warning Hi, we've moved to USCANNENBERGMEDIA.COM. Visit us there!

Neon Tommy - Annenberg digital news

Musings From My Motherland: Pre-Departure

Shoko Oda |
March 11, 2014 | 11:15 a.m. PDT

Columnist

Sensoji Temple in Tokyo, one of the more popular sites to see in Japan. (Shoko Oda, Neon Tommy)
Sensoji Temple in Tokyo, one of the more popular sites to see in Japan. (Shoko Oda, Neon Tommy)
A lot of students consider study abroad to be one of the most memorable parts about their college life. But can the same apply when a student decides to study abroad in her own motherland?

That's something I'm about to find out in the next few weeks. 

I'm Japanese. I was born and raised there by ordinary Japanese parents, in an area similar to what America calls the "suburbs." But when people ask me, "where are you from?" Japan's not exactly the first place that comes to my mind. 

With parents constantly being sent overseas for work, I grew up in various different places. At age eight, I left my small hometown for America, the first of many moves yet to come. I found myself in the humid city of Houston, where I spent three years learning English and discovering a country I had only seen in TV programs back in Japan. From there, my family moved around to other places, like San Francisco and Singapore, before I found myself calling USC my "home." 

With the constant relocation, I found myself removed from my motherland for 14 years of my life. Fortunately, I'm still fluent in Japanese, though my writing could use a lot of help.

But even more importantly, I began to wonder: just who was I? 

Today, I remain a Japanese citizen, but feel "American" because I spent most of my life in the American education system. My family members point out some of my personality traits, such as being opinionated and vocal about it, as something I gained from that environment.

But I'm not American, at least not nationality-wise. Yet, I have little understanding of what kind of society my motherland has come to be in the last decade or so. 

So, while I considered studying abroad in other places - like Beijing, to continue my Chinese studies - I applied in the fall of 2013 for a program at Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan. The program starts in a few weeks, and will last until the end of July. I'll be able to take classes for both my majors, but more importantly, will hopefully be able to explore and reconnect with my own birthplace. I'll hopefully improve on my Japanese writing, see other places (Tokyo isn't the only thing to see in Japan) and maybe learn a little bit more about myself along the way. 

Some of my friends have asked why I am studying abroad in my own motherland - and I guess it does sound a little weird. Why go somewhere that you were born?

Japan will always be where I was born, but in my mind, I can't connect the place as my "home country" anymore. Not when I've called other cities in drastically different countries my "home". USC and the city of Los Angeles is probably the first thing that pops into my mind when people ask the dreaded question, "where are you from?" 

But for the next four months, I guess I should try calling Tokyo my "home," with much more musings from my motherland to come. 

 

Track Shoko's journey in her new column, "Musings From My Motherland." Reach Columnist Shoko Oda here



 

Buzz

Craig Gillespie directed this true story about "the most daring rescue mission in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard.”

Watch USC Annenberg Media's live State of the Union recap and analysis here.