2014年10月24日金曜日

2014年10月24日金曜日 -

Jason：　Halloween

When I first arrived in Japan 11 years ago, Halloween didn’t seem to be very popular; only a few stores were decorated with ghosts and pumpkins. Now, however, I see references to the holiday everywhere.

When I was young, I loved Halloween. The idea of putting on a costume and getting candy for it was a seven-year-old’s dream come true. Many kids would make their own costumes, but I usually ended up with a store-bought one. My dad always carved a jack-o-lantern, and on Halloween he would put a candle inside it at night to make the face glow. Many of the customs and traditions of this holiday have been taken from other festivals, both Christian and Pagan.

The jack-o-lantern has been one of the most popular symbols of Halloween, but the origins of the tradition go back to an Irish folktale about a man named Jack. In the story, the Devil is trapped by Jack, and in order to free himself makes a deal with Jack, saying he will not claim Jack’s soul when he dies. After a long life of sin, Jack dies, but is refused entry into Heaven. The devil keeps his promise, refusing him a place in Hell, and he throws a burning ember at Jack to torment him. It was cold that night, so Jack placed the ember in a hollow turnip to keep him warm, and to act as a lantern while he looks for a place to rest his spirit. (The turnip was originally carved in Ireland and Scotland, but immigrants to America used the native pumpkin instead, which was more available at the time.)

The custom of children dressing in costumes can be traced back to a tradition known as “guising”. Children in Ireland and Scotland would disguise themselves and go door-to-door collecting food and money. The first occasion of the custom in North America was in 1911. These days, the tradition is not only for children. Many adults have Halloween costume parties to celebrate the holiday.

In Osaka, it was once popular for people to ride the JR Osaka loop line dressed in costume during Halloween, but recently the practice has been discouraged. Here at NOVA, the instructors are allowed, within reason, to dress in costume while at work, and sometimes students dress up as well.

ended up：結局～することになる
taken from：～から借用した
Pagan：異教徒
Trapped：罠にかかった
makes a deal：取引をする
sin：罪
claim：(人命を)奪う
ember：燃えさし
torment：苦しめる
a hollow turnip：穴の開いたカブ
traced back：遡る
guising：仮装
disguise：変装させる

2014年10月17日金曜日

2014年10月17日金曜日 -

Riccardo: You know you’ve been in Italy too long when… (Part Two)

l      Dire “Non lo so” come un vero italiano
Sai di essere da troppo tempo in Italia quando non conosci la risposta a una domanda e dici semplicemente: “Boh!”, facendo spallucce e con una faccia da pesce lesso. 

l        Saying “I don't know” like a real Italian
You know you've been living in Italy for too long when you don't know the answer to a question and you just say “Boh!” while shrugging with a gloomy expression.


l      Parcheggiare dove ci piace

Sai di essere da troppo tempo in Italia quando decidi di parcheggiare ovunque riesci a trovare: in mezzo alla strada, sul marciapiede, in doppia fila, … infatti lo spazio è poco, le macchine tante, le strade strette e non vorrai mica trascorrere tutta la giornata a cercare un posto libero per parcheggiare, no?

l        Parking wherever we like

You know you've been living in Italy for too long when you start deciding to park wherever you can find: in the middle of the street, on the sidewalk, double parked, anywhere! There are too many cars, not enough space, narrow streets and you don't really want to spend the whole day looking for a free spot to park your car, do you?


l      Usare il bidet 24 ore su 24

Sai di essere da troppo tempo in Italia quando non puoi più rinunciare al tuo momento di “freschezza quotidiana” dopo avere usato il bagno e hai finalmente capito che il bidet non serve solo a lavarsi i piedi prima di andare a dormire. Il bidet è sicuramente la versione preistorica dell’avanzatissimo WC giapponese.

l        Using the bidet 24/7

You know you've been living in Italy for too long when you have a daily ritual centered around using the bidet, and feel incomplete if you find yourself in a country that doesn’t have bidets. (Contrary to many Italians’ beliefs, this wonderful device is not meant to be used solely for washing your feet before going to bed!) The bidet is of course a very simple version of advanced Japanese WC technology.


l        Guidare come un italiano
Sai di essere da troppo tempo in Italia quando anche tu inizi a guidare come piace a te e dimentichi tutte le regole della strada studiate a scuola guida prima di prendere la patente.

l        Driving like an Italian

You know you've been living in Italy for too long when you start driving like yours is the only car on the road, and you forget all of the rules that you learned before taking your driver’s license test.


l        Mangiare il gelato
   
Sai di essere da troppo tempo in Italia quando, per organizzare un’uscita con i tuoi amici, potresti domandare “Andiamo a mangiare la pizza o il gelato?”. Il gelato potrebbe infatti essere considerato uno dei pasti principali, soprattutto in estate (insieme alla granita, ghiacciolo e sorbetto) ed è anche un modo facile, amichevole e economico di invitare un ragazzo/a italiano/a che ti piace a un primo appuntamento.

l        Eating ice cream

You know you've been living in Italy for too long if you ask, “Shall we go eat pizza or ice cream?” when making plans to go out with your friends. Gelato (Italian style ice cream) along with granita, ghiacciolo and sorbetto could all be reasonably considered a main meal, especially in summer. It is also an easy, cheap and friendly way to ask out an Italian girl or boy that you like for a first date.

l      Vacanze ad agosto

Sai di essere da troppo tempo in Italia quando sai che le tue vacanze saranno (come tutti) ad agosto e ti ritroverai a fare ore di coda in autostrada verso qualche paesino di mare con le sue spiagge private affollatissime. Se abiti a Torino o a Milano, andrai probabilmente da qualche parte in Liguria. Il 15 di agosto è probabilmente il giorno più popolare tra gli italiani e viene festeggiato in modo diverso ovunque in Italia (il bagno di mezzanotte è un must!).
Ma tu sei giapponese abituato alla frenesia della festa di Obon, sicuramente non troverai troppe differenze...

l        Summer holidays in August
 
You've been living in Italy for too long when you know that your summer vacation will be in August, just like everyone else in the country. You will find yourself stuck in traffic for hours on the highway headed to some little sea town with its “private” yet overly crowded beaches. If you live in Torino or Milan you will probably go somewhere in the Liguria region. The 15th of August is probably the most popular day among Italians and is celebrated in different ways all over Italy. (Swimming in the sea at midnight is a must-do!) But if you’re Japanese and accustomed to the vacation frenzy during Obon, you will probably find the Italian experience quite familiar.


l        Saltare la coda

Sai di essere da troppo tempo in Italia quando per fare la coda cerchi di inserirti dal mezzo (e non compostamente da dove inizia la coda) mentre ti guardi attorno con nonchalance oppure sgomitando senza rispetto per la persona davanti a te cercando di avanzare il piu possibile. E se qualcuno dice qualcosa? Rispondi con: “Ah, mi scusi! Non sapevo fosse una coda!” e ovviamente mantieni bellamente la tua posizione.

l        Skipping line

You know you've been living in Italy for too long when, if you need to line up, you try your best to enter from the middle of the line rather than join it at the end. You either look around with a relaxed attitude or elbow your way disrespectfully through people to get as close to the front of the line as you can. What if someone says something? “Oh, sorry! I had no idea there was a line!” And of course you proudly keep your position.

l      Parlare con le mani

Sai di essere da troppo tempo in Italia quando finalmente riesci ad apprendere la Grande Arte Della Comunicazione Delle Mani che diventa di grande aiuto per esprimerti senza bisogno di usare le parole.

l        Talking with your hands

Finally, you know you've been living in Italy for too long when you master the fine art of Hand Communication which will greatly help you express yourself without the need for using words.

Fare spallucce：to shrug：肩をすくめる
Faccia da pesce lesso：a gloomy expression：暗い表情
Prendere la patente：to take the driver’s license test：運転免許を取る
Fare la coda/fila：line up：列に並ぶこと
Con nonchalance：with a relaxed attitude：ぼんやりしていると
Sgomitare：to elbow one’s way：ひじで押し分ける


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