When I was a child, both of my parents were teachers at elementary schools. They had to accept orders to transfer without any complaint for better or worse every few years. Following them, I was transferred to various places. I attended 3 elementary schools in six years. It seemed that as soon as I became accustomed to the school and the area, I had to move. Moving to a new place was always sad to me, but on the other hand, moving created a feeling of anticipation. I was excited about exploring a new area, a new school and the new customs. I've lived both in the mountains and at the seashore. I know the country life and the life of fishing villages. I like climbing, hiking, fishing in the river and sea and swimming. All those hobbies were born in my childhood. It might be a lucky thing to have spent my childhood in such a variety of places.
About 30 or 40 years ago, the transportation conditions were bad where I lived. Having a private car was not very common. My family didn't have a car. There was no moving company around my town because there were not many companies that requested moves. Every time my parents had to move, they asked local drivers or fishermen who had trucks or boats to carry our furniture and household goods. You know, this was tough work for my parents. But for me, it was like a festival. Many people gathered around my house and helped us to move our furniture, put things into the packages, and prepared light meals. Some people gave me presents as a token. It was a fun.
After I graduated from elementary school, I was sent to a unified junior high and high school in the local capital city away from my family. I stayed there for 6 years. It was the longest stay at one place in my life until now. After graduation from medical school, I was employed at a nation-wide chain of hospitals. I was ordered to move frequently. I wonder if such a life has made me a kind of vagrant. Traveling is one of my favorite hobbies.
Railway stations where I get off for the first time and strange streets where I walk pluck at my heart strings. It's not an issue of whether I like a new place or not, but new places arouse my curiosity. In other words, I'm intrigued by things outside of my daily life. It seems that every cell of my brain lights up when I go somewhere new. I think these feelings are the driving force behind my wish to keep traveling.
(Vocabulary)
for better or worse 良いときも悪いときも、良くも悪くも、どんなことがあろうと（末永く）
unified junior high and high school 中高一貫校
vagrant 放浪者、路上生活者 放浪の あちこちに動く
pluck at ～をグイッと引く、～を捕らえようとする、〔弦楽器〕をはじく
pluck at the heart strings 深い感動を覚える
intrigued by ～に興味［好奇心］をそそられる
light up 光を発する、明るくする［なる］、点火する、〔たばこに〕火を付ける： 陽気にする、晴れやかになる、〔顔色が〕パッと明るくなる
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