essay by Megumi Nomiyama
I am a Japanese woman, the mother of three children. I worked as a kindergarten teacher for many years, but when my husband was transferred six years ago, it happened. I moved to Ottawa, Illinois, USA. My children had already left their parents, so we both live in this town. My husband and I had never lived in a country other than Japan, so even though we had been married for 32 years, I felt like a newlywed. That is because no matter what he does, no matter where he goes, my husband and I are always together, and when he goes to work, I stay home and do housework, watch TV, or listen to music or read books. During this time, I enjoyed being able to talk to my Japanese friends on the phone from time to time, and communicating with them via e-mail and SNS. My husband and I enjoyed going out shopping and traveling on holidays.
That’s when I saw the post about IVCC Ottawa Center on Facebook two years ago in October. It was a photo of a group of ESL students shopping at Ottawa Bakery Shop and smiling. I was inspired by this post to contact IVCC. I sent the message as if something had led me to do so. I immediately got a reply from IVCC saying that I was welcome to visit anytime. I could say that was my full-fledged debut.
I have now been participating in the IVCC Ottawa Center ESL class since November 2021. The fact is, I had hardly ever spoken in English until then, and when I met Teacher Nancy for the first time, she used Google Translate to explain to the class what we needed to know. When I attended, it was a small class of 5-6 women from Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, and Macedonia. On this day, both my teacher and the women in my class gave me a warm welcome. After that, I started attending morning classes twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
My English studies in Japan only lasted six years in middle and high school, and I wasn’t particularly good at it; but it was required. That’s why I was surprised to learn and speak English in this class at the age of 62. I was able to get to know my classmates more and more during class time. Every time we met, they called out to me and told me that the way to greet is to give a hug. They helped me when I was in trouble.
I have a goal. I would like to improve my English skills so that I can understand my classmates more and more. Also, I will never give up trying to speak English without being shy.
This summer, I went back to Japan temporarily for two months. Though it was wonderful to be there, I felt the same way when I returned to Ottawa with my husband in September. It’s a relief to be back in Ottawa, and it feels like home. It’s true that the saying goes, “wherever I lay my hat is home,” and “home is where you make it.”
For us, we have a good relationship with this town, it’s a comfortable place to live, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to meet so many people. I’m thankful that my classmates accepted me as one of their friends. I’m also grateful to the teachers and staff who have guided me.
Thank you everyone for everything.