Members' Voices

Chris
It's possible to have lunch with seven people from three countries and have a conversation in four languages... I have traveled very little in my life and had never before been to Asia. So everything was new and amazing… This was an experience in one way the world could get better. Ordinary people doing simple, yet extraordinary things: Inviting visitors into their homes and lives, exchanging cultures and languages. If we all spent time in other countries with the people, we'd understand how much we are the same and how interesting our differences are.

Clara
Before I traveled to Mexico on a LEX intercambio (exchange), I thought that LEX was about learning languages. Now I understand that it's about breaking down barriers - barriers in the world, and barriers within ourselves. Anyone can learn seven languages. And anyone can travel the world among friends.

Patricia
When I told my two children that we were going to a language club, they were deeply unenthusiastic. Michael had just finished a year of Spanish that had made him hate the idea of language-learning, and Elizabeth is always shy to meet a new group. We entered the LEX meeting space in Crestwood, New York, and everyone was wonderfully welcoming. The fun was so irresistible that it only took about fifteen minutes for my children to warm up to the songs and games. It has been refreshing for the three of us that SADA and the language-imitation sessions and talking time all put adults and children at the same level. Both Michael and Elizabeth were reluctant to leave that first session, begged to go back for the next; after the second session they both decided that they wanted to learn Russian (and I am joining them), and we've been coming back every week since. It is one of the highlights of our week. LEX showed the children within the first session that languages are mediums to enjoy and experiment with, not lessons to dread, and that is a great gift.

Sarah and Morgan
My daughter, Morgan, entered kindergarten this year. Unlike most of her peers, she had no formal pre-school experience. What Morgan had was LEX. My goal for her in LEX was that she develop a confidence and familiarity with the sounds of many languages so that later in life, if she wishes, she will be able to learn them with ease. But what she accomplished with LEX was so much more. Through the singing, dancing, and listening to the sounds, Morgan has developed musical, physical, and listening abilities even beyond my own. Her accent in the basic seven languages is better than mine. Even more importantly, through the acceptance and encouragement of people of all ages and abilities, Morgan has learned tolerance. This will guide her through her entire life. Morgan loves school and all the children and teachers love her. I am sure LEX had a lot to do with it.

John
Language learning through LEX turns on many lights, yet it can be easy to forget that the purpose of learning languages is to allow us to communicate and relate to people who would otherwise be closed off to us. LEX is a way of turning on the lights; the light of recognition when we can first distinguish Korean from French or Russian from Arabic and the light of comprehension when, through listening, mimicking and speaking, we understand first small pieces, then progressively larger chunks of a language. Since the homestay in Japan, I also know that, for people who otherwise would have remained strangers, or who, if they met under other circumstances, perhaps would have felt divided by differences in language, culture and nationality, LEX is a way of opening the doors to our common humanity and turning on the lights of friendship and affection.

Kyoko

Kyoko traveled on a LEX exchange to Mexico . She shares some of her experiences with us here.

I was lucky to have two fantastic host families on my visit to Mexico. My first host family was the Mares Family in Mexico City. My host mom and dad, Martha and Javier, run LEX in Mexico. When I arrived there, they were busy with their preparation for a workshop, a conference for one of their clubs, and the Transnational Congress, for which members from Japan and the U.S. were flocking to Mexico. I had four siblings at home, Fernanda, Estefania, and Javi-chan; and Marino-chan, who is a yearlong high school exchange student from Japan. Out of their busy schedule, Javier and Martha took turns showing me the city.

My second host family lived in Cuernavaca, one hour by bus from Mexico City. Adriana was my host, with her husband, Mauro, and their daughter, Nancy. Mama Adriana could have been my daughter in age and we surprised some people in a store when I called her "Mom." We did many things together; Nancy and I did origami and played games, Adriana and I exercised, we went to a ceramic village and did lots of shopping, and we cooked while humming LEX songs. In both my host families, we laughed and talked in Spanish, English, Japanese, sign language, and anything available to make ourselves understood.

My second dad, Mauro, is a linguist. He has always loved languages. The reason he loved languages was because he loved to travel. But to him travel meant to go and see places. It did not include people. He was not interested in meeting with new people at all. He was rather skeptical about the LEX method for language acquisition, too. But at Javier Mares's urging, he took his family to a LEX meeting one day. They arrived at the club when the members were introducing themselves in multiple languages. "Good thing we were late," he said. The following week, they went a little earlier and caught a glimpse of "metakatsu," people mimicking stories from the LEX CDs. The third week, they were almost on time and witnessed SADA (Sing Along, Dance Along), people dancing to the music as they sang. "This is a crazy group," he thought. Definitely, he did not want to have anything to do with them. (I took it for granted that SADA was natural to Mexican people. I thought dancing was in their genes, but Mauro proved me wrong.) But Adriana and Nancy enjoyed it so much that they wanted to join the club. Reluctantly, Mauro joined for the sake of his loved ones.

That was the beginning of Mauro's relationship with LEX. Now, people are everything to Mauro. He became the fellow (facilitator) of the club in Cuernavaca. His members are literally his extended family. He is always thinking about how he can make the club more interesting to them and his members respond to him by volunteering to make it better. One thing Mauro said to me I will never forget: "Although you will forget what's given to you, you will never forget what you discover." He goes to his club every week with a fresh mind, wondering what he will discover this time.

When I arrived at Mauro's house, Paco and Paco (father and son) stopped by to say hello. Father Paco is in an advertising business and he had made a banner and name cards for the Transnational Congress. I was flabbergasted when son Paco, 16 years old, recited a "Sonoko" scene in Japanese with such fluency that if I had closed my eyes I would have believed he was Japanese. He has been a member for only six months. Paco and Paco were really enjoying listening to and mimicking languages. It was a game to them. All of Mauro's members came to the Transnational Congress except one who was out of town on business. I had chances to ask why they joined the club. Ruby with Alexia, who is a darling five years old, said she wanted her daughter to retain her English which she had picked up during their one-year stay in Texas, but that she found much more than that in LEX. Another mother, Judy, with two little sons simply said that it was a healthy environment for her children. They are the newest members and Judy already speaks several languages.

The secret why Mexican members enjoy the activities so much seems in direct relation to how much they listen to the CDs and how much they can share the stories together. No game is fun unless you know the game.

Now, let me tell you some words that I picked up, and the struggles I had during my stay. I list my acquired words first under headlines of reasons why I think I still remember them.

#1 Surprise Javier took me to Ballet Folklorico de Mexico at a beautiful palace theater. The dance was about Mexican history and the different regional cultures within Mexico. Then, we went to Museo Nacional de Antropologia. I was impressed with the richness of the Mexican heritage and its history. Javier remarked, "Historiamente, es muy rico." I was really surprised because I had only associated "rico" with delicious food like in the Sonoko's dinner scene. Evidently, it is used just like "rich" in English or "yutaka" in Japanese. The surprise at the beginning and making sense later imprinted the word strongly on me.

#2 Humor Mauro got tongue twisted when he was talking to the public. He said, "desvestido (undressed)" when he meant to say "divertido (happy.)" Well, desvestido could be divertido.

#3 Motivation Eddy in Mexico greeted me with, "Long time, no see," when we met again. The way he said it was so natural and so smooth that it moved me. This is American slang, something that you either know or you don't. He loves to watch movies, and he must have picked it up in a movie. Use it or lose it. I bet he seizes every opportunity to exercise this phrase. Well, well. I wondered what I would like to say as smoothly as Eddy's Long-Time-No-See. On the program for the Congress, there were a few words that appeared every day: Desayuno, Comida, Cena - Breakfast, Lunch, and Supper. Since I will continue to have the three meals every day for the rest of my life, I decided to use these Spanish words from then on. One of the greatest things about LEX is that I get to use them to practice every week with the members who will listen eagerly to what I have to say.

#4 Frustration Javi-chan was eating breakfast. I wanted to ask, "What are you eating?" Such a simple thing, but I realized I didn't know yet how to say it. Of course, I could have said, "Qué comer?" But I wasn't satisfied with it. A mí me gusta leer y escribir. Language is my hobby and I was no longer happy with "me Tarzan, you Jane". Martha saw my frustration and rescued me. "Kyoko-chan, "Qué estas comiendo?" What a relief it was.

This -iendo sounded familiar. I had heard it somewhere before. I became curious and I searched in the LEX CDs. Sure enough, they are all over in Sonoko's story and Kabajin's stories. Sometimes it is -ando but, nevertheless, it's "doing something." "Yo estoy escribiendo la report," "Todos estamos cantando, bailando en México." This new toy gives me great satisfaction. Next time when my husband is not listening to me, I could say "Estas escuchando, querido?"

#5 Friends This time in Mexico I saw many people whom I met last year. Since I know them already I could not say, "Encantada de conocerte." Carmen gave me a helping hand. "Estoy muy contenta con ustedes." Well, so easy! "I am happy to be with you." I could use this phrase in my club, too. Paco and Paco taught me to say "sientense" instead of "sientate" since there were more than two people involved whom I asked to sit down.

Above are some of the phrases and words I picked up, though I confess that I was confused a lot of the time. For example, I mixed up "hombre" (man) and "hambre" (hungry), creating a rather humorous moment. But I took it all in stride as part of what I was discovering that, as Mauro had told me, I would never forget. Reflecting on what I learned in Mexico, and supported by a strong desire to speak more and more Spanish, I have been focusing on organizing what I know in my mind so I can readily retrieve it. I am listening to the LEX CDs differently, creating situations in my mind and then in my life where I can use and enjoy new phrases. For example, sometimes I listen focusing on phrases I can use to insert into a conversation, such as "qué estupendo!," "qué maravilla," "qué simpático." Sometimes I look for phrases I could use to describe myself, like "Yo nací en Tokyo, Japón," from Abuelito's scene. Curiosity and desire to "hablar más y más" continues, and I am organizing and focusing on what I have already known so I can readily retrieve and enjoy at any time. This is a big gain for me on this trip. Now each Hippo club meeting, and each time I listen and sing along with the CDs, is an opportunity for fresh discovery.

Now, finally about the Transnational Congress. It was held at Las Estacas, which is a long strip of wooded natural land with a river meandering throughout the site. Kids and adults alike swam there, jumped into it, or swung over it with ropes tied to trees. In addition, there were three pools for the less adventurous, like me. We all stayed in thatched-roof cottages, which had a tropical village feel. We gathered together on an open stage with a half-circle thatched roof, which protected us from the sun, showers, and occasional thunderstorms at night. The place was lush and green during the day, and starry at night.

The program was loosely structured with lots of freedom. We thought about "Disfrutamos del ser natural," the theme of the Congress, and about "Vamos a Disfrutar de Ser Ciudadanos del Mundo - Let's enjoy being world citizens." There was a discussion among the adults in Spanish about effects of hearing and listening for acquisition of language, while the kids drew pictures on the theme of "How do you feel being in LEX?"

Of course, we did "metakatsu." There was some magic in sharing the same LEX stories with a hundred people from all over the world, and of "singing the sounds" together. The sonic dynamism was so much grander than playing solo or in a small group. There was a pleasing realization that a community wouldn't have to share geography, and that sharing the same stories would bring people from all corners of the world together. Young and old, men and women, strangers and old friends, all alike. We "enjoy being world citizens." I think this is what Ruby meant when she said she had found much more in LEX than just retaining her daughter's English.

I felt the same thing two years ago when the Mexican host families welcomed us to their country by recreating the Airport Scene from the "Sonoko" CD. When we "sang" the scene together in Spanish and Japanese, total strangers instantly became a family. In the Congress, the transnational version CDs were played with all 17 different languages, including some to which I normally don't listen. Each time the rhythm and melody of a language changed, my body mood changed with it. My ears shifted gears to catch the changed rhythm. I realized that listening to different languages trains the ears and that's why people from multilingual countries can pick up another language faster. They have trained ears!

It reminded me of when I first came to the United States, some 30 years ago. Then, I was speaking English with a Japanese/British accent. When my mother-in-law heard me talking for the first time, she exclaimed, "What a charming accent you have!" What else could she have said? She didn't understand a word I was saying. She was brought up in the South and not exposed to foreign accents.

At night, Javier urged me to dance with him by doing "metakatsu" (mimicking) to non-SADA dance music. We copied other people's movements. It worked! I didn't have to be a spectator simply because I didn't know the steps. SADA at the Congress was spectacular. At times, it was like a jamming session between Mexican and Japanese groups, alternately showing their own versions of SADA. The rest of us danced along copying them. Next year, the USA will have to bring our own versions to more actively participate.

What is it about this SADA, I wonder? First of all, kids LOVE it. And adults can shed their self-consciousness in dancing SADA, too. They express themselves in dancing. I like it simply because it's fun. I guess dancing is a human nature unless one becomes like Adam or Eve (i.e., self-conscious).

I heard another SADA story from a chaperone who brought ten young kids from Japan to New Jersey this summer. After arriving late at night, on the following morning when the host families were about to come to meet them, the kids were still lethargic, with no smiles on their faces. For some reason she played SADA songs, and then the kids started dancing to the music. The next thing she knew, when the host families arrived the kids were all emanating energy and they went over to their families to greet them with big smiles. I always thought SADA is like a stretch exercise before the real game of sport begins. It loosens me up. But it seems to give us an energy boost, too.

At the Congress, the kids were in their normal playing mode while the adults acted with much more intensity. We adults were the ones who had to let go of the shackles that we put on ourselves in our everyday lives. A 71-year-old Japanese friend in kimono danced with energy and abandon till 2 a.m. And then, she went back to her room to change her clothing to dance more. It continued till 3 a.m., when everybody else finally became ready to go to bed. "Enjoy being natural." "Enjoy being world citizens."

This Congress gave us a great opportunity to do that. As Javier would say, it was a chocolate cake for us to enjoy. I savored every bite of it.

All of the above members received travel funds from the Kumi Greissman Exchange Scholarship Fund.