[B.C.] keep the tradition alive.

Driving many miles to see where my grandma spent some of her time as a young adult in an internment camp, to flying to the other side of the world, I have learned more about my heritage and who I am. I am a yon-sei, or fourth generation Japanese American. Living in a household where my mother can speak fluent Japanese has grown on me as I continue to grow older, and hopefully one day I will be able to learn the language and more about who I am. 

As a family, we visited Poston, Arizona where my grandma stayed during her time in the internment camp. Many Japanese had to evacuate and leave to internment camps located in different places during World War 2. She could only bring items that she could carry, and lost all other possessions. Imagining being trapped within barbed wire, losing basically everything that I earned, and having to stay in an area that I wasn’t familiar with frightens me. Then putting it into reality and actually visiting where she stayed made it unbelievable. She fought for the Japanese with many others so that I can be who I am today. Figuring out what she had to be put through for me to be here today just makes me want to fight harder to keep the Japanese tradition alive in my family and future. 

Part of keeping the tradition alive to me is staying true to what I believe in. Since I was a baby, I have been a member of the Oakland Buddhist Church. My family has been Buddhist for many generations, and I would like to continue this. Even if I cannot attend all the time, I would still like to follow the rules of Buddhism, and the rituals that it provides. It has taught me that mistakes are okay, and that I have to live and learn. It has taught me to try my best and adapt to changes that come my way. So not only has this made me a better person and understand where I came from, but taught me personal values and has helped me in school and life in general. 

I would like to study abroad in Japan when I go to college. I think this will be a great opportunity for me to learn more about where I am from, while going to college and getting an education. I have always wanted to be able to speak Japanese so hopefully I will be able to take a Japanese class in college also. A lot of my friends are able to speak the language that they came from, which I feel rounds them off of who they really are. I would love to have the chance to do the same. 

As I continue understanding who I am more and more, I have realized that I am proud of being a Japanese American. I want to continue learning more about my culture and be the best that I can. So far it has taught me about working hard, leadership, responsibility and much more. If it wasn’t for my grandma fighting for me I would never have been the person that I am today. So I am grateful that I can fight for who I am and thankful for what has come my way.