Our New PA: Louise Ortiz
As you all know, we recently said goodbye to Meghan Gallaspy as our PA. While we wish her all the very best, now we welcome her successor, Louise Ortiz, a third year JET, who we were lucky enough to interview here.
Louise is originally from Los Angeles, California, and is first generation Salvadorian-American. She spent her early years in Los Angeles then moved to Reno, Nevada where she went to high school and university. She currently lives in the suburbs of Hiroshima city, on the coast. She’s also no stranger to working in JET organizations, having served as VP of the Hiroshima JET Scholarship fund this last year. Now as PA, she has taken over as Executive Director of the scholarship fund.
So Louise, tell us a little about yourself. What do you like to do?
I’m an artistic person; I sketch a little and do watercolor too. I’m also a poet and working on my first novel, which is taking so much time to finish. Writing is hard, guys, but I want to finish it by the end of this year. I play contrabass too. Right now, I’m working on some jazzy tunes and will hopefully do some classical work soon too.
Wow, you’re so creative! So, what about TV or movies. Are you watching anything right now?
Yeah, I love watching anime. I’m super into “My Hero Academia” right now. It’s a little cliché, but I love Deku the most! His character growth is so awesome to watch and honestly makes me feel like with some faith and hard work I could do anything too.
That’s great. I agree, he’s such an inspirational character. So, what about before you came to Japan? What did you do before JET?
Well, I was a preschool teacher for about a year. Then I got my TEFL certificate and volunteered to teach English at a Women’s Center. I was also a language exchange conversation partner in university and often held informal classes.
Wow, you’ve had a lot of experience teaching English. Is this your first time in Japan?
No, I actually spent a year studying in Okinawa before I joined JET. I’ve now been here for 3 years and I’m hoping to pass N3 JLPT.
You are? How long have you been studying Japanese?
I have about 5 years of formal Japanese study, but I’ve been self-studying for the last 5 years or so.
Well good luck! I remember being super stressed about taking my JLPT, but you sound a lot more prepared than I was, haha. So, onto my next question. With the pandemic, we can’t really leave our prefecture. However, you’ve been in Hiroshima for 3 years now. Are there any places you’d recommend visiting in Hiroshima once things settle down?
Oh man, I have a ton of recommendations! Ha! It’s a bit far, but if you ever get a chance, I recommend going to Cafe Dusty Arts. You can get there by bus or on the Astramline. It’s got a gorgeous view and really good tea and food. Diana Faulkner wrote a lovely article about it on WIV, so definitely check that out. [Find it here: LINK]
If you’re like me and prefer paper books, there’s a few awesome places that carry books in English. There’s two near Hiroshima Station, which is currently under construction and a bit of a maze to get out of now. The first is on the 2nd floor of Eki City right in front of the Starbucks, there are a few shelves there with travel books and books by famous Japanese authors. If you’re into astrology, like me, there is a section that floats around the first or second floor sometimes. The second is in Fukuya across from Hiroshima Station. On the tenth floor there’s a huge bookstore that has an aisle of English books, and this one has a larger selection of novels and nonfiction.
But perhaps my biggest recommendation for books is LECT. LECT has the biggest bookstore in Hiroshima, I think. I think that it has the largest collection of English books of anywhere else, however, they’re mostly for decoration. The English books tend to be on high shelves or in random corners that need filling, but if you’re willing to hunt for it, you might find some treasures.
Oh really? That’s good to know. So, onto your role as PA. With the current situation, things have been difficult lately for all of us. I imagine this must be a challenging time to take over. Do you have any goals you want to achieve as PA?
I do. I think my first priority right now will be to strengthen the sense of community among ALTs. The pandemic has kept us apart and I imagine I’m not the only one that feels isolated and stressed. I want to revamp Meghan’s PA Corner monthly bulletin. I also want to make sure that everyone is well informed and has the resources and support they need to work and live well.
That’s great! I think a lot of us are feeling isolated and stressed lately with everything that’s going on. Do you have any advice or words of wisdom you want to share with everyone?
Well, I can’t pretend to know or even think that I’m faring any better than anyone else. All I can really say is that you’re not alone, we’re in this mess together, and I hope that you’re taking care of yourself as best as you can. I hope you guys know that it’s okay to ask for help when you need it! Whether it be emotional, mental, or physical help. And also, some advice I need to follow more often myself, which is: reach out to your friends! Sometimes that’s all it takes to flip a day, week, or month around.
That’s wonderful Louise. I think it’s important to know that we can rely on each other. And if we have any questions, it’s great to know we have you there. With that said, thank you so much for letting us interview you. Good luck in your new role!
If you would like to contact our new PA or our lovely CIR, you can find them at jet.pa.hiroshima@gmail.com. Also, be sure you’re receiving Louise’s PA Corner bulletins, the Momiji Minute! If you’re not getting them, send a message to their email. Be sure you’re up to date with all the goings on among Hiroshima JETs.
