About ten years ago, I came to Canada for the first time on a year-long college exchange program. I had never lived in a foreign country before, and even though the language wasn’t too much of an obstacle (except the speaking part), I immensely struggled with some culture shock. The shock was usually around small […]
The Muffin: a culture shock Read More »
When I was a first-year college student in Tokyo, my very first final exam was for the course titled “Introduction to Calculus”. As an enthusiastic new math major student, this was my favourite of all the courses I took in the first semester. I was so excited about the subject that I even bought a
Memory of my first college exam Read More »
The autumn when I was in Grade 3, the whole four classes of Grade 3 presented a play based on the famous folktale “The Emperor’s New Clothes” at the annual school art festival. Being fond of acting in front of other people, I auditioned and got the role for one of the weavers. In the
The Emperor’s New Clothes: when I smiled as a weaver Read More »
In October 2018, I caught a really bad cold. With the outside temperature quickly dropping and my student life at university getting busier as the Fall semester reached its turning point, I didn’t take a good care of myself. One morning, I woke up with sore throat, high fever and no voice. As I got
It was when I was about six or seven. I was visiting my maternal grandmother’s house during a school holiday, and one day my elder cousin invited me to watch a theatre play with her in the city centre. She said it was designed for young children just like me. “Do you know the story
When I watched a theatre play for the first time Read More »
When I was six, one day shortly after my little brother had passed away, I was playing with my best friend’s little sister. Usually, my friend, her sister and I hung out together, but that day, my friend was out playing with somebody else, and we were just the two of us. My friend’s sister
Throughout my young childhood, my mother was very eager to make me study basic math, believing that it would make my life at school easier if I mastered this single subject. She started her official lesson when I was about four. Every afternoon, before I could go to play with my friends, she would make
Thunderstorm: When I sat with my mother Read More »
When I was about three and my baby brother didn’t yet sit or walk, the evening bath time was a very hectic event for my mother. In our tiny half-dilapidated apartment, as soon as the bathtub was filled with the warm water, my mother would usher us all to the bathroom. She would place my
Shortly after I entered primary school, there was a meet-and-greet gathering in the school auditorium. There were about 40 children from our class and another 40 from the class next to ours. Except for one friend with whom I went to the same kindergarten, I didn’t know anybody from other classes, so I was excited
A friend made through an eye contact Read More »
The year when I was seven years old, one of my elder cousins got married and her wedding took place near my aunt’s house. My family was also invited to the party, and since we lived a little far away from the place, my caring aunt booked a room in a business hotel near the
When I made a phone call from a “luxurious” bathtub Read More »
