From Our Graduates
As a final farewell to our graduates and to help other parents and students learn a bit more about them, this month we are publishing a short essay from Caleb, Geoffrey, and Daya. They each talk about their lives in Japan from three perspectives: being a missionary kid, being bicultural, and being a foreigner in Japan. I hope that you enjoy hearing from them.
Life as Missionary Kid
By Caleb Chang
Hello! Today I will write about my life as a missionary kid.
First, I would like to talk about the challenges in being a missionary kid. The big challenges are that I must learn a completely new language that I never studied or learned. Another challenge is making friends. It’s hard to do because I don’t know their language and culture. Also, people might think I am strange because I speak a different language.
Second, I write about the fun things about being a missionary kid. The fun part of being a missionary kid is that I get to travel to many countries around the world and I can make missionary friends that are like me so we can relate.
The third and final thing, I will write about is why my parents wanted to become missionaries. The reason my parents felt like they were called to Japan was because of the earthquake 10 years ago. They felt that Japanese people need the Gospel and then we came when I was 8. I hope you enjoyed reading my life as a missionary kid. ☺
My Life as Half American and Half Japanese
By Geoffrey Eaton III
Hey guys! Today I’ll be talking about being a half American and half Japanese person. By the way my name is Geoffrey and I am a student at Yokohama Christian School.
People were wondering what does it look like to be half? How hard the life of being biracial? I am going to answer those questions because I am half.
First, is being half tough? Yep! It is difficult to blend especially Japanese. They mostly bully people so I am afraid of being friends with them.
Second, it is cool to be half. For me I get many friends that are girls because when I meet them, they say “you are cute and handsome!” They don’t really mean it.
Are you different from other half people? Yep, I am mix of Asian because I was born in Tokyo, Japan. I am American and have a little dark skin because my dad is an American and he is a black American.
Do you feel jealous about other because they’re pure American or Japanese? Absolutely not! I like myself just because I am handsome. Also, do you have any friends? Yeah! There’s not that many but I like them.
Challenges as a Foreigner Ling in Japan
By Dayanitha Rajesh
I am Dayanitha. I am 11 years old. I came to Japan 3 years ago, when I was 8 years old to study in the land of the rising sun and it is exciting. But in reality, there are challenges to living here in Japan as a foreigner. The challenges what I am facing as a foreigner here in Japan are the language, food, friends, weather, going to hospitals and earthquakes.
Language:
Language here in Japan is very difficult to learn and speak. I couldn’t make any friends when I go out to parks and play because of the language. I am happy I am studying at YCS, where I don’t have to worry about Japanese.
Food:
I am kind of a picky eater. I am finding it very difficult to eat some of the food here in Japan. Especially snacks. Japan has more funnily flavored snacks. I don’t eat any seafood, so I am finding it very difficult to eat here especially when we go out. I really miss my home country snacks. I am happy that I can eat onigiri and I like it.
Friends:
I could not get any friends outside school. I feel bored because of that.
Weather:
I came from a very hot place. So, the winter here in Japan is so cold. I think I am adjusting to it.
Earthquakes:
I am experiencing more earthquakes recently, which makes me so shocked and tense. Especially when it comes during early mornings. Japan is a great country and a fun place to live. But I really miss my country.
