Most people say that it's special to be a returnee. To tell the truth,it is. It is, in many ways.
Sometimes, I feel like an animal in a zoo. To most Japanese, English speakers are rare. I speak English in a perfect Eastern coast pronunciation, and that seems to be like a GAIJIN to them. To me, using English and Japanese are the same. I'm a better speaker of Japanese, but as a reader, I'm better in English.
In both countries, Japan and the USA, I was a foreigner. I learned English in an ESL(English as a Second Language)class at Sharp Elementary School, and I learned Japanese at Princeton Community Japanese Language School and Lyceum Kennedy Japanese School in Manhattan. In Japan, as I said, I was an animal in a zoo. My friends said "Say something in English!" and even if I said just Hello, they'd tease me that I'm like a GAIJIN. In the US, I've been teased that I'm a "greedy a working-ant Japanese". Somebody said that I would have to marry a SAMURAI, and somebody else said that it's wierd that I don't wear KIMONO to school.
Well, after many years, I realized that I'm not Japanese, nor American. I'm a RETURNEE. Most people in Japan achieves a 10 year education of English, but very few people gets to speak English more than I do. How come? I never know, but it makes a great advantage to me! So, I looked for a job that an English speaker was needed.
To all my friends,
I would just be glad to help you if you need help in using English or Japanese. Also, sometimes, you might have to excuse me not being a good Japanese or English speaker. However, I hate being treated like a GAIJIN. I expect you to try to understand what returnees are. We weren't born to be a biligual, we are like this as a result of past, as anyone else. To especially you, my dear boss.
