Moving is hard for everyone. Between packing everything you own, saying goodbye to friends, and adjusting to a new town, it’s a stressful experience for anyone. But can you imagine moving six times before your sixteenth birthday?
“…I’ve moved around a lot because of my dad’s job. I’ve been to Hawaii, I lived in Iowa, California, Connecticut, back to Hawaii, Japan, then finally here.” North Penn sophomore Aiko Chavez said.
Chavez made her first move at just six months old, when her family left Hawaii to live in Iowa. Since then, she and her family have moved to a new place every three years.
“I’m constantly on a timer, counting down the days until I have to move again.” Chavez shared.
Just three and a half years ago, Chavez and her family made their biggest move, from Hawaii, USA to Okinawa, Japan. As expected, the culture shock was apparent. Not only did Chavez have to learn a third language, but she also had to adjust to an entirely new learning environment.
“When I was in Japan, I went to school on base. It’s basically an American school but then there were times we were able to go to the actual Japanese school for exchange programs. When we were [at the Japanese school] it was a lot different than the school [on base]…We go to different classrooms [but they] stay in one classroom and their teacher comes to them.”
There was also the matter of getting acclimated to Japan’s school year and summer break, after spending so many years following the schedule of schools in the United States.
“…[In the U.S.] our school year ends in June and we start again in August. [In Japan] it ends in March and then they start in April. And their breaks are a lot longer. They have more school than us, definitely, because they also have cram school after school.”
Wearing the school uniform, even in Japan’s famously warm weather, and eating lunch in the classroom were also significant surprises for Chavez.
“They have uniforms. It’s kind of hot in Okinawa and [the uniforms] really cover [you]. I was like ‘Woah how do they do this?’. There’s no air-conditioning in the school so I was dying.” Chavez shared.
When she wasn’t in school, Chavez was becoming immersed in the culture by seeing the island’s beautiful sights and attending some of the many festivals. She also enjoyed a variety of food.
“There are convenience stores everywhere. So, after school, I would walk to get food. They have the most delicious food like Onigiri and bentos. They’re so warm and so delicious. I miss the food.”
Despite being a foreigner who couldn’t speak the language fluently, she and her family still had pleasant encounters during their three years in Japan.
“Everyone there is really nice. Even though I can’t speak the language well and they can’t understand me, they’ll try their best. There were many instances where we didn’t know what we were doing or where we were going but they helped us even though they couldn’t speak English.”