2017年10月13日金曜日 - 
Tamar: Greek Island Escape – Opportunities Await
Despite the fact that a
multitude of Aussies in their mid-twenties travel to Greece each year over the European summer,
the Greek islands are full of mystique and astonishing beauty. It was June in 2014 when I packed my Katmandu
travelling pack and left Sydney bound for Europe. First stop, the Greek
islands.
Ironically, when I stepped off the
plane and checked into my hostel at Mykonos, I was of course surrounded by
Australians. We travel in droves, and the Greek
islands are no exception. The hostel overlooked the sea and the water glistened in the sunlight on a daily basis. There are no tarmac roads around here, just cobblestone and white-splashed houses on the hills overlooking the water – the Greek
islands are truly as they appear on the postcards. On my first night in
Mykonos, I ventured alone into the
town for a late dinner. Mid-way through chomping down
a gyros and a Greek salad, a group of Japanese travelers sat on the same
table as me. We were the same age and shared similar interests. We bonded together and I saw this as a fantastic opportunity to
learn more about life in Tokyo, where they were from.
We chatted
together for the next four hours, immersed in
discussion about Australian and Japanese cultural topics and how different our
lives are. The friendliness and generosity of this group of Japanese travelers
strongly resonated with me and it
was this chance meeting that propelled me
to travel to Japan. Fast forward three years, I finally made it to Japan in
December 2017 for a two-week holiday. And now looking back on living in Osaka
since May 2017, I can thank this group of Japanese travelers for inspiring me
to undertake this experience.
In
summary, travelling in our youth broadens our
appreciation of other cultures and enriches our ability to relate to a diversity of individuals. This is more than ever important in
2017 as international relations continue to shift and change at a pace beyond
our comprehension. I can gladly say that I've become a better person because of
this experience so far in Japan – Arigato Gozaimasu.
Despite：～にもかかわらず
Multitude：大勢の
in their mid-twenties：20代半ばに
Mystique：近寄りがたい神秘的な雰囲気
Astonishing：驚くべき
Ironically：皮肉なことに
In droves ：ぞろぞろ動く群れ
glistened：キラキラきらめく
tarmac：タールを混ぜた舗装材
cobblestone ：玉石
ventured：思い切って～した
chomping：ガツガツ食べる
bonded：意気投合した
immersed：どっぷりつかった
resonated：共鳴する
propelled：進ませた
undertake：企てる
broadens：広げる
diversity：多様性