Confusing translation? 「不慣れな思いをするのは私一人で十分ですよ」

Question

Taken from the linked short passage about living away from one's family for work. I copied the trouble sentence below with the sentences immediately before and after. https://www.mlcjapanese.co.jp/n1_01_04.html

田中さんは今後おそらく３年、最低でも２年は家族と離れ離れの生活を余儀なくされることになるわけだが、本人は至って前向きだ。「そりゃあ、本音を言えばさびしいですよ。でも、受験生の娘や病気がちな母のことを考えれば、不慣れな思いをするのは私一人で十分ですよ」と笑っている。家族の心配をよそに、一人暮らしを満喫しようと、早速料理の本を買ったそうだ。

I can't figure out the meaning of "受験生の娘や病気がちな母のことを考えれば、不慣れな思いをするのは私一人で十分ですよ." Part of it is that I can't exactly define "不慣れな思い". He feels "inexperience" being a father, since he's not a part of his studying daughter's or sick mother's lives? But why would he feel OK suffering such a depressing feeling alone (私一人で十分です)? He feels good avoiding the difficulty his daughter/mother would impose on him? That seems like a dark and selfish mentality for a neutral passage. I'm lost here.

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

不慣れな思い (literally "feeling/sense of unfamiliarity") refers to all the inconvenience associated with the life in a new town. Starting to live in an unfamiliar town is tough to everyone, and 単身赴任 is especially tough to him because he is very bad at household tasks. But he also thinks that moving together with other family members would be worse because his daughter is a 受験生 and his mother is not healthy.

• 不慣れな思いをするの
  those who will feel the inconvenience
• 不慣れな思いをするのは私一人です
  It's only me who will feel the inconvenience
• ～で十分です
  ～ is enough.
• 不慣れな思いをするのは私一人で十分です
  (Although I myself have to move,) there doesn't have to be more than one person who will suffer inconvenience.

Answer 2

In my opinion, there is a cultural differeence between Japanese and your natinal's.that makes you can't understand it.

High school Students who try to pass an university exam have usually to study 5 subjects, including Japanese ,mathematic,English,science and social studies. It's really massive burden on them. They even have to study harder to enter a high ranked university, which they have to sacrifice almost all of their time to study. Pluse the chance once in a year. They generally start to be in the university soon after graduating high school. 12th graders are called 現役受験生. they're labelled 浪人生 if they fail their exam. most students at university are the same age. It means a bit awkward for 浪人生 who has success their exam to get with yonger students, and also 現役 students are a lttle confused because of the gap of age. Seniority system is still deep rooted. As you see, it's only one chance in their life. Thus, moving at such a time give desperating stress on 現役受験生.