Thursday, April 15, 2010

Mango Story From My Kidhood マンゴーにまつわるお話♪ 망고 이야기♪

Me and My Mango...a true story.

When I was 9 years old, living in Hawaii, I spent my summer vacation on the westside of Oahu, in the deep country side called Waianae. (yes, there is still even more country side in Oahu then most people know). The house I was staying at had a huge mango tree in the yard. Always tied to the trunk of the tree was a watch dog named "Boy". A simple name for a simple fella, he never left the mango tree. For a 9 year old, the mango tree looked enormous and the dog monstrous. I had a feeling I knew what Alice went through when she drank the potion that made her shrink. I felt small compared to the tree and the dog. However, the fruit that grew on this tree was famous throughout the area as one that bore the sweetest and juiciest mango. The only way to get that fruit off the tree was to use a long stick with a sharp knife attached at the end of it. The only person who could slice off a fruit from the tree was my uncle and he would only do it once a week on the weekend when he was off from work. During the summer, we kids had nothing to do but play. My best friend Linda and I would be running around and usually climbing trees, ( except for that mango tree). Every time we got hungry, we would stare at the fruits on the tree very very longingly. Then suddenly one day, a ripe mango fell to the ground with a thud! We stared at it... looks like there are no bruises. It looks ripe, and ready to eat. There has to be a way to fetch that mango! But it lay a foot away from Boy. We were terrified of BOY but we were also salivating for the mango. Linda and I decided that the mango was worth risking our lives for. So, the plan was this. 1. Linda will tease Boy 2. He will chase her as far as his leash will go. 3. I will run and grab the mango. 4. We will share it fair and square. 5. We will be happy.

Did the plan work? Yes it did. It worked so well that Mango is still my favorite fruit to this day and I will never forget that summer afternoon with Linda as we slurped up the juicy Waianae mango.

That's the story behind Mango and the dog, Boy. And it is absolutely true.

今日は、本当にあった、私とマンゴーにまつわる思い出のお話をしたいと思います♪

私は小さい頃ハワイに住んでました。9歳の頃、ワイアナエという、オアフ島の西にある田舎街で夏を過ごしたの。私がいた叔父の家のお庭には、大きななマンゴーの木があって、その下にはいつも、「ボーイ」という名前の番犬がつながれていました。9際の小さい私とっては、そのマンゴーの木は巨大だったし、ボーイはモンスターみたいに見えたの!まるで、アリスが「Drink Me」のボトルを飲んで、体が縮んでしまったときのような感覚。その木と犬を前にしたら、自分の体はあまりにも小さかった・・・。でも私は知っていたの。その木になるマンゴーは、街中で一番甘くてジューシーだってこと!
マンゴーを取るためには、なが〜い棒の先についたナイフを使わなければいけなかったの。そしてそのナイフを駆使できるのは叔父だけ。でも叔父は、週に一回、お仕事がお休みの日だけしか、マンゴーを取ってくれなかった。夏休みの間、やることのない私と親友のリンダは、一日中庭をかけまわったり、木登りしたりして(もちろん巨大なマンゴーの木以外のね)遊んでいました。そして疲れておなかが空くと、いつも手の届かないマンゴーをうらめしそうに見ていたの。
ある日いつものように遊んでいると、よく熟れたおいしそうなマンゴーがひとつ、木から落ちているのを発見!ボーイのすぐ近くに落ちているけど・・・どうしてものどが渇いていたリンダと私は、命がけででも、それを取りに行くことに決めました。作戦はこうです。
1、リンダがボーイをからかう。2、ボーイがリンダを追いかける!3、その間に私がマンゴーを取る!4、私たち2人でマンゴーを分け合って食べる。5、私たちはハッピーになる♪

・・・作戦はうまくいったかって?もちろん!そのときの思い出のおかげで、マンゴーは今でも私の一番大好きなフルーツです♪あの夏の午後、リンダと分け合って食べたワイアナエのマンゴーの味は、今でも忘れられないなあ。

これが、マンゴーと犬にまつわる裏話。本当のお話です!

오늘은 저와 망고에 관련된 정말 있었던 추억을 이야기 하려 합니다.
저는 어렸을 적 하와이에서 살았습니다. 9살 무렵, 와이아나에라고 하는 오아후섬의 서쪽에 있는 시골거리에서 여름을 보내곤 했습니다. 내가 머물었던 숙부님의 집 정원에는 큰 망고 나무가 있었고 그 아래에는 언제나 보이 라고 하는 이름의 개가 집을 지키고 있었습니다. 9살의 작은 저와에게는 그 망고 나무는 너무나 거대했고 보이는 몬스터처럼 보였습니다. 마치 앨리스가 Drink Me 보틀을 마시고 몸이 줄어들어 버렸을 때와 같은 느낌이랄까!? 망고 나무와 보이 앞에서는 저 자신이 너무나 작았답니다. 그렇지만 저는 알고 있었죠! 그 거대하게 보이던 망고나무의 망고가 그 동네에서 제일 달고 맛있다는 사실을!!
망고를 따기 위해서는 긴 막대 끝에 칼을 달아 따지 않으면 안되었답니다. 그리고 그 나이프를 사용할 수 있는 것은 숙부님 뿐이였고 숙부님은 일주일에 하루 쉬는 날 밖에 망고를 따주지 않으셨답니다. 여름방학 동안 할 일이 없던 나와 친구 린다는 하루 종일 뜰에 나가 이리저리 다니거나 나무 타기를 하거나(물론 거대한 망고나무를 타는 건 무리)하며 놀았습니다. 그리고 배가 고파지면 손이 닿지 않은 망고를 원망스러운 듯 보곤 했었지요.
어느날 여느 때 처럼 놀고 있을 때 였습니다. 잘 익은 망고 하나가 나무에서 뚝 떨어지는 것을 발견!! 그러나 안타깝게도 보이옆에 착지!! 캬~~ 그래도 목이 마르던 나와 린다는 필사적으로 작전을 세웠습니다.
작전은
1.린다가 보이를 놀린다 2.보이가 린다의 뒤를 쫓는다 3.그 사이에 내가 망고를 줍는다 4.맛있게 먹는다 5.행복해 한다

이 작전은 성공 했을까요?? 물론 대성공!!! 그때의 추억 덕분에 망고는 지금도 제가 제일 좋아하는 과일입니다. 그 여름 오후 린다와 서로 나누어 먹은 와이아나의 망고 맛은 지금도 잊을 수가 없답니다.

4 comments:

  1. Wow, that was an amazing story! I am happy to see all worked out ok in the end. :)
    Hard earned things are the ones we remember the most, specially when we were kids.

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  2. 그렇군요! 심플리망고에 이 이야기의 모든게 들어있군요!
    글을 읽는 내내 두 소녀와 강아지,
    살짝 저무는 석양과 망고나무가 상상이가네요~
    정말 귀여운 추억이예요 :)

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  3. Awww that's a really neat childhood story :) Yumyum! Thanks for sharing with us Junko!

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  4. I was a tomboy. And you are a puppy!

    ReplyDelete