英語教室のTomokoさんによるエッセイです。前回の香港に続く第二弾は、ポルトガル旅行についてのお話 “I miss you, Mr P Part.1” です。突然旅立つことになった経緯から、はじめて足を踏み入れたポルトガルの地で感じたことなど、彼女の視点から切り取られたポルトガルの風景を楽しんでいただけます。
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I miss you, Mr. P Part. 1
I still cannot get over it even though it’s been nearly five months. Every time I think about it, I just can’t help but smile. I feel excitement and butterflies in my heart. I keep scrolling through my photo album because I need to go back to the time when I truly felt happiness. Those sweet memories have been stuck in me ever since.
You may be wondering if I am talking about the perfect romantic date. Yes, it was indeed perfect and romantic, but this is all about my solo trip to Portugal. I don’t remember exactly when it was but I had been dreaming about going to Portugal for years since I saw the beautiful image on a random Instagram feed (I know it is cliche). I thought it was not going to happen soon since I had to save enough money and take a long holiday. I had too many excuses not to go. However, the opportunity came up to me suddenly. Before the trip, I had been struggling in my toxic workplace for a long time. Again, I had too many excuses not to quit because I had no idea what to do next, and I hoped maybe someday everything magically would turn around. But things never changed and even got worse. So, one day I said to myself “Okay, that’s it”, and walked away. It felt so good and liberating to follow my gut without thinking logically. And it seems I stopped thinking logically since then, I found myself booking a flight ticket to Lisbon just two weeks later. It had been almost a decade since I traveled to Europe. It was the Netherlands in 2015. And this time I finally got to travel to my dream country. I was so excited. I even enjoyed my 18-hour long flight. Without any unexpected dramas on the plane or at the airport, I safely stepped on the land of Lisbon.
People react the same every time I tell them that I went to Portugal. They all ask “What’s there?”. I always find myself wondering how to answer. Because it is Portugal. It has its own character, I don’t have to explain that to you! You wouldn’t ask the same questions about Italy or Spain, would you? Instead of being rude, I calmly answer to them, “Well, the view is amazing”.
This is absolutely true. The moment I truly realized that I had arrived in Lisbon was when I finally saw “the view”. After a long walk of many stairs, which was literally like hiking, the famous view suddenly showed up in front of me. Blue sky, shining sunlight and little cute houses with terracotta roofs. Though I had seen those in pictures and videos on Instagram enough, the pure joy of seeing them in person was nothing like that. I wanted to scream “Yes, I finally made it here! ”
What I fell in love with Lisbon was its imperfection. On the sidewalks and stairs, you need to look down frequently otherwise you stumble upon little bumps or crooked bricks. On the walls, it was difficult to find spotless spaces because most of them are filled with graffiti. Everything was not perfectly clean or neat. But I loved that. It felt as though those streets and walls were telling you their unique stories, and I enjoyed every single moment of walking and hearing them.
After coming back from the epic trip, what I miss the most is simple and ordinary things like that. Every morning I went to a local cafe for breakfast. I enjoyed people-watching, while having coffee and amazing pastries. There were always elderly people who seemed to come regularly. They must have their favorite seats and orders. The server talked and patted them on their shoulders friendly. Sometimes other regulars would join in and start gossiping. Though they must have lived in the neighborhood, most of them dressed up very elegantly wearing jackets or cardigans, with accessories. As I was admiring them, I imagined myself getting old and joining their gossip. Hmm, that wouldn’t be bad at all.
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Tomoko Nishita
英語教室生徒歴10年。編集者、広告代理店勤務を経て、現在は京都でのんびり生活をエンジョイ中。趣味はアメリカンゴシップパトロールと旅と食。
Tomoko Nishita has been a student at the English School for 10 years. After working as an editor and at an advertising agency, she is now enjoying a laid-back lifestyle in Kyoto. Her hobbies include American gossip patrol, travelling, and enjoying food.