英会話クラスEECCに新風を吹かせた青年 A young man who blew a fresh and influential wind in the EECC

最後のクラスでの記念撮影
A souvenir group photo of EECC afternoon class

３月２１日から、毎週金曜日の午後の英会話クラスに参加して貴重な話やコメントを沢山してくれたジョニーが今日を最後に去ることになった。ICYE〈International Culture Youth Exchange)を通して、約一年間、母国を離れて、異文化に触れ、さまざまな経験を積むためにデンマークから日本にやってきて、昨年９月から日光でホームステイをしていた青年である。これから数か月山口県の田舎でボランティア活動をして、８月にはデンマークに戻って大学に進学する段取りとのこと。彼の将来を見据えた人間形成に対する情熱には圧倒され、感心の連続であった。第３１回日光清風塾塾長講話会にも顔を出し、日本語も聞く方には７割方理解できるそうで熱心に話を聴き、最後には彼の経験を基に彼の教育論をプレゼンしてくれた逸材である。（このことは４月２３日のこのブログにも記載している）。
デンマークに帰国する前にもう一度日光に寄るとのことで、その時、又この英会話のクラスに顔を出すことを約束して去って行った。彼のように将来に向かって夢と希望をしっかり持った若者が世界にはどれほどいるだろうか。彼の将来が楽しみである。

A young man from Denmark is leaving soon for Yamaguchi to join some volunteer work. He has been in Nikko as a volunteer worker for 8 months to learn different culture and people away from his own country. After finishing senior high education, he decided to study more about international view point first before going up to university level. He came to Japan through a network of NPO, ICYE(International Culture Youth Exchange) and stayed in Nikko up until today. Now he is leaving soon for his next place to have another experience before going back to Denmark. His strong philosophy or belief for ideal education has been established through his short career of 21 years based on his own experience influenced by hard training of Tekondo instructed by his strong-minded father since his childhood. He was trained both mentally and physically. On top of that he must have been born smart by nature. He thinks a lot and he is destined to explore his own way and he knows what he should do and what he wants to do in his future. The other day when my husband, the head of Nikko Seifu Juku, had a monthly lecture-talk, Johnny showed up and listened to him carefully and he told me that he understood 70% of his talk. Then when he was asked to give a short speech, he made an improvised speech on human education for 15 minutes, which was superb. Of course it was done in English, but he did it in a persuasive way with lots of body language so that even those who didn't understand his English, were very impressed. (Refer to my description dated on April 23 in this blog.) After finishing his work as a volunteer in Yamaguchi, he is to go back home and enter the most prestigious university in Denmark He is to drop in Nikko on the way back from Yamaguch, therefore he could see us one more time. I wonder how many young people like him with such strong will and decisive plan for the future exist in the world. I'm looking forward to his future.