To Climb a Mountain

Below is the speech I gave at the 2010 Narashino City Speech Contest (yes, I used a climbing metaphor):

“To Climb a Mountain”

Good afternoon. My name is Gus Hahn-Powell. I am honored to be the new ALT from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Let me start by thanking all of you for the warm welcome you have shown me. Even though I come from the home of “southern hospitality,” I continue to be impressed with your kindness and efforts to help me adjust to my new life here. Though I’ve only been in Narashino for a month and a half, I already feel at home. It has been an easy transition, mostly because of the people I’ve met and the interesting conversations we’ve had. I look forward to many discussions with all of you--students, teachers, fellow ALTs, and neighbors. In the past 90 days, I have already learned so much from you; I hope that I can share something valuable with you in return.

Students, you and your teachers have worked very hard. During the past two months, you studied and prepared for today. Those of you competing today are some of the best and the brightest English students in Narashino’s junior high schools. You are among the best not just because you are smart, but because you are willing to work hard. We are all very proud of you.

Learning a language is difficult, but the rewards are great. When you learn a new language, you also learn a new way of thinking. You begin to see the world in a new light. I remember my first visit to Japan in 2006. At that time, my Japanese was very basic. I could only read hiragana, katakana, and simple kanji. I was surrounded by words I didn't know, and so I made many mistakes. The more I studied, the more I was able to understand about the world around me. It was like climbing Mt. Fuji at night: you know that you want to go up the mountain, but the path is not clear. Climbing takes time and energy. Sometimes you trip in the darkness, or lose sight of the trail. You meet many people on the mountain. Everyone’s reason to climb is a little different and so is their pace. Some climb fast, some climb slowly. You keep climbing, and eventually the sun rises. The world gradually brightens. You can see where you are, where you have been, and where you are going. The higher you go, the farther you can see around you. Though the mountain is the same as it was at night, the way we see it changes completely.

People often ask me why I decided to come to Narashino and what I hope to accomplish here. There are many reasons, really. The simplest reason is that my path has led me here. I didn’t know that it would, but now that I’ve arrived, there are many things I hope to learn and share while I am here. For those of you studying English, I am here to help you train to climb that mountain. I am one of your guides on this journey. I will share my supplies and provide you with tools to help you learn. I have maps to help make your climb easier, and I know the land we’re traveling through. I can teach you about life in your American sister city and the English that is spoken in the US. As one of your guides, part of my job is to help you stay motivated along the way. It may rain and the path may become steep, but I will climb alongside you as long as I can.

Alive and Well

Yes, I survived the sweltering summer, a typhoon, and the day-to-day tremors of the earth. I fought off invasive bees and have thus far avoided catching even a mild case of the sniffles. It’s finally fall, and I’m doing well—there have already been many (mostly pleasant) surprises. I have put off starting this blog for too long now. Where should I start? When I first arrived, I had ample excuses for doing so. Every day I was whisked around to a different part of Narashino for formal introductions to neighbors, teachers, and officials. There were forms and contracts to fill out and submit, and I spent several days rearranging/cleaning the house I’ll be staying in for 1-3 years. I guess in some ways I’m still working on that, but it is feeling more and more like a home (my home) every day. The house is a good size, and the neighbors I have interacted with are very welcoming. It’s interesting to meet so many people that know of Tuscaloosa or my ALT predecessors. I think everything that I have heard has been very positive. I often think about how few in Tuscaloosa have a similar depth of experience with Narashino and her (current/former) residents. Maybe, in some small way, I can help to change that with this blog. There are similarities between the two cities that I would not have expected….

So what have I accomplished so far? What about work? Have I humiliated Tuscaloosa, yet? The job (teaching, translation, etc) has been enjoyable, and nearly all of my students are energetic and bright. The city recently held its annual speech contest. After a solid month of afterschool coaching and steady improvement, I was proud to see my students perform. The school (6^th junior high/第六中) that I’m teaching at this semester placed well, and I was honored to give a guest speech at the event. It was an interesting challenge to adjust my language to the level appropriate level of complexity for EFL middle-school students, while trying to convey and extend a metaphor for the challenges of language learning. In addition to teaching, I also have a variety of interesting duties as both a Tuscaloosa ambassador and member of the Narashino Board of Education. I have judged a neighboring cities speech contest, attended conferences, collaborated on teaching demos, etc. Hopefully I will be presenting some corpus research to Narashino’s English teachers in the upcoming months. I am also helping to translate correspondence between the mayors of Tuscaloosa and Narashino, and I'm writing a series of articles about Tuscaloosa for the monthly newsletter put out by the Narashino BOE.

I have done only a little traveling:

a late attempt up Mt. Fuji during a September weekend, a day trip to Kamakura with the Narashino International Association,

night cruising around Ginza and the Bay Bridge,

an evening visit to the hermit bath house,

Chinese tea-buying trip to Yokohama, etc.

Usually after work I head to a local sports store to climb their bouldering wall and top rope routes located on the exterior of the building. It’s free for me to use, and the store is only ten minutes by foot from my house. Oddly enough, there is actually a strong climbing community here, and the city manages some impressive climbing facilities. In December, I will be volunteering as an interpreter for the 1^st International Blind Climbers Competition that will be held here in Narashino.

Portions tend to be smaller here, and the average meal out is a bit more nutritionally balanced when compared to what I’m used to back in the US. While going cheese-less is tough, the daily routine I’ve adopted is already having a positive effect on my body. I generally cook (I’m already making yogurt!), but my curiosity inevitably leads me out to try a new restaurant at least once a week. The food is good, but I already miss real American burgers, latin food, cheese, and the ability to purchase dried beans cheaply. Rumor has it there is a COSTCO in Narashino. My refrigerator is small, though, (like what you would find in a dorm room) so going there could be dangerous.

My Japanese has been up to snuff so far. Since I’ve arrived, I’ve been very pleased to discover just how much text I can now digest (quickly). Of course, I’m not sure what can be said about what comes out the other end…. Anyway, the input is good and the conversations I have vary enough in topic/content, so that my active vocabulary continues to grow everyday.

I’m happy to be here, and (as trite as it may sound) each day presents a new opportunity for discovery and evaluation.