すがら中国からとおぼしき観光客の集団とすれ違い、土産物屋を覗くとやはり中国からであろう観光客でごった返している。
店に着いていつも通りビールを頼む。
店員は日本人とオーストラリア人。早い時間だったせいかオーナーは見あたらない。
さすがにここで英語を使う必要は無いが客は日本人と外人が2、3人いる程度。
こんな時間でも客はいる、というのが早い時間からやっている飲み屋の不思議なところだ。
それにしても札幌という街には外人が増えたと思う。所詮地方都市なので職業は期間雇用の英語の教師と言ったところだろう。また、場所によってはロシア人もいる。最近では僅かながらフィリピンパブも出てきているようだ。
－－－
日付変わって翌日。
札幌へ帰ると必ず一緒に飲むことにしている歯医者のO君に会うことに。
札幌駅で待ち合わせし、札幌ではけっこう有名なチェーン展開している焼鳥屋へ。
するとO君が；
O：「あとで僕の彼女も一緒しますが良いですか？」
と言われ、私としては別に恥ずかしがる歳でもあるまいし快諾。
そしてやってきたのはアメリカ人の女の子であった・・・・。
日本に来てまだ一年半だという。年齢は25歳と若い・・・。
O：「ホンコンさん英語話せますよね？」
私：「いや、話せるかどうかと言われれば『話せない』に限りなく近いよ・・・。」
しばらくして彼女登場。昨年読んだ英会話の本に習って；
会話の第一歩は勢い
ということで元気に挨拶・・・。
ここで難しいのは；
・20代と話すとなると男でも難しい。
・ましてやそれが女の子だ。
・上記の条件に加えて言語は英語である。
そんな札幌来てまで英語話す機会があるとは思ってもおらず、急に緊張感が増した。
この二人の馴れ初めに関して割愛するが、要は英語というのはいつ使うか分からないものになってしまったんだな、と思う。その昔、札幌で英語使う機会は雪祭りくらいだった。
それが今では住むところが変わったにせよ、毎週か、月に数度は外国人と飲む機会があり、気を抜いて帰った札幌でも英語を使う機会があった。
そう考えると英語が話せるか否かで人生の幅が変わってくる。
仕事で英語使うというのは「当たり前」のことになっている昨今だし、日常生活において話せるか否かは恋愛面においてですら影響するかも知れない。10年前には想像もしなかった。
昨年の富士登山でも五合目行きのバスを待っているときにLennyとAkiさんは居合わせたドイツ人とイタリア人と英語で話していたのを思い出すと「地方だから」みたいなことを言っている場合ではなくなるだろう。しかもこのドイツ人とイタリア人の英語がやけに流暢だったことは今でも鮮明に覚えている。一体彼らはどうやって英語をマスターしたのだろうか。
「海外旅行しないから英語要らない」とか、「仕事に関係無い」とか言っている場合ではない。
少なからず私は四十路手前にして英語という試練に遭遇してしまった・・・。
いや、実はラッキーなのかも知れない。
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