I really enjoyed the Portland trip. During trip, I went to various kinds of places which include other colleges, shops, and memorials. Then, I could feel different culture, Japanese, and Japanese-American history. I had three memorable experiences there.
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| Special experience |
First, I got a special experience when I went to Columbia Basin College. There, we met some students who study Japanese. We were separated into small groups for talking with them. My partner was Haruna. We talked with Amanda and Newton. Amanda is a freshman. I was surprised at her age, because she is sixteen years old! When I was that age, I was a freshman in high school. She taught us about the system of grade skipping at her school. She graduated her high school after only two years. Then, I felt American culture is dissimilar culture to Japan. In Japan, it is not usual. However this situation would be common here, so I can see a diverse generation. During our conversation, we explained about our presentation. This was good training for me, but it was so difficult. My presentation topic is Japanese elementary school education, and I describe elementary school student’s life. I have to explain to them who don’t know about Japanese elementary school. When I talked about this to them, I tried to speak without my research paper, because it’s not good to just read it. Nevertheless, it was so difficult for me still. I felt I require more practice before my presentation. After I finished talking about that, they gave me some good advice. They said I need more deep explanation. Before my presentation, I have to explain more to audience who don’t know about Japanese culture. I could clarify what I should do for my presentation. It’s a particular experience for me.
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| Japanese snack!! |
Next, Uwajimaya was an impressive incident for me, because it was my first time to go to an Asian market in the U.S. Uwajimaya is a high quality Asian grocery and gift market, so I could feel “Japan” there. I didn’t think that I would buy some Japanese foods such as natto, umeboshi in America. There are actual Japanese food materials which we can purchase at a Japanese store. The shop made me exhilarated Also, there is Kinokuniya which is a famous Japanese book store. I could see Japanese comics, magazines, and books. I was surprised at the price, because everything was twofold the cost. I couldn’t believe these prices. It was a splendid occasion to visit Asian market in America.
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| consequential memorial |
Finally, Japanese-American Memorial was a consequential learning for me. During this semester, we read “Weedflower”. This book is a historical novel, so it taught us about Japanese-Americans. The story is based on a real story, but I couldn’t believe the history. By visiting there, I felt that the history was real. There are thirteen stones about the history of Issei and their descendants. I could read short poems and names of internment camps. They emphasize Japanese-American history. It was an impact things for me, but I felt Japanese-American history more and more. I was proud of visiting there and learned about this history. This memorial was good for understanding about “Weedflower” more deeply, so it was important to visit that place.
During this trip, I could have unforgettable experiences. I was glad to be able to go to there as an extension student. I thank my parents for permitting me to come back here. I could get these wonderful experiences here, so I want to talk about my unforgettable memories to them.
