At Smith’s School of English Otsu we have a student who is an avid mountain climber. Although he has always loved the outdoors, mountain climbing is something he started later in life. At first he would climb small mountains in and around Shiga, sometimes by himself and sometimes with a friend or two. Then he joined some climbing circles where he would climb with small groups. Eventually he decided to challenge himself by climbing the highest mountain in Africa: Mount Kilimanjaro. He joined a private tour group with professional guides and enjoyed climbing and camping for a week in Tanzania. Since then he has climbed the highest mountain in Russia (Mt Elbrus), the tallest in SE Asia (Mount Kinabalu), plus climbing in the Himalayas, Taiwan, India and Mount Fuji in winter! All of this he has accomplished thanks to the help of professional climbers and guides. His next goal: the tallest mountain in the Americas, Mount Aconcagua (6959m) in Argentina!
Learning a language is a very similar process. At some point in your life, you decide to try it. You start out by yourself, studying a little bit at home. Then you join an English circle or make a few English study friends. Finally you desire to really improve, to climb a higher mountain so to speak, and you seek out a professional. This is where I come in, this is my job. Every student comes to me with a deep knowledge of English and a lifetime of experiences. My job is to help them take what they have already worked hard to learn and take it to a higher level of communication. I love helping my students to climb their own mountains, to reach their own peaks. I am a mountain climbing coach, who feels incredible pride in his students. Pick you mountain, start to climb and when you get stuck, give me a call. I am happy to help.
Edward, Smith’s School of English Otsu
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