My family & I had come back to California. This time, our home was
a 3 bedroom townhouse in the city of Huntington Beach. Huntington Beach is located in Orange County, about 40 minutes drive south from Los Angeles. Its very famous for its beaches and is just minutes away from Disneyland and fashionable Newport Beach.
This was the first time that I had my own room. It was furnished only with a large study desk and a single bed but had a closet with plenty of room. When I was at home, I would spend most of my time in my room and daydream. I was still very shy and had a hard time making friends.
During the 10 months we were back in Hamamatsu, I had forgotten most of my english. I remember sitting with my father & my sister soon after we arrived in Huntington Beach and being embarrassed that I had forgotten how to spell “cat”! Even more embarrassing was that my sister could.
Trying to blend back into a public American school was just as difficult as it was back in Japan. For the first week, there was a Japanese boy who was asked to help us but I barely remember him. After that, me & my sister were on our own. To be honest, I was so confused in my own situation that It did not even occur to me to see how my sister was doing.
Understanding english was a problem. The teacher would ask us what year we were born and I would answer “40” for Showa 40. When asked what was our Zodiac signs, I answered that I was a twin and was subsequently scolded for telling a lie (Futago za is Gemini in english but Gemini means twin). While eating the lunch prepared by my mother, yakizakana, I was asked if that was “raw fish” and I said yes only knowing that fish was “sakana”.
Around this time, a funny incident occurred at our home. While my mother was taking a nap, my 3 year old baby sister just got up and left the house. She was buck naked. Hours later, while my mother was still asleep, a police office came to our door carring our naked sister. My sister & I still laugh about this to this day.
Little by little, I began to have confidence in my english and was slowly accepted by my school mates. But there was always a few boys that brought their World War II books and kept reminding me that Japan lost the war.
I rarely got into fights or arguments. Perhaps I lacked self confidence and wanted people to like me but did not know what to do.
Around this time, I met my first best friend. Outside of my family, he would be the first person to have a major influence & impact on my life.
a 3 bedroom townhouse in the city of Huntington Beach. Huntington Beach is located in Orange County, about 40 minutes drive south from Los Angeles. Its very famous for its beaches and is just minutes away from Disneyland and fashionable Newport Beach.
This was the first time that I had my own room. It was furnished only with a large study desk and a single bed but had a closet with plenty of room. When I was at home, I would spend most of my time in my room and daydream. I was still very shy and had a hard time making friends.
During the 10 months we were back in Hamamatsu, I had forgotten most of my english. I remember sitting with my father & my sister soon after we arrived in Huntington Beach and being embarrassed that I had forgotten how to spell “cat”! Even more embarrassing was that my sister could.
Trying to blend back into a public American school was just as difficult as it was back in Japan. For the first week, there was a Japanese boy who was asked to help us but I barely remember him. After that, me & my sister were on our own. To be honest, I was so confused in my own situation that It did not even occur to me to see how my sister was doing.
Understanding english was a problem. The teacher would ask us what year we were born and I would answer “40” for Showa 40. When asked what was our Zodiac signs, I answered that I was a twin and was subsequently scolded for telling a lie (Futago za is Gemini in english but Gemini means twin). While eating the lunch prepared by my mother, yakizakana, I was asked if that was “raw fish” and I said yes only knowing that fish was “sakana”.
Around this time, a funny incident occurred at our home. While my mother was taking a nap, my 3 year old baby sister just got up and left the house. She was buck naked. Hours later, while my mother was still asleep, a police office came to our door carring our naked sister. My sister & I still laugh about this to this day.
Little by little, I began to have confidence in my english and was slowly accepted by my school mates. But there was always a few boys that brought their World War II books and kept reminding me that Japan lost the war.
I rarely got into fights or arguments. Perhaps I lacked self confidence and wanted people to like me but did not know what to do.
Around this time, I met my first best friend. Outside of my family, he would be the first person to have a major influence & impact on my life.