[Jp] 先週、卒業式でした。私は学部の代表者として、講堂の壇上に上がって学長から卒業証書を受け取ったの。袴の裾を踏んで転ばないかドキドキしちゃった。晴れの舞台にあたって桜柄の赤いお着物と深緑の袴という古典的な組み合わせにして、頭は新日本髪にしてもらったんだ。時代遅れなのではと両親は多少心配していたけど、結果にはとても満足してる。日本庭園をお散歩していたら、外国人の観光客の一行が近寄って来て一人ずつ順番に私と一緒に写真を撮り始めたので、おかしかったよ。ディズニーランドの着ぐるみみたいな不思議な気分だった。ところで、アメリカ人は卒業式をコメンスメントと呼ぶらしい。終わりではなく始まりって、素敵だよね。
[En] The graduation ceremony took place at my university last week. I was honored to be selected as a faculty representative to receive the diploma on the stage. For this big day I chose a red kimono with cherry blossom motif and a deep green hakama (skirt). It's not easy to put on these clothes as there is certain way to wear them, which has to be respected. Two ladies helped me get dressed. I chose a hairstyle as traditional as the design of my kimono (it's not a wig!). My parents were worried a little bit because this kind of hairstyle is not popular among young people today (in general they prefer a modern hairstyle), but at the end they were persuaded that it looked somehow good on me. While I was taking a walk through the Japanese garden, a bunch of tourists from unknown country approached me and started to take pictures with me one by one. It was funny, I felt as if I were that Mickey-Mouse-suited person at Disney Land. By the way I like the way the Americans call the graduation ceremony : Commencement. It's not the end but it's a beginning of another journey. Sounds so beautiful!
