Why America?
Mia with her family, graduation day on the left and with her mom on the right
What Made You Want to Come to the United States?
Mia wanted to come to the US because it is easier to go from the United States to Japan for work with an American degree, but it is more complicated to go to the United States with a Japanese degree. Mia also wanted to avoid working for a regular Japanese company because the working culture in Japan is quite toxic. She also included that you make a lot more money in the US. Her original plan was to work in the US until she was around 30, then permanently move back to Japan, but recently, she has grown very fond of the US. Instead, she wants to try working in Japan in the next five years and decide which country she prefers to be in. She worries that she won’t be able to make friends once she moves back to Japan because many of her friends are scattered worldwide, some in Canada, the US, and some in Europe. Mia also included that she does not feel like a “regular” Japanese person anymore and will find it hard to relate to people when she returns because it is not common for Japanese people to study and work abroad the way she did.
What do you miss most about Japan or Hong Kong?
One of the things that Mia loves about the US is that the culture promotes a proactive, individual mindset. On the other hand, she misses the Asian mindset of putting others’ needs ahead of hers. Mia had to learn to be proactive and advocate for herself when she came to the US for college. When she is back in Japan, she feels like a weight has been lifted off of her shoulders because she doesn’t have to be as alert, knowing that her community will be looking out for her. Mia also misses the food. Although she is not Chinese, she finds Cantonese food the most comforting because she spent her childhood in Hong Kong.
How do you maintain your culture?
Mia conveyed that she struggled with this a lot. There were only five or so Japanese people at Carnegie Mellon. She could easily make friends with other people of Asian descent because she felt they had a lot in common, but it would sometimes feel like something was missing for her due to that she couldn't express her Japanese heritage to them. Mia learned to cook during this time and found this a relaxing way to reconnect with Japan. She includes that there are many more Japanese people in Boston, so she has met a couple of them through work connections and Facebook groups.
"It makes me really happy that I can speak Japanese to them!"