我が家の幸せな世界旅行

あるところで幸せな世界旅行と題するテーマで発表会がありました。自分の担当をユーモアをまじえて作成しました。わたしの発表を投稿します。英語です。大学生の読者の皆さんはがんばって読んでみてください。

Happy traveling
Beauty and Dirty
 
A beauty of Canada, Hawaii, and Europe was contaminated by motion sickness
 

I met my wife 36 years ago in Tokyo. She said she was a traveling club member in a small college. I thought that she liked to go traveling. I took her and my son almost everywhere I traveled to for more than 30 years. To the listeners, I promise that this is poetic.
 
A long time ago, our journey began in the beauty of Canada back in 1992 or 30 years ago. Having a map and a lot of optimism, my wife and I embarked on a road trip along the majestic Icefield Parkway, a stretch of highway in three indescribably beautiful hours from Calgary to Jasper. With visions of Banff and Lake Louise dancing in our heads, we set off, fueled by the beautiful tunes of Takako Okamura (the soundtrack of choice for our adventurous vacation).
 
Alas, our excitement was soon contaminated as my poor wife fell to a victim to the curse of motion sickness. As we went through the picturesque Canadian Rockies, she turned as pale as the snow-capped peaks outside our window, walking off the rent-a-car and clinging desperately to the trees nearby. I couldn't help but chuckle as even travelers from Switzerland, renowned for their love of mountain, would have been impressed by her act. She threw up everything. I felt sorry for her.
 
Fast forward a few years, and we found ourselves vacationing in the sun-kissed shores of Hawaii, a tropical paradise that we frequently went to like home-coming birds. Our itinerary was a well-rehearsed dance between Tokyo and Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii, with a special detour to the fabulous Morokini Island, said to be the crown jewel of the Hawaii. It was supposed to be the most beautiful ocean in the world. Indeed, it was.
 
As we set sail on a brisk morning cruise, my wife's excitement bubbled over like a volcano ready to erupt. Alas, her enthusiasm was short-lived as the gentle up and down and swinging of the boat turned her stomach faster than ever. She threw up everything from the boat. Soon, I found myself surrounded by an audience of aquatic admirers as colorful Morokini fish gathering around near the boat, drawn to the source of my wife's unfortunate contribution to the ocean's buffet.
 
With a mix of awe and amusement, I watched as she became the polluter of the ocean, her breakfast offerings eagerly re-eaten by our fishy friends. Inadvertently, she had become a one-woman pollution machine, much to our marine companions and my suppressed laughter. My son watched her and deeply felt sorry for her.
 
But the adventures didn't stop there. Fast forward to 2010, and we found ourselves traveling through the romantic landscapes of Europe, from the fairytale castles of Germany to the snow-capped peaks of the Swiss Alps and the charming streets of France. Our journey was an impressive tour, with each day bringing new sights and experiences. It was supposed to be the most beautiful scenery in the world. It was indeed.
 
Yet, despite the breathtaking scenery and romantic roads, my wife's stomach remained upset in its mission to revolt against our travel plans. Whether we were winding through the hills of Heidelberg or marveling at the majesty of the Swiss Alps from the comfort of a tour bus, her motion sickness persisted, much to the disappointment of our fellow passengers and the local paper bag industry. She kept throwing up into the paper bags on the bus and off the bus. She threw up everything.
 
And so, dear listener, our travels may have been impressed by a symphony of stomach-twisting moments, but through it all, we laughed, we cried (mostly from laughter-induced tears), and we made memories that would last a lifetime. In the end, isn't that what travel is all about? The unexpected twists and turns, the mishaps and misadventures, and the shared experiences bring us closer together to this day with one huge vomiting at a time.
 
Was my wife really a member of travel club in her college? It is true. But she should have overcome her motion sickness before she met me. It was a good lesson learned in traveling.

いかがでしたでしょうか。参考になりますように。