私の子供頃の夢は、魚屋さんだった。魚屋さんが自転車で、魚を持ってきて、もし頼んだら、魚をさばいてくれる。その鋭い包丁で魚をさばく姿がすごく素敵だった。でもこの私の夢は一回も皆の前で発表することがなかった。なぜかというと、スリランカの小学生のクラスで子どもたちに自分の夢を聞いてみたら、クラスの半分が医者になりたい。後の半分がエンジネアになりたいと答える。その二つの職業が一番偉いということが常識からだ。学校の先生、看護婦、公務員、警察官と答えても、大丈夫だけどまさか、魚屋さんになりたいといったら皆に笑われる。その教育システム、その社会から見ても魚屋さんが立派な職業だと誰も思ってないわけだ。

　 6 年生の子供にこんな難しいこと分かるわけもないし、私のこどもの頃の夢は魚屋さんだと説明した。今でも、魚屋さんが立派な職業だと私はしんじている。それから、「おしん」というテレビドラマをみて、日本に行ってみたいと思ったこととか、皆が進学にアメリカ、イギリスを選ぶ中で自分が日本に行きたいと決めた理由とか、日本にきて、

　“八百屋いって、「この人間三つ下さいといった話とか」、バスに乗って、道を間違えて、私をここで殺してくださいといった、話とかして、困ったこと、つらいこと沢山あっても、なぜ日本を離れなかったという話とかしたものの、子供たち、皆すごく難しい顔をしていた。この前皆が五年生のとき、スリランカについて話したとき、伸び伸びと手を上げていた子供たちがそんなに積極的ではなかった。夢って皆、重く感じているのかと思った。

　授業を終え、校長室で校長先生にこの話をしたら、こんな答えが出ました。

私たちの子供の頃は三食食べられたら幸せになる時代だったよう。皆生きていくために一所懸命だったよ。

　「今の子供には足りないものがない。親が全部買ってくれる。修学旅行だって、学校の負担で連れていく。教育も競争がないように、ないようにとしていく。このまま生きていけば何とかなると、子供のころから思っているかもしれない。」

　先生の話を証明するようなニュースがテレビで放送した。日米中韓の高校生を中心に行われた調査によると「偉くなりたくないと思っている割合は他国の三分の一の程度の８％」という数字がでた。私が思うには、スリランカみたいな発展途上国で調べられたらこの数字の差がもっと広がると思う。

　その理由として、学生が述べたのは、偉くなると責任が重くなる。自分の時間を取れなくようになる。今の日本をみたら、納得の行く理由である。自分が起きる前に仕事に行って寝たあと帰ってくるお父さんを見たら、偉くならなくて良いわと思う子供を増えてもおかしくない。

　その話を聞いて、私が疑問に思ったのは、『偉くなるという』ことは、どんなことなのかということ。私が先ほど言った、スリランカの例で説明すると、医者やエンジニアになるということは、エリートになること、お金持ちになること。責任も多い。自分の時間も取れない。この調査がいう“偉い人”というのはそんなものでしょうか。

　私が思う偉くなるということは、“周りの人に尊敬されるようになれること。そのためには、医者になることも魚屋さんになることも一緒。大事なことは、どんな医者さん、どんな魚屋さんということ。

　私は子供たちと夢についてはなして、自分の夢ももう一度考えるようになった。夢をもち続けることの大切さ。夢を達成して偉くなるということがどんなことなの、考えるようになった。

　授業を終わるとき、海外に行ってみたい、世界の沢山の人に会ってみたいと子供も何人か出てきた。他の国から自分の国の見たとき、見えてくるものも沢山ある。世界で経験したものを島に持ってきたいと思っている子供を育てばそれは島にとって宝ものだと思う。

　I got a phone call from the grade 6' sensei 、 saying,

　Sameera San, can you talk about the dream for our students?

　Oh…ok. But truly speaking I'm in doubt, weather to accept it or not. Because it's a hard job, I was in doubt whether children can understand it.

　When I was a primary school student my dream was to be a fishmonger. Then I watched the Japanese tele-drama “Oshin” and start dreaming of Japan. Then after graduating high school I applied to university in Japan rather than England or America, where the many students want to do their higher studies. Then when I got use to Japan I want to work in Japan. So it's a continuation of a dream and it didn't finish yet. So that's what I said, it may be hard to small children.

　As I said, I wanted to be a fishmonger, when I was a child. Fishmonger came to my house every day by bicycle and he got a big sharp knife. Then he gently cut the fish in to pieces. I was loved to see this scene

　But I never dare enough to present my dream in front of people. Because in Sri Lanka, if you ask primary students “what do you want be in future?” half of the class will say that I want to be a doctor and the other half will say that I want to be an engineer. There are few others, like a policeman a nurse or a teacher, but my dream “Fishmonger” is out of topic. That's the education system, so that's the society's attitude towards the employment. So even the elders do not think that, fishmonger is a great job.

　So I knew that, the grade 6 children can not understand this and I simply said that I wanted to be a fishmonger. Then I explained how, I came to know about japan, how Tele-drama “Oshin” impacts me and why I dreamed of Japan.

　Then I talked about the all the difficulties when I faced in Japan and how hard it was to settle in Japan and How I faced to the culture shock and homesick.

　But all the children were in complex moods and there were only few to answer for the questioned I asked. I was shocked. Was it too difficult for them? Or are they afraid of dreams. So I asked them, why don't you guys talk, are u forget to bring your mouth to school.

　After I finished the lesson, I had a chance to talk with the principle. So he asked me “Sameera san how was the class.” So I explained him.

　They were very active when I was talking about the Sri Lanka last time. But to today they were so different, may be they didn't understand my talk.

　Then Kocho Sensei said, it's not that Sameera San. It's entirely our fault.

　I asked why?

　When I was a child, it's just after the Second World War. We didn't have enough to eat. We are happy if you can have all the three meals for day. People were tried hard to be alive. Parents tried hard to feed their children.

　But today circumstances are different. Children will get what they want so easily.   Parents satisfied necessities at their best. School provides the best service to them. The education system is not base on the competitiveness. We always teach them to be similar. So they might think that they will be well off in the future. No need of thinking about dreams or no need to study so hard.

　After few days I watched certain TV program, according to the survey which was done in U.S, China, Korea and Japan only 8% of the Japanese high school students said that they want to be great in the future. It's just a one third of China. If this survey was done in third world country like Sri Lanka, I think many of the students will say that they want to be great in the future.

　The reasons Japanese students gave for not to being great in the future, are factor of responsibility and factor of Time. They said they do not want to bear responsibilities and they do not want to lose their private time.

　I do not think that they are wrong, because they have never seen their fathers in working days. Father leaves the home before them walkup and coming home after they slept. May be he works in Saturdays and he wants to do golf with his office friends on Sunday.

　If you saw this for your whole life it's a normal thing that you think I do not want to be like my dad. I do not want to bear responsibilities.

　After taking with the kids and after watching that T.V program I tried to rethink about dream and the meaning of being great. For me “being great” is to become respected by the society. So it's not what your occupation is, its all about how you are doing your job. Becoming a doctor or becoming a fishmonger is not the matter. The important thing is what kind of doctor you want to be or what kind of fishmonger you want to be.

　After talking about the dream, it was a chance for me to rethink about my dream. The importance of keep continuing of dreaming, meaning of achieving a dream and why we have to achieve dreams and what will happen after achieving a dream.

　After finishing the class, there were few students who said that they want to go abroad and study abroad. It's an important thing, because there are many things you can see, when you see your country or your village from outside. If those students bring something new something valuable from outside, it will be a priceless present for the island.