『アイリのかいがいりょこう』 子供のためのオーディオブック
英語で読める “Aili’s International Vacation” の絵本
Aili and Yuna went to the passport office right after breakfast, and they applied for Aili’s passport. The man at the desk said, “It will take about three weeks for your passport to be ready. We’ll mail it to your house.” Yuna said, “Thank you.” Then, the man asked Aili, “Where are you going to go?” Aili smiled broadly, and she said, “I’m going to Korea and Germany. I’m going to see my grandparents there!” The man said, “It sounds like you’re going to have a nice vacation! Have fun!” Aili said, “Thanks. Have a nice day!” Then, Aili and Yuna went home.
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Aili did not know what to say. She had never traveled outside the United States before, and now she was getting ready to visit two countries. She was really happy! She asked, “Will I see Grandma and Grandpa in Korea?” Yuna said, “Yes, you will. We’re going to stay at my parents’ house in Seoul.” Then, Aili looked at her father. Before she could ask, Klaus said, “And yes. We’re going to visit my mother and father, too. You’re going to see all four of your grandparents this summer. And you’ll meet some of your uncles, aunts, and cousins, too.”
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Aili was 10 years old, and she had lived in New York City for one year. She had just finished her first year of middle school, and it was time for her long summer break. Yuna, Aili’s mother, smiled when Aili came into the kitchen to make her breakfast. Yuna said, “Good morning, Aili.” Aili smiled and said, “Good morning.” Then she looked around, and she asked, “Where’s Dad?” Yuna said, “He’s using the computer in the living room. He’s buying some airplane tickets.” Aili was surprised. She asked, “Where’s he going?” That’s when her father, Klaus, walked into the room. He said, “I’m going to Korea first. And then, I’m going to Germany.” Then, he said, “Actually, we all are.” Yuna looked at Aili’s shocked expression. She said, “I hope you’re ready for a long vacation, Aili. We’re going to be gone for two months!”
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Aili’s International Vacation
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After flying for more than 14 hours, Aili and her family finally arrived in Seoul. They got off the plane, and they went to the baggage claim area, which is where they could pick up their suitcases. After that, they showed their passports to a woman in a uniform. She asked Klaus and Yuna some questions, but she was very nice. Next, they went to another place with men and women in uniforms. This time, they had to open their suitcases so that a man could look inside. After that, Aili and her family were finished, and they walked toward the arrival lobby.
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Finally, the day arrived for Aili and her parents to fly to Korea. Aili was very excited because she had never visited another country before. At the airport, they got their boarding passes and checked their big suitcases. When the clerk put the suitcases on the conveyor belt, Aili asked, “Where are our suitcases going?” The clerk said, “They’ll be on the plane with you. They’ll be in the cargo hold, which is in the belly of the airplane.” Next, Aili and her family went to the gate where they would get onto the plane. They did not have to wait long. Soon, the flight attendants announced that the plane was ready, and the passengers could get on the plane. About 30 minutes after that, Aili, Klaus and Yuna were in their seats, and the airplane was moving to the runway.
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After Aili applied for her passport, she excitedly checked the mailbox every morning. When Yuna had seen this a few times, she said to Aili, “The man at the passport office said that you had to wait three weeks.” Aili said, “I know. I just hope I’ll get lucky.” This went on for a few more days, and then Aili started checking less often. One day, Klaus came home from work, and he saw a package in the mailbox. He went into the house, and he asked, “Didn’t you check the mail today, Aili?” Aili said, “No. The mailbox is probably empty.” Then, Klaus said, “Maybe it isn’t. Can you check it for me? I’m expecting to get a letter from my mom.” Aili walked slowly to the door as Klaus went into the kitchen. He said to Yuna, “Listen. Three. Two. One. Aaaannnd …” Suddenly, they heard Aili screaming, “It’s here! It’s here! I got my passport!”
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As soon as the automatic doors opened, Aili saw two people who she knew. She happily called out, “Halmeoni! Hal-abeoji!” She ran over to them and gave them a big hug! Aili’s parents eventually walked over. They smiled and bowed. Everybody said “Hello!” and “Long time, no see.” And they asked how everyone had been. Halmeoni, Aili’s grandmother, said, “This weekend, we’re having a big family reunion. Everyone is really eager to see you again!”
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Aili was really excited. She had seen lots of videos about the Chuseok celebrations, but this would be her first time to experience them herself. The day after Aili and her family arrived, their relatives began to come too. They were coming from cities and towns all around Korea. Aili was finally meeting all of her aunts and uncles and cousins! Finally, the first day of Chuseok came. That morning, everyone in the family dressed up in their best clothes. Aili asked Yuna, “Why are we all dressed up?” Yuna said, “Today we’re doing Charye. We’re going to say prayers and remember our ancestors.” After they had finished Charye, the whole family gathered for a delicious meal. Part of the dinner was songpyeon, cakes made from freshly harvested rice.
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The next day, Yuna woke Aili up early. She said, “Let’s get ready to go. Your grandpa wants to be on the road before the traffic gets too bad.” Aili rubbed her eyes, and she asked, “Where are we going today?” Yuna said, “We’re going to do Seongmyo by going to the family graveyard. Then, we’re going to do Beolcho, which means that we clean the graves, and to show respect for our ancestors.” Aili got out of bed and quickly got ready to go. The family graveyard was far from Seoul, so it was a long trip. But Aili could sit in the back seat of the car with two cousins who were her own age. So she learned a lot about what singers, actors, TV shows, and movies were popular in Korea.
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That night, all of the women dressed up in colorful hanbok, and they went to a park. There was a big fire burning. Aili asked, Yuna, “What are we doing tonight?” Yuna answered, “Tonight, we’re going to see the Ganggangsullae. It’s the dance of the harvest moon.” It was kind of late, and Aili was getting sleepy. Then, a lot of women stood together in a big circle. One woman stood alone, and she began to sing a slow song. The women in the circle began to dance. They danced very slowly; it looked like they were just walking in a circle. Then, the singer started singing faster, and the dancers began to bounce a bit while they moved in the circle. Then, the singer began jumping up and down, and her song became lively and happy. The dancers also began dancing happily. Suddenly, four of the dancers went to the middle of the circle. They were spinning and dancing. Then, the circle broke into two groups. They were moving and swaying in long lines. Then, the lines broke, and there were four groups. The singer sang, and the dancers danced. Then, the dancers were all in one group again. One dancer was sitting on the shoulders of another, and all the dancers made a circle again. Then, the singer stopped, and the dance was over. Aili was in wonder! She had never seen a dance like that before.
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A few days later, Aili and her parents had to say goodbye. That night, Aili got e-mail addresses and the social media contact information of her cousins. They all promised to stay in touch. Aili said, “If you ever come to New York City, you can stay at my house. It’ll be awesome!” The next morning, Aili and her parents put their suitcases in Grandpa’s car. They rode to the airport with Grandpa and Grandma. At the airport. Aili gave big hugs to her grandparents. She said, “Thank you for the wonderful time. Chuseok was great! And I was really glad to meet so many relatives!” Grandma said, “I hope that you can come back soon!” Everybody hugged and said goodbye one more time, then Aili and her parents had to go into the airport.
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When Aili and her family had flown to Korea, they flew across North America and the Pacific Ocean. Aili asked Klaus, “How many countries are we going to cross?” Klaus looked at a map in a magazine on the plane. He said, “Let’s see. From Korea to Germany, we’ll fly across China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, and Poland. That will take about 13 and a half hours.” On the plane, Aili watched movies and played games. She also kept the flight attendants busy! Whenever a flight attendant would walk by, Aili would ask for juice or a snack. But the flight attendants were happy to help Aili because she was very happy and polite.
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In the airport in Berlin, Aili was holding Yuna’s hand and dragging here through the airport as fast as she could go. Then, when they had finished talking to all of the officers, and showing their passports, Aili could finally run through the doors to meet her German grandmother and grandfather. When she saw them, she called out, “Hallo, Oma! Hallo, Opa!” Aili’s grandmother and grandfather opened their arms, and Aili ran up and hugged them both.
