“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.
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