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Hello
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Finally got around to writing my introduction. I’ve procrastinated because I hate introducing myself, since there’s no easy way to keep it short, sweet and clear.
Let’s see…
I was born in Japan in Kawasaki City which is in the suburbs of Tokyo and left there when was 2 years old. Both my parents worked for the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
When I was two, my father become a senior scientist at IRRI (The International Rice Research Institute), and one of the requirements of this job was that the family had to relocate to the Philippines (to circumvent lonely males going around doing things they shouldn’t be doing with the local females - I was later to learn), so I moved there.
I lived in this place called: IRRI Staff Housing. People tell me it’s pretty much the same set-up as an American military base without the PX or other amenities.
The place was artificially American and we celebrated all the American holidays pretty much.
The inhabitants came from different parts of the world but it was predominantly American at the end of the day and the kids grew-up conditioned to the way of American life. This would later on become very apparent when kids from the compound had little trouble fitting into American life in America but had serious problems elsewhere. It didn’t matter which nationality they were.
My father was a plant physiologist. I asked him what this was when I was little and he said, “You know how there are human doctors? Well, I’m a rice doctor.”
My mom had to give-up her career in the ministry so my dad could take this job and I believe she was somewhat resentful of this all her life…until my dad died when I was twenty and she started a new career - that of a non-fiction writer in Japan. I think she was sad my father died but she was happy to not be a housewife anymore and be able to have a career of her own.
My mom was a graduate of the University of Tokyo by the way. This may not mean much to any of you but in Japan this still is THE university to go to and in her days, especially in the natural sciences the male-female ratio was 50:1. So she was very proud of this accomplishment indeed.
So how did this impact me?
Let’s just say there was lots of pressure to perform well in academics, especially math and science. Sadly I had a high apptitude for science because of the superior education my parents had given me since I was a toddler, but I just wasn’t born to do math very well and this made my years in school somewhat of a nightmare. Moving countries didn’t help either. I was one year in New Zealand and one year in the U.S. and the different curriculums meant I missed geometry completely or missed learning how to use decimals…and later on went through hell trying to catch up.
When I say I just wasn’t born do do math, I mean I just simply didn’t have the right kind of mindset to excel in it. I’d say my math peaked at the end of the eight grade when I scored in the top 1% (Stanford Binet) and people who had worse scores than me at the time went on to become engineers and doctors, but hey…math just wasn’t for me. I suck at it!
Anyway so it was a life of stuggling with math and Japanese. I’m not very good at foreign languages either and soon Japanese was a foreign language for me because English had become my main language. Later on when I started French at school, this would also add to my woes…I was a terrible student and I have no idea why some of my French teachers liked me so much. Perhaps it was because I was a quiet as a mouse in class versus the smart asses.
Note: I was quiet because I didn’t want to speak French :p
I went to school 5 days a week, first to a local Filipino school then later on to the International School in Manila. On Saturdays I went to the Japanese school in Manila. Until I started highschool, I had two sets of homework to do for two schools. I think I ended up not doing any of it because I felt overwhelmed. I was one of those serial homework forgetters. I still remember that day when Mr. Gakutan threw both me and Cyril (this French boy) out into the hallway with our desks and told us to do our math homework and we weren’t let back inside until we finished it. We finished it in 5 minutes I think and were let back in and now I ask myself…why the heck didn’t I do it if I could do it that quickly. It wasn’t difficult stuff!
You know…this is getting way too long…so I think I’m going to stop writing now. And I guess this is why procrastinated so long to even attempt writing this thing…
Let’s just say I didn’t return to Japan until I was 18 years old. By then I was hopelessly not Japanese and never would be. I lived there for 20 years after that and then escaped to the UK then Spain to make a long story short.
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January 4th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
AYAKO! Awesome story. Two very intelligent parentals producing a very bright kid. For someone to do so well at something they don’t feel comes easily is FAR more of an achievement! Anyway I think everyone knows who you are, but it’s awesome to get your background!.. so belatedly, WECLOME!!
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January 4th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
Ayako, about the homework thing.. I am one of those people that CAN do homework in 5 mins, but doesn’t take the time just because I forget. I really don’t know why, but I cant.
And where in the Philippines did you live? I was born there. Was it just Manila?
But anyways, welcome (kinda) LOL.
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January 4th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
Welcome to tckid, Ayako! haha
“My father was a plant physiologist. I asked him what this was when I was little and he said, “You know how there are human doctors? Well, I’m a rice doctor.”
LOL, rice doctor! I love that. Your dad has a sense of humor.
It was interesting to read your story!
“I lived there [Japan] for 20 years after that and then escaped to the UK then Spain ”
You had enough of Japan? I escaped the UK for Canada lol
Isn’t it great to no longer have to worry about math or Japan anymore?
Here’s your picture welcome!
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June 18th, 2008 at 4:10 am
I just noticed the responses now…lol
Kristine: I lived in Los Banos, Laguna. The place where you can buy these amazing Buko pies. We also have hot springs hence the name: Los Banos.
The IRRI Staff Housing was located inside the UPLB campus, so we were doubly sheltered from the ‘real world’ until I started going to school in Manila (where mind you we were locked inside the school with barbed wire) and I only saw the real world when I started to sneak off campus in my junior and senior years to go to Makati Commercial Center.
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June 18th, 2008 at 4:23 am
A rice doctor; so cool!
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