Adam Young
(1990-92)
I was a teacher and supervisor in the Business Communication Program (BCP) at LIOJ from 1990 to 1992. I have many fond memories of my time in Odawara and at LIOJ.
My trip to Odawara was not my first time in Japan. I had taught English conversation in Tokyo for three years before I went through the Master of Arts in Teaching program at the School for International Training (SIT). SIT had a very close relationship with LIOJ and I met with Warrick Liang and Don Maybin while at the San Francisco TESOL conference. They offered me a teaching position in the BCP and I gladly accepted. I fondly remember my arrival in Odawara, especially my first view of the castle and my trip up the hill to Asia Center in the "S Cargo," a whimsical little car with a rounded top like the shell of a snail.
My time in Odawara is full of memories of things that the foreign teachers probably remember, but that others have long since forgotten. Odawara was filled with twisting little streets without names that we teachers named for our convenience such as "Bank Street" (where Dai Ichi Kangyo Bank was situated). Odawara was also home to shops and restaurants that we also re-named because we couldn't pronounce (or remember) the actual Japanese name. For example, we dubbed a tiny pub "John Lennon" for its portrait of the famous Beatle that was prominently displayed inside. I still have trouble remembering the name of my favorite little Italian restaurant, but I clearly remember the signboard with a picture of a crab biting the rear end of a comic chef (Wasn't it "Uronya"?). I also remember those cold nights driving back up the hill on my scooter, my hands freezing in the wind.
When I think back about my time at LIOJ, I remember the hard work of preparing for classes, but I also remember the little things like the classrooms with city names instead of letters (Boston, Chicago, Dover, Edmonton), endless trips to the coin operated laundry room with a heavy duffel bag on my shoulder, and those wonderful end-of-term parties with the BCP students with all-night dancing. Ah, the infamous 3 "L"s of the party: the Lambada, the Lebanese folk dance and the Limbo contest. And that shy, hesitant student who had struggled mightily for four weeks in an "English Only" environment who became the life of the party after a few cold beers. And finally, the pleasures of watching the summer fireworks from the rooftop of Asia Center.
Ten years have come and gone since I left LIOJ and though it becomes harder and harder to remember the details of my stay, the sights and sounds of Odawara remain as strong as ever. Thank you, LIOJ and congratulations on your 35th anniversary.
May 2003
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