My version of Tuesdays with Morrie…

Okay I haven’t read the book by Mitch Albom, but I know the basic premise. A young guy spends his Tuesdays with an old professor or mentor and learns priceless life lessons and such…In my version the guy’s name is Jack. He’s 72 and he gives me Japanese lessons 2xs a week, on Mondays and Fridays. It is possible that he is one of my favorite things about my life here. All in all I get about 1 hour and 15 minutes of Japanese lessons, the rest of the time is spent talking about the world. The community that we live in, the good, the bad, the ugly and what we can do to make it a better place. Sometimes we talk philosophy, sometimes politics. Usually we just talk about what we think about the world. Or he explains to me, some cultural issue that I don’t understand. He is the first Japanese person that I have met in this town, that is open to bigger, more creative ideas about the world. Of course, he is an outsider just like me. He was born in North Korea, to Japanese parents. Spent much of his life working in the textile industry in Taiwan and China. Lived in NY for 3 years. Spent most of his Japanese life in Osaka, and somehow ended up retiring to my little corner of the world, 8 years ago.

I live in a town of 7,000…everyone knows everything about everybody. I go to the store with one of my guy friends, the next day my students all ask if I have a new boyfriend (their mom’s and older sister’s work at the store). In a community that small, I have managed to make only superficial acquaintances. But not to worry..Jack has lived here for 8 years…and other than his wife, he has no ties to this community. Just like me, people pretend they don’t see him when he walks down the street. In his case, I don’t really understand why it is….(he believes that the community isn’t open to outsiders, which is defiantly true.)

In my case there are a number of reasons…One of which has recently been made abundantly clear. I am Okinawin. Meaning, my father’s family is from Okinawa. I am proud of my background and my family history. Just like I am proud of the fact that I am part French and Welsh. When I came to Japan, the superintendent of schools made it very clear to me, that if anyone asked I was to say that I was Japanese, NOT Okinawin….I thought that was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard. Since I was young, I have been taught to be proud of my heritage and that I am Okinawin, not Japanese….Everything this man said to me, went against Everything my family had raised me to believe. Therefore, I never lied, nor fudged the truth, when people asked.

I am now referred to (behind my back that is) as The Okinawin. Not the American (which is what I am), nor the Foreigner (which also fits), but as The Okinawin….which I have learned in the minds of this pea-brained small town people is another word for 2nd class citizen….Welcome to racism Japanese style.

What I have learned is that much of the wrongful ways I have been treated stems from 2 things (I was born with 2 strikes against me) 1) I am an American 2) I am Okinawin with a very obvious Okinawin name. It took a moment or two after realization to come to terms with it. But I figure that I won’t be living in this town forever (9 more months to be exact) I will, however have to look myself in the mirror for a very long time. And if I were to pretend to be anything other than who I am, just to make superficial friends in this community, Well…I’m not sure I am prepared to deal with that person.

Besides, life here isn’t all bad….I mean twice a week I get to hang out with the coolest guy in town and just chill. And to me, that’s worth more than a dozen superficial friends.