Prior to our winter break, I was tasked with creating a Lyrical Essay. A Lyrical Essay is a essay in we put ourselves in someones else shoes and depict a challenging part about and describe those moments. My subject for this project was my uncle. Within the Lyrical Essay I talk about having to readapt every time he moves.
LYRICAL ESSAY:
You remember saying your last goodbyes as a new country awaits. You have heard a lot about the place in magazines and books but have never been there yourself. As you get in the car heading for the airport, you take one last good look at the house you grew up in as your parents are telling you to get a move on.
Goodbye, Hawaii. It was good.
Merely after a few hours on the plane you finally make it.
You Are now living on Yokota Air Force base on the eastern outskirts of Tokyo, Japan. You don’t know anyone. It’s hard to make friends but you finally find your way despite being in a school with less than 200 people per class. Eventually you find the people you are most comfortable with. Life goes on and you become familiar with the places around you on occasion, venturing off military grounds with your parents. In later years you even begin to learn the language. You start to blend in as you find a sense of belonging. There were many memories you made there as you got to meet your extended family within the country. When looking back, it was like living in two parallel worlds the other one car ride away. You keep up with the trends as well. One of your favorite Musicians were Casey Kasem as this would be your way of immersing yourself in American Culture while living abroad in another country. While living in the enclave, everything from school to living your everyday life, all the puzzle pieces all in. You feel as just have fully adjus-.
The climate is warm again. This place looks familiar. However, you are with new people in a new school but you are in the same state. Hawaii. Middle school doesn’t really seem that bad. All of the trends you have gotten from the Military base carry with you when you return. When high school rolls around, you start to put the pieces together. You start to make friends again, even reuniting with friends from elementary school. Pearl City High School was just like any other high school in the state. Luckily for you living only 2 blocks away doesn’t seem that bad. At least there is only one world. On the positive side, you can listen to Casey Kasem more often. Towards the end of high school, you find out that you will be attending college in a different state. You say goodbye to your friends for the last time. Or so you thought. You start to feel a chill down your spine.
It’s cold now. There’s snow on the ground. You have never seen it until now. There’s a crunching as you walk to class. This would be an ongoing theme during your 24 year stay in Washington. Dorm life is nice. You recall taking trips with your friends to Coeur d’Alene during your breaks. In an instance, you recall some locals talking to you the wrong way. Your frat brothers step in to diffuse the situation. Overall, life in Washington was nice, the only problem being the rain. Following college, you move into a dorm with a few friends from college and would stay there for the remainder of your stay. Finally you feel as if you have assimilated.
But then, the plug is pulled once again. You are kind of used to this theme. You have learned from your past experiences, of what it is like to move from place to place. Your roots are having to grow back into the soil every time. Although you feel as if you are getting better at it, a little piece of you is left behind, a seed. You can start to feel the heat once again, Clark.
Below is my transcript, of my subject Clark Abe.
Q: What was it like growing up in Hawaii in the late 70s and early 80s?
A: “Compared to current times, things seemed less complicated. That may sound cliche, but it’s true…there was hardly any electronic entertainment (Atari Pong was as ‘tech’ as it got) , so as youngsters, we played touch football in the streets, caught tropical fish in streams, and sometimes went to the mall and bought records.”
To this day, what sticks out to you the most? “I suppose all of those examples above are fond memories. I really enjoyed pop music, and would listen to Casey Kasem’s Top 40 countdown every weekend. I would even keep a weekly list of the countdown in a composition notebook.”
Q: What was it like to grow up in japan?
A:“Well, I lived there from the age of 5 to 10, so most of my memories are a bit vague, but I’d think it wasn’t much different from growing up in the States. I attended an elementary school on an Air Force base, so students were taught the same English-based curriculum. The main difference was the experience of traveling the country…our family has relatives there, so we had the opportunity to visit them, and also see other parts of Japan outside of the military base.”
Q: If you could go back in time to that time where would you go? Why? “To this day, I’ve never been to Kauai nor Molokai. I imagine it being more pristine back then, so it would’ve been nice to visit those islands back in the day.”
Where are some other places where you lived? “If we’re talking about my childhood, just Hawaii and Japan. After high school, I moved to Seattle for college, and lived there for about 24 years.”
Q: What words, definitions, or ideas do you associate with the word “citizen”? How do these associations line up with your experiences when it came to living in all of these places? A: “In these politically-polarizing times, this is a question we all need to ask ourselves…is one who simply possesses official documents any more of a “citizen” than another who has emigrated and law-abidingly works hard to achieve the American dream? Hawaii is the cultural melting pot of the Pacific, and I’d consider anyone who positively contributes to society a “citizen”, whether they have papers or not.”
Q: Can you tell me a story about a time you felt pre-judged based off the places you have lived? A: “As a child, I really had not yet developed the sensibility to detect pre-judgement, but there have been instances in the early 80’s while attending college when I experienced some racism. You want a story? Some fraternity brothers and I took a road trip to Couer dx’Alene, ID and ran into a few locals who didn’t take too kindly to people of color. Without getting into details, we had numbers on them, and ‘quelled the situation’. Not at all condoning the somewhat aggressive manner we chose to handle it, but if they were going to talk that talk, then they should’ve expected blowback.”
Q: Are there any recent stories that the media covers about the places you have lived? A: “Well, Japan seems to be very concerned with North Korea’s missile tests, and how much support the United States is really willing to offer. Hawaii is currently involved with a divide concerning the construction of a telescope atop Mauna Kea, land native Hawaiians consider sacred.”
Q: Do you have feelings for the places that have changed since you have moved? “Of course, I’m concerned with the North Korea situation…it’s not only a problem for Japan, but for many other countries as well. As for Seattle, homelessness has reached a critical point and something needs to be done soon.”
Q:What were the reasons for living in these places? “Obviously, my father’s work dictated where I lived as a child. I moved to Seattle to matriculate at the University of Washington.”
Do you think anything else played into a major role while you lived in these places? (what dictated you to stay?) “I suppose I chose to live in Seattle after college because I had employment opportunities.”
Q: Which of these places were your favorite to live in and why? “Hawaii will always be home, but I still have a fondness for Seattle because of friends and some family who reside there.”
In which specific areas of American life/culture do you feel the most included in your life? Did it vary by place? A: “‘American life’ somewhat differs when comparing Hawaii to communities on the ‘mainland’. For example, households containing multiple generations and relatives living under one roof are not uncommon. But it is just another facet of American culture. I guess that’s the cool thing about America…that we’re all interestingly diverse.”
Q: Did you ever feel like your Race, Gender, Ethnicity etc. played a role in where you lived? Where did it impact you the most? A: “Certainly. I wouldn’t choose to live in a non-progressive community, or one that didn’t share and/or tolerate my beliefs. Who would? Both Hawaii and Seattle seem to fit the criteria I require to live comfortably.”