The Gardener, Amedee

庭師のアメデ
ブルンジ生活も3年目となると、特に目を見開くような発見というのも普段ないなか、今日は久々新鮮な気分にしてくれる出来事があった。


日本にいる友人が子どもサイズのサッカーボールを寄付してくれたので、先週末に孤児院、そして今日は庭師のアメデの子ども二人が通う小学校に持って行く予定にしていた。年末に引っ越した家で10数年働いているというアメデ（ブルンジでは家と庭師がセットになっていることが多い）のことはほとんど知らないが、カニョ―シャという地区に住んでいるというので、お昼休みを使ってそこまで行くことにした。Bujumbura Mairie （首都）の地図でKanyosha地区を確認し大体の位置を頭に入れ、出発。が、アメデの道案内にそっていると、どうも違う方角に向かっているようだ。とりあえず運転続けること15分。ブジュンブラは小さいので15分も走ると首都を出てしまう。しかも走っている道は避暑地のイジェンダに向かう道。



「あとどのくらいで着くの？」

（しばらく沈黙）

「Trente minutes （30分）」

「・・・・・・」

30分も走ったらイジェンダまで行けちゃうし、大体お昼休みが終わってしまうじゃない！！どうしてKanyoshaがそんなに遠いのー！

と一瞬のうちに思い、即U-ターン。

「カニョ―シャは遠いんだね」

「Oui, c'est loin　（そう、遠いんだよ）」

「今日は時間が足りないから、金曜の午後（金曜のオフィスアワーは7時半～1時半）に出直そう」

「Oui」

後で分かったのは、Kanyoshaは二つあり、一つは首都の一地区、もう一つはお隣のBujumbura Rurale県の一地区で、アメデが住んでいるのは後者だったのだ。毎朝7時前にカーテンを開けると庭に水やりをしているアメデは、以前家のオーナーからそっちの山のほうに住んでいると言われたので、すぐ裏の山から通勤しているものだと思っていたが、実は毎朝5時に家を出て我が家に来てくれているということが判明。

この間アメデの7歳と10歳の子どもたちとタンガニカ湖畔の公園に行った時も、子どもたち、2時間もかけてうちまで来てくれたんだ。そういえば湖を見るのは初めてだって言っていたなー。

自分の周りにはまだ知らないことがいっぱいある、それが本当に身近な事実であっても、知らないでい続けることも難しくはない。

U-ターンをして、来た道を戻りながら、久しぶりに新鮮な気持ちになった。


Although the third year in a country does not bring as many daily discoveries as the first year, I had something that made me feel like I discovered something new today.

A friend in Japan donated junior-size soccer balls, and I brought them to the orphanages last weekend and was going to deliver them today to a primary school where the two children of our gardener Amedee attend. Amedee has been working for the same house during the past ten years, and he asked us if we could hire him as a gardener when my housemate and I moved into this house in January. Amedee hardly initiates talk. I know little about Amedee other than the fact that he smokes once in a while and lives in a neighborhood called Kanyosha.

Few days ago, I asked Amedee if he could accompany me to his sons' primary school in Kanyosha during my lunch time, and he agreed. I checked where Kanyosha was in the Bujumbura map, and we left the house. As I drove following Amedee’s direction, I felt we were driving towards somewhat different direction, but I continued driving for another 15 minutes or so. Bujumbura is small that 15-minute drive would already take you out of the capital city. Besides, I realized that the road we were driving on was the one that led to Ijenda, a cool resort popular for weekend trips.

I: How long more do we drive to get to the school?

(silence for a while)

Amedee: Trente minutes (30 minutes)

I: ・・・・・・

If we continue driving for another 30 minutes, we would already be in Ijenda! Besides, I won't make it back during my lunch time! To begin with, how could Kanyosha be so far? Many thoughts came at once, and I immediately made a U-turn.

I: Kanyosha seems quite far.

Amedee: Oui, c'est loin (Yes, it’s far).

I: We won’t have enough time today, so could we try Friday afternoon?

Amedee: Oui (Yes).

What I realized later on was that there were two “Kanyosha's: a zone in the capital Bujumbura; and one of the “communes” of the neighboring province. I only knew of Kanyosha in the capital, and the Kanyosha where Amedee lived was the latter.

When I open the curtain at around 7am, Amedee is already watering the garden. I thought he was commuting from the mountain just next to our neighborhood as our landlord told us once that he lived “over there” pointing the mountains. However, he actually leaves home at 5am every morning and takes two buses to come to our house. When we invited his two children to the lake the other day, it must have taken something like two hours for them to come all the way from the “Kanyosha.” I recall the boys saying that they saw the Lake Tanganyika for the first time.


There are still many things I am not aware of. And it is not difficult to continue being unaware of them, even though they are the facts and realities just next to me.

I felt rejuvenated as if I had a new discovery while driving along the U-turned road.