Keiko - University of Michigan
“The hardest part about identifying as an American is that other people don’t see me as an American. This is my culture. This is my home.”
From Me, The “Other” film
I’ve lived in Ann Arbor, MI for most of my life. My parents are Peruvian and lived in Japan for ten years working as factory workers. At the age of seven having already lived in two countries, I was accustomed to change. But I would soon experience new challenges once we came to the United States. The language barrier was an immediate issue and I couldn’t depend on my parents as they didn’t speak English. From a very young age, I had to learn and work hard to represent my family and even when I learnt the language, I wasn’t mature enough to understand some situations. I translated documents and conversations my parents would have with other adults but often times I did not have the adult vocabulary to match my kid one! I think it’s so important to have dialogue about what challenges immigrants face, but especially the challenges the children of immigrants encounter.
Who is a hero or heroine in your personal life?
“But we also know that only those who dare to fail greatly, can ever achieve greatly.” —John F. Kennedy
It is difficult not to admire the two people who sacrificed everything to bring their children to a foreign country for the chance to have it all. My parents are my heroes because they dared to fail greatly by giving up their families, good jobs, and all the comforts of home. They gave it all up, with no guarantees that their hopes for our family would become reality. Despite the hardships they endured, through hard work, they were able to give us the type of life for which they hoped. A life where we believed that even the impossible was within reach.
My great-grandfather, Kusukichi “Victor” Nakatsuka, is pictured on the left. I would have loved to meet him, not only because he is my family, but because his story holds parallels with my own. In the early 1900’s, he immigrated to Perú to work in agriculture, as many lower-class Japanese were doing at the time. I cannot imagine the culture shock he experienced. Surely it was greater than that I experienced moving from Japan to the United States. I am interested in knowing the hardships he endured, where he found the strength to continue, and everything he learned along the way. Although I will never know the answers to these questions, I find strength in knowing that even under the most difficult of circumstances, he succeeded. His descendants have now left Perú for Japan and the United States, having inherited his sense of adventure and fearlessness necessary to wish for more.
What do you do to relieve stress?
When I am stressed, I am usually the last to know. Often times, I realize that I had been stressed, after I have inevitably fallen asleep for several hours in the middle of the day. It is the defense mechanism my body has chosen. Personally, I have no complaints.
These are some of my favorite childhood photos. You may have noticed that my brother, Frank, is in every picture. This holds true for the majority of my childhood photos. The best of times, as well as the hardest of times, I have experienced alongside my brother. When we were children, we moved often. First from Japan to Perú. Then from Perú to Japan. Finally, from Japan to the United States. With several smaller moves in-between, we were each others’ constants. An important lesson was learned when I came to the realization that in all moments. I was not alone. I learned that comfort comes from the relationships we have with others, which allow us to enjoy the gifts and deal with the burdens.
