[一通のメール]
Johnさんからの依頼を受けたのは、ミャンマーに入る直前、バンコクにいたときだった。
Benに届いたメールの内容は、こうだった。
“大学生の頃、オーストラリアで一緒にシェアハウスに住んでいたミャンマー人の旧友に写真を渡してほしい。”
彼がミャンマーに帰ってからも何年かは手紙のやり取りをしていたが、１３年前に途絶えてしまったとのことだった。

さっそく受けとった写真のデータをプリントしたものの、本当に会いに行けるかどうか、不安だった。
翌日、ミャンマーのヤンゴンに到着。
住所もわかっていて、写真も用意してある。しかし、突然訪ねるのもどうかといろいろ考えはじめてしまった。
１３年の間に家を移っているかもしれない、さらに、今はちょうど旧正月。どこかに出かけているかもしれない。
２人で考えた答えは・・・
渡された住所に手紙を送る。

手紙の内容はこうだった。
“私の名前はBenです、Johnさんの友達です。JohnさんがNyoさんと昔オーストラリアでシェアハウスに住んでいたとききました。そしてこの写真をできれば渡してくださいと頼まれました。これからマンダレーに行って２７日にヤンゴンに戻り、オーシャンパールインというホテルに泊まるので、よかったら会いましょう。”
オーシャンパールインの住所と電話番号、Benのメールアドレスを添えた。
マンダレーの郵便局から、無事Nyoさんのもとへ届くようにお祈りし、投函した。

[An Unexpected Request]
On the evening before we left Bangkok for Myanmar, I suddenly received an email from John. It basically read that when he was studying in Australia he shared a flat with a man called Nyo from Myanmar. When he returned home they stayed in touch by mail but over the years lost contact. The last letter John received was in 1997. He wanted us to pass on some recent photos if we were able to. We quickly found a photo shop and had them printed out. At 3 o’clock the next morning we woke up to begin our journey to Myanmar. We weren’t entirely sure if it was a task we could accomplish. 13 years was a long time to be out of contact, how could we know if Nyo still lived at the address we had been given? Furthermore we had arrived during the Chinese Lunar New Year which meant a lot of people were visiting relatives. We also weren’t sure how Nyo would react to two strangers he had never seen suddenly appearing at his door. Plagued with uncertainties, we decided to send a letter to Nyo with the photos enclosed. The letter read “My name is Ben. I’m a friend of John. He mentioned to me that you used to share a flat while studying at university in Australia. He wanted me to give you these photos. My girlfriend and I are currently traveling around Myanmar, and will be in Yangon on the 27th of February. If you would like to meet for some tea, please leave a message at the Ocean Pearl Inn.” I also included the hotel phone number, address and my email address. Fingers crossed the letter would arrive and find Nyo, we sent it from the main post office in Mandalay.

[Nyoさんからの伝言]
ヤンゴンに戻ってきたわたしたちに、メッセージが残されていた。
Nyoさんからだった。
“戻ってきたら、ここに連絡してください。０９◯◯◯◯◯◯”
すごい！！手紙、届いたんだ。そして、連絡くれたんだ！
夜中の静まり返ったホテルのフロント前だったので遠慮したが、叫びたい気分だった。
部屋で休み朝食をとったあと、近くのインターネット屋に電話をしにいった。

Benが電話をかけるとすぐに、Nyoさんが出た。
とても喜ばれている様子だった。
早速夕方６時、Nyoさんのお宅に会いに行くことになった。
Nyoさんは、心配して何度も何度も確認してくれた。郵便局の前で◯◯寺の横の黒い木の家、タクシーで３０００か３５００チャットで来れる、それ以上は払わないようにと親切に教えてくださった。

夕方５時半、ホテルのマネージャーさんにNyoさんの名前や住所、目印を訳してもらい、ホテルを出た。
マネージャーさんは親切にタクシーをひろってくれ、ドライバーにしっかりと内容を伝え、料金の確認もしてくれた。
このホテルはいつもわたしたちを大事にしてくれる。

タクシーの車内で、Benがひとこと。
“なんか、緊張するなぁ〜”
JohnさんとNyoさん２人の想いを預かり、わたしたちはいま、連絡の途絶えたJohnさんの旧友に会いにいく。
窓の外を見ると、夕日が真っ赤に輝いていた。
わたしたちの背中を押してくれているように思えた。

[A message awaits]
Upon returning to Yangon a couple of weeks later, we found a message waiting for us at the Ocean Pearl Inn. Nyo had phoned them and left his phone number, asking us to call. We were overjoyed to know that the letter had arrived and he wanted to meet us. Having arrived at 4 in the morning, we were exhausted so we first had a quick nap before going to a nearby internet cafe to try and call him. He quickly answered and we agreed to meet the same day at six o’clock at his home for dinner. He carefully detailed how to get to his home and told us we should only pay between 3000 and 3500 kyat for a taxi to get there. He repeated his instructions several times to make sure we understood and I jotted them down on a piece of paper. At around five thirty we went down to the hotel reception to have the manager translate the address and instructions into Burmese. He kindly did so and also flagged down a taxi for us, explaining how to get there to the driver. We boarded the taxi and headed for Nyo’s house. I began to feel nervous as we wound our way through Yangon. We felt a sense of responsibility to reconnect Nyo with John after all these years but with little knowledge of the person we were going to meet, we had no idea how it would turn out. The shadows were lengthening as the sun gradually dipped towards the horizon behind us. The brilliant orange ball seemed to be encouraging us toward our destination.

[念願の対面]
タクシーの運転手が、ちゃんと送り届けてくれた。
黒い木のお宅。ここだ！
すぐにNyoさんが出てきてくれた。
“はじめまして、Benです。はじめまして、Yoshiです。”
シャツにロンヂーを巻き、スラッとした、イケメンのおじちゃんだった。

今回、ドキュメンタリー担当を命じられていたYoshiは、写真と、ビデオをまわした。
中へどうぞと案内された。おじゃましま〜す（°∇°＊）
木造の日本家屋を思わせるような雰囲気がとても心地よかった。
この家は、ミャンマーの伝統的な木造家屋ですよと説明してくださった。へぇ〜♪
茶箪笥の上に、マンダレーから送ったJohnさんの写真が大事に飾られていた！

リビングの椅子に腰をかけると、ビールとおやつを用意してくださった。
３人で乾杯をした。
まずはわたしたちのミャンマーの旅の話からはじまり、Nyoさんの家族の話、Nyoさんがミャンマーに帰ってからの話、Johnさんとの思い出話など、いろんなことを話した。
大学を退職されてからはお孫さんと家のことがメインになっている！とおっしゃるNyoさんは、とても幸せそうだった。
しかし、国が良くなることも願い続けていて、いつも気にかけている。彼の尊敬する人のエピソードもいくつか話してくれた。

[Introducing Nyo]
After a while the taxi entered a more residential area and soon stopped in front of a wooden house. We had arrived. As we alighted from the taxi and paid our fare, someone emerged from the home and came forward to greet us. The man was wearing a traditional Burmese longyi and a shirt. He was lean and had short cropped grey hair. I introduced Yoshi and myself and with a broad smile he ushered us inside. I went in first, Yoshi trailing behind with the video camera. Her job for the evening was to document the meeting to show John once we returned to Tokyo. Nyo’s home was a traditional Burmese one, slightly raised, entirely made of dark wood and simply furnished inside. In the living room we quickly noticed that the photos we had sent from Mandalay were displayed on the dresser. On the table some snacks and drinks had been laid out in preparation for us. We all had a seat and Nyo first asked us about our trip so far in Myanmar. We described the places we had visited and related some of our experiences. From there our conversation moved to his history with John and the time he spent in Australia and also what he had been doing since returning to Myanmar. He explained to us that he had retired from his teaching position at Rangoon University and now his top priority was his family. Nyo was now 65, but he told us that the birth of his one year old grandson had made him feel young again! He told us he was very happy with his life at the moment, but his expression darkened as we came to discuss the broader situation. He spoke at great length and with great energy about the person he admired the most and related many stories to us.

[生き続けていた想いで]
食事の用意ができたのでこちらへどうぞとダイニングへ案内してくれた。
Maraさんという娘のような、奥さんの親友でもあるような、身の回りの手伝いをしてくれている方が用意してくださった。
肉と野菜の炒め物や、スープ、ご飯など、とても美味しそうだった。
“これはチキンですか？”と聞くと、チキンは今食べていないとNyoさんはおっしゃった。
理由は、実は最近、ミャンマーでも鳥インフルエンザがでてきているからとのことだった。

いま、Nyoさんの奥さんと息子さん家族はネピドという新しい首都に住んでいる。どのくらいの頻度で会っているのか気になって聞いてみた。
１ヶ月に１度は会っているとのことで安心した。お孫さんはもうすぐ１歳になるとのこと。息子さんは１９８０年生まれと聞いて驚いた。うちのnaoさんと一緒ではないですか。それを話すと、Nyoさんは嬉しそうに笑っていた。
前回ご家族に会ったのは旧正月だったそうだ。今回、実は家族に会いに行く予定を延ばしていてくれていたそうだ。ヤンゴンに戻るのが２日遅れてしまい、結果的にNyoさんに４度も電話をさせてしまうことになってしまった。申し訳ない気分だった。“しかし、いまこうやって会っている！”とおっしゃってくれた。
身体の調子をたずねると、いたって健康！！今、Nyoさんは６５歳、お孫さんができて若返ったとおっしゃっていた。

Johnさんとの想い出話になった。
大学にいた頃Johnさんは、１人でいたNyoさんに優しく接してくれたそうだ。
一緒に、“Cooking, cooking, cooking. Eating, eating, eating. Talking, talking, talking. Walking, walking, walking. Photo, photo, photo.” いろんなことをしたというNyoさんの顔はとても輝いていた。
Johnさんの写真を見て彼は、“すごくオージーになった！”と感心していた。

実は２年前、Johnさんよりは短かったけど、親しくされていたモトさんという日本人の友達も、Nyoさんを訪ねにこられたそうだ。
昔仲良くしていた友達のメッセンジャーが２度も来てくれて、人生完璧だ！とNyoさんはおっしゃた。
するとNyoさんは真剣な顔つきで、わたしたちの目をしっかりと見ていった。
“いま、あなたたちの目と、心を通して、Johnに逢えた。ありがとう。”
Nyoさんの強い気持ちが心に届き、こらえきれず涙があふれてきた。
いろんな気持ちが一気に心を巡り、涙がとまらなかった。

[Reminiscing]
After a while Nyo told us dinner was ready and motioned for us to follow him into another room. A dining table had been laid out with several dishes and he introduced us to a young girl who was setting the table. Her name was ‘Mara’, meaning ‘beautiful flower’. He told us she was like a daughter to him, a best friend to his wife and an invaluable helping hand to them both. She couldn’t speak any English and shyly smiled at us before slipping into another room. We sat down to eat and Nyo explained to us that all the meat was pork. It seems avian influenza has also spread to Myanmar and he said he didn’t want to take any chances, especially with guests!

He apologized to us saying that most of the food had been ordered as his wife was not at home. He said he wished we could have been able to eat his wife’s cooking which was much more delicious. He went on to explain that his wife and his son both worked in the government and were moved to the new capitol in 2008 when it was built halfway between Yangon and Mandalay. He was upset that they couldn’t live together but he went to visit them, or they him, once a month so it wasn’t too bad. His son was born in 1980 and had a baby boy who would turn 1 next month. Coincidentally Yoshi’s brother was also born in 1980 and has a baby boy who will turn 1 this month! Upon relating this to Nyo he laughed out loud and looked immensely pleased. Nyo told us that he was planning to visit his family just when he received the letter. We had arrived in Yangon a few days late and he said he had called the hotel several times, worried that he had missed his chance to meet us. We apologised for having made him worry and also for delaying his trip to visit his family, but he brushed it off and said that none of that mattered since we had been able to meet.

Yoshi and I ate heartily since the food was better than most of what we had been eating recently, however Nyo was talking non-stop and barely touched his food. He told us in great length and with great enthusiasm about his time in Australia with John. He told us how John was one of the kindest people he had ever met, befriending Nyo when he was alone in Australia. They spent many days together in Nyo’s words: “Cooking, cooking, cooking. Eating, eating, eating. Talking, talking, talking. Walking, walking, walking. Photo, photo, photo.” He also said that he was particularly touched when John came to the airport to see him off, John could have just said goodbye at home, but made the trip out to the airport to send Nyo off properly. He mentioned that a Japanese man called “Moto” also came to see him off at the airport. He had known Moto a shorter time than John but was still in contact after all these years. In fact, two years ago, Moto’s friend had come to Myanmar as part of an NGO team to do research and had dropped by Nyo’s house. At that point to looked directly at us with tears in his eyes and said:
“2 years ago Moto’s friend came to see me, and now you have both come and I can see John though your eyes and your souls. Thank you. If my god and John’s god are willing, I will be able to meet him again, but with you coming here today my life is complete.”
His words brought a jumble of emotions tumbling down on us and Yoshi’s eyes filled with tears. I had to do my best to hold back my own; I thought it would be of no use if all three of us started crying at the table.

[一通の手紙]
デザートを用意したのでリビングに戻ろうといわれ、あわてて残りのご飯をかけ込み移動した。
用意してくださったのは、フルーツと、ミャンマー伝統の食後のおかし。
発酵させた茶葉に乾燥した豆やニンニクチップをつけて混ぜて食べる。お腹いっぱいだったけど、とても美味しかった。
これは親しい友達に出すものだといわれて、また涙が出そうになった。

最後に、Johnさんに向けビデオレターを撮らせていただいた。
Nyoさんはこころよくコメントしてくれた。
大学教授をしてただけあって、すらすら言葉が出てくる。
しかしJohnさんへの手紙を取り出し、話そうとすると、彼は言葉をつまらせた・・・

無事にメッセージを預かり、まだまだ長く居たかったけど、おいとまする時間になった。
“時間は待ってくれないから”とNyoさんはいった。
Johnさんへの手紙も預かり、家をあとにした。
Nyoさんが一緒に大通りまで出てタクシーをつかまえてくれた。
何度も何度も運転手に行き先を確認しているようだった。

握手をして、お礼を言ってさようならをした。
“バイバ〜イ！Nyoさ〜ん”
真っ暗なタクシーの中で、わたしたちは、胸がいっぱいだった。

電話やインターネットで人と人とが簡単につながっていられるこの世の中で、さまざまな理由から簡単に出来なくなってしまった旧友たち。
わたしにはそんな関係の知り合いはいないし、友達とはいつでも連絡が取れる。会うこともできる。
自分ではできないこんな素晴らしい経験をさせていただいた、NyoさんとJohnさんに心から感謝したい。
【 あなたに逢いたい 】、リアルバージョン！
Nyoさんと会って２日経った今でも、彼の目と言葉を思い出すと涙がでてきてしまう。

涙の理由を考えてみた。
この人間の奇跡と偶然とすばらしい出会いとつながりに、国の情勢が絡んで感動を生んだ。
いろんなことが重なって、気持ちがあふれてしまったようだ。

Nyoさんにはもちろん思うことや願いが尽きないようだけど、お孫さんももうけ、幸せそうに暮らしているのがわかった。預かった写真も渡すことができて本当に良かった。
今回の貴重な体験は、一生忘れない。
γosнι❤

[A sad farewell]
All of a sudden, Nyo announced it was time for desert. We quickly wolfed down the food we had left on our plates and followed him back to the living room. The table had been laid out with fruit and a traditional serving plate with pickles, fried garlic chips, dried prawns and beans. He told us that it was a traditional Burmese dessert served to honored guests. We were bursting from dinner but tried it. It was surprisingly delicious despite being a much saltier dessert than we were used to. After some more conversation and far too soon, Nyo said that he would love for us to stay longer, but as it was getting late and ‘time doesn’t wait’, perhaps we should go out to look for a taxi. We asked him to leave a message on our video camera that we could show John. He happily obliged and poured his heart out on camera, his voice overcome with emotion. Yoshi and I had trouble holding back our own emotions as we watched on. He had also prepared a written letter for us to take to John and we carefully stowed it away. We walked to the main road together and he hailed a taxi for us, explaining to the taxi driver where to go and although we couldn’t understand, it sounded like he was sternly instructing the driver to take good care of us! As the taxi pulled away we called out our goodbyes to Nyo and waved from the back window until long after he had been swallowed up by the darkening night. Yoshi and I were both full of emotions as we headed back to the hotel and said little to each other. Once back at the hotel and having had time to process, we talked about all that had happened that evening.

In an age where communication is instantaneous across vast distances, we can contact our friends anytime and hop on a car, bus or plane to visit them when we like. We feel immensely grateful for being able to experience the feelings and emotions born from the relationship between Nyo and John in Australia, and their long period without contact. It’s hard to describe in words, but most certainly was an evening we will never forget. It reminds us of a show in Japan, ‘I want to see you again’ where the host goes to search for a long lost friend of a viewer to deliver a message. I often wondered why the host became so emotional when they met with the ‘long lost friend’, after all that person wasn’t a friend of theirs, they had no history together so were in a way emotionally unconnected. Visiting Nyo I understood that friendships forged in an age where staying in touch wasn’t so easy and convenient are perhaps much deeper than the ones we have now. The strength of that connection, seeing the joy of someone hearing from a friend thought lost, feeling their appreciation for the person who carried the message so far, all combine to overwhelm you in what I can only inadequately describe as the ‘humanness’ of the situation. The fact that we are not alone, that we cannot exist alone and that the relationships we forge can last and stay full of meaning regardless of time and distance. It was a huge lesson for me personally, since I had always thought that relationships were never made to last, that they were all transient connections made and lost as you moved through life. I was proven very wrong, and am very glad for it.

Ben.

John… a long time ago…

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 7th, 2010 at 11:45 pm and is filed under Myanmar. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.