【えいごで読む物語】Welcome to the Neighborhood : Houston, Texas(英文)のアイキャッチ

【えいごで読む物語】Welcome to the Neighborhood : Houston, Texas(英文)

編集スタッフ:Sam


この『えいごで読む物語』シリーズでは、ランカル英会話に所属するメイトの日常や思い出をえいごでお届けします。

今日は、アメリカ出身・Samが暮らしていた「ヒューストン」の街並みをお届けします。
彼が暮らしたその街は、ストリートアーティストによるアートや音楽に溢れた、活気のある場所だそうです。
コラム内にはSamが実際に撮った美しい壁画アートも登場しますよ♪

初心者の方は「エクステンシブ・リーディング(多読)」の読み物として、こちらのシリーズを読んでみることをオススメします。

この練習法ではわからない単語があっても、飛ばしてとにかく最後まで読み進めていくため、読む力がついたり、自然な文章の組み立てもできるようになります!
詳しくは下にまとめてみたのでチェックしてみてくださいね。

エクステンシブ・リーディング(多読のススメ)1つ1つ訳さず、わからないところは飛ばして大まかな意味だけ把握しつつ、大量の文章を読む方法。原文のまま意味を捉える英語のセンスが身につく!①多読で英語の読む力、内容を把握する力がつく ②読み慣れると英語らしく音読・リズム感が掴める ③英語の文章を組み立てられるようになる

また押さえたい英単語や表現については、記事内で随時まとめていたり、最後にリーディングスキルを養う上で役立つ学習動画をご紹介しています。

まずは大まかな意味を把握しつつ、最後まで一度読むことを目標にチャレンジしてみましょう!

英文を読むという習慣は、ボキャブラリーやネイティブ表現の習得など英会話に役に立つので、ぜひ挑戦してみてくださいね。

 

Intro

Now what does this mean? Does it mean that the population suddenly shrinks to a fraction of what it was when you moved there?

Absolutely not.

What this means is that, if you live somewhere long enough, you find your place in that city. This is largely in part due to the areas that you spend your time contributing a lot to your experience living there. The experience of local culture is often much stronger than simply sight-seeing or sticking to the largest hubs in a given city.

This is very easy to see in a city as large as Tokyo. The construction of the city feels very much like an assembly of other cities. From Shimokitazawa to Roppongi to the quiet suburbs of Nerima, the experiences are vastly different from station to station.

At LanCul, the mates often discuss their hometown, or their home country in the broader sense, but do not often get the opportunity to dig into the details of the unique neighborhoods which we lived in. This article will introduce a local neighborhood from one of our LanCul mates!

Sam: Houston, Texas USA


When many people hear the word “Texas” their immediate impression is that of John Wayne-type cowboys, conservative thinking, deserts, and if you’re lucky, barbecue. However, coming from Houston (the 4th largest city in the US,) that image is very distant to me.

The part of Texas that I grew up in was very diverse and dominated by industry. While I grew up in the suburbs, when I was 18 I moved out to live on my own in the inner city, and from then until moving to Tokyo, I spent a bulk of my time in the area called Montrose.

Just west of downtown Houston, Montrose is a cultural center in Houston, home to countless restaurants, live houses, museums, bars, and used clothing stores. It is a colorful part of the largely industrial city boasting murals and large art pieces by some of the city’s top street artists.

via Hotels.com
*This was the bar/live house and cafe across the street from my apartment

In the 1980’s the neighborhood was the center of the LGBTQ+ community and still today remains as an inclusive and accepting community for all walks of life. This is an area that celebrates the freedom to be yourself.

When I was living in Montrose, I would spend sunny afternoons relaxing in Menil Park situated between The Menil Collection and the Rothko Chapel, and I would spend nights grabbing drinks with some friends at my favorite local dive bar or catching local bands playing at the live house right across the street from my old apartment. Many of the local cafe and bar owners knew me by name, and I was lucky enough to occasionally enjoy a drink on the house.

What I miss most about this area is by far the local music and art scene. 2-3 times a week I could catch a local concert and meet with a tight-knit community of people who were there to support local music.

The cafes in the area would display artwork by local artists and also host an open mic night where people could come and try their hand at performing in front of a small crowd. I worked as a cook and a server at one of these local cafes, and I still miss the community that surrounded it.

If I were to compare it to an area of Tokyo, I would say it is a combination of Koenji and Shimokitazawa. Many similar features such as used clothing stores, live houses, and trendy restaurants are in both areas.

Summer nights of going to shows, drinking cheap beer and getting tacos on the walk home are some of the best memories that I have from this part of town, and every time I go back to Houston, I make sure to visit my old stomping grounds.

In conclusion


This is just one example of a local neighborhood in Houston Texas. Whether local culture, family, atmosphere, or even food, there are a world of various experiences in any given city.

These experiences define the impression of a city and can be different from even two different people from the same city. Every person in every city knows a different side of that city and has their own experience to share.

How is your experience with local culture? If you want to ask any of our mates about their old stomping grounds, or want to flex your English skills by sharing your own stories, come visit us online or in person anytime at LanCul!

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「テキサス」と聞くと確かに「カウボーイ」「砂漠」なんてイメージが湧いてしまいますが、実際の街はアートと音楽に満ち溢れたカルチャーに富んだ街でしたね!
今後もメイトの出身・ゆかりのある街をご紹介していきますので、ぜひお楽しみに♪

さて、英文リーディングはいかがでしたか?
前後の文章から意味を推測する力はリーディングはもちろん、リスニングをする際にも役立ちます。
ぜひ「えいごで読む物語」シリーズでさまざまな英文に触れながら、推測力を鍛えていきましょう!

 

なかなか最後まで読むことができない…難しかったというあなた!
LanCul英会話では、リーディングにも役立つ学習動画を取り扱っています。

リーディングのほか、ライティング、マインドセット、コミュニケーションなど教科書では学ぶことの出来ない、日常的でより実践的な多様な会話を学ぶことができます。
気になる方は下のプレビュー動画をチェックしてみてくださいね。
*ランカル英会話の公式アプリなら100本以上の学習動画が見放題。すべての冒頭部分は会員登録しなくてもアプリで視聴できるのでよかったらアプリから見てくださいね。

新しい環境に適応する方法<プレビュー>

LanCul英会話とは…?

LanCul英会話は、英語上達のインプット・実践知が学べる「オンライン動画学習」をお届けしています。
「オンライン動画学習」は、1本3分から、スキマ時間に実践知が学べて、かかる費用は月々参考書1冊分程度。
アプリでは動画学習のほかカフェとオンラインで気軽に英語のアウトプットができる日本No.1「英会話カフェ」にも参加できます。
今ならすべての学習動画が見放題の無料体験を実施中!

7日間の無料体験を始める