"Yuuka!" Yuuka's mother called. "Let's go!" Yuuka hopped into the car. A sad look appeared upon her face. She was going to miss everything. Her friends, her school, her home, Japan. She was going to America.
"Mom, why do we have to go to the United States?" Yuuka complained. "Because, it will be good for our family." said Yuuka's mother. She said that about everything. Once, Yuuka asked if she could run across to the Buddha Hut, but Mother said to bring the cart and wagon to the nearest barnyard to get some milk. Yuuka asked why, and Mother said, "Because, it will be good for our family."
A year before, Father died of illness. Yuuka had been crying every night since. She'd hold her stitch doll to her chest and weep. "He's not coming back," she whispered to the doll, and then drifted to sleep.
Yuuka and her mother got to the airport. They got their tickets and waited. Soon, they headed to the plane. And zoom! Off into the air.
A few days later they finally got to the USA and adjusted in their new apartment in Olympia, Washington. Yuuka went to her new room, laid on her bed, and stared at her surroundings. "It all looks so different," she thought. There was a bed instead of a matress on the floor. There was a taller table than expected in the dining room. And the biggest changes of all were the streets and the new language. The outdoors looked nothing like Japan. There were no people carrying milkpails around their shoulders, there were no children walking around in a dragon costume, there was no Japan.
The new language was hard. It was called English. Yuuka could never tell what people were saying to each other and it got frustrating. So, Yuuka's mom signed her up for an ESL class. English as a Second Language.
Writing and reading was hard, too. When catalogs came in the mail, Yuuka didn't know what they were for.
All of this was rough on Yuuka, but school was terrible.
Yuuka walked through the halls of her new school, Kanton Elementary. She put her books and her backpack in her locker, and then had to go to the bathroom. She didn't know what to do! There was a sign that said girls and a sign that said boys. Boys looked the most like the japanese word for girls, so she went in it. Everyone looked at her. Some were shocked, and some boys screamed like little girls. Yuuka immediately went out of the bathroom. What did she do?
A girl with silky blonde hair laughed at her. "That's the boys' bathroom. The girls' bathroom is over there. Are you new here or something?" Yuka kept quiet. "What?" said the girl. "Is there something on my face or in my teeth? I knew I should've done a mirror check this morning!" The girl rushed into the bathroom. Yuuka followed her. As she followed, Yuuka got out a notepad and wrote, "Girls' bathroom: Northeast Hallway." The girl got out a pocket comb and brushed her hair. Then she got out a disposable toothbrush and brushed her teeth. A quick slide of chapstick was the finish. "Anyway," she said. "My name is Lauren Santore. I could show you around if you would like." Yuuka nodded and said, "Konichiwa Lauren-sun! Me Yuuka Monu." "Huh?" Lauren said. Yuuka added another thing to the notepad: Get better at introducing yourself.
Days went by and Yuuka's English got better. But school was even worse. People would walk by her and stretch their eyes out and tell her, "Look at me, I'm Yuuka! Konichiwa, Me Yuuka!" Yuuka hated it. She hated the bulletin board even more. The spelling bee was going on, and Yuuka wanted to give it a try. "That looks like fun." she said. "Probably not for you. We only use English words in it." said a girl. Yuuka went into the girls' bathroom this time. And cried.
She got home and went into her room. Got the matress off her bed and put it on the floor. And then rested there for a while.
Yuuka's mom came upstairs and saw Yuuka on the matress. "Put your matress on your bed, Yuuka." she said. Nothing came from her. A few seconds later, Yuuka stood up and stomped her foot and said, "You don't care about me. You don't care at all! Why do we have to live here? We would've been perfectly fine in Japan! Dad would've stayed with me!" Her mother held Yuuka's hand. "I left for America because of your dad. Before he died, he asked me if I wanted to go to America with him. I said yes. He was so excited to go, but he never got the chance." said Yuuka's mom. Then Mother walked downstairs. Yuuka cried.
Yuuka came down a little later. She saw her mother at the table with a mug of coffee. "I'm sorry," said Yuuka. "It's just, everyone's being so mean to me lately. And it hurts me terribly. They won't treat me like everybody else. I don't have any friends here." Her mother said to her, "It will come clear. After all, America is a melting pot."
The next day was the spelling bee. Word by word, Yuuka spelled them correctly. Suddenly, it was down to Yuuka and a boy named Julian. Miss Keater said to Julian, "Julian, your word is exasperate. "Can I have a diefinition please?" "To make someone angry or frustrated, often done by repeatedly doing something annoying." said Miss Keater. "Can you use it in a sentence, please?" said Julian. Miss Keater huffed, "You are exasperating me!" Julian stumbled, "E-X-A-S-P-I-R-A-T-E." "That is incorrect." said Miss Keater. "Yuuka, if you get this word right, you will advance to the District Bee. Your word is racist." "Oh, I should know how to spell racist. People have been racist to me! They've been so rude, mean, and terrible to me. It gets so annoying! I could spell it all day. R-A-C-I-S-T! You didn't hear it? R-A-C-I-S-T!" "That's correct," said Miss Keater. "You are moving on to the district bee. Congratulations, Yuuka."
America, the World's Melting Pot
"Yuuka!" Yuuka's mother called. "Let's go!" Yuuka hopped into the car. A sad look appeared upon her face. She was going to miss everything. Her friends, her school, her home, Japan. She was going to America.
"Mom, why do we have to go to the United States?" Yuuka complained. "Because, it will be good for our family." said Yuuka's mother. She said that about everything. Once, Yuuka asked if she could run across to the Buddha Hut, but Mother said to bring the cart and wagon to the nearest barnyard to get some milk. Yuuka asked why, and Mother said, "Because, it will be good for our family."
A year before, Father died of illness. Yuuka had been crying every night since. She'd hold her stitch doll to her chest and weep. "He's not coming back," she whispered to the doll, and then drifted to sleep.
Yuuka and her mother got to the airport. They got their tickets and waited. Soon, they headed to the plane. And zoom! Off into the air.
A few days later they finally got to the USA and adjusted in their new apartment in Olympia, Washington. Yuuka went to her new room, laid on her bed, and stared at her surroundings. "It all looks so different," she thought. There was a bed instead of a matress on the floor. There was a taller table than expected in the dining room. And the biggest changes of all were the streets and the new language. The outdoors looked nothing like Japan. There were no people carrying milkpails around their shoulders, there were no children walking around in a dragon costume, there was no Japan.
The new language was hard. It was called English. Yuuka could never tell what people were saying to each other and it got frustrating. So, Yuuka's mom signed her up for an ESL class. English as a Second Language.
Writing and reading was hard, too. When catalogs came in the mail, Yuuka didn't know what they were for.
All of this was rough on Yuuka, but school was terrible.
Yuuka walked through the halls of her new school, Kanton Elementary. She put her books and her backpack in her locker, and then had to go to the bathroom. She didn't know what to do! There was a sign that said girls and a sign that said boys. Boys looked the most like the japanese word for girls, so she went in it. Everyone looked at her. Some were shocked, and some boys screamed like little girls. Yuuka immediately went out of the bathroom. What did she do?
A girl with silky blonde hair laughed at her. "That's the boys' bathroom. The girls' bathroom is over there. Are you new here or something?" Yuka kept quiet. "What?" said the girl. "Is there something on my face or in my teeth? I knew I should've done a mirror check this morning!" The girl rushed into the bathroom. Yuuka followed her. As she followed, Yuuka got out a notepad and wrote, "Girls' bathroom: Northeast Hallway." The girl got out a pocket comb and brushed her hair. Then she got out a disposable toothbrush and brushed her teeth. A quick slide of chapstick was the finish. "Anyway," she said. "My name is Lauren Santore. I could show you around if you would like." Yuuka nodded and said, "Konichiwa Lauren-sun! Me Yuuka Monu." "Huh?" Lauren said. Yuuka added another thing to the notepad: Get better at introducing yourself.
Days went by and Yuuka's English got better. But school was even worse. People would walk by her and stretch their eyes out and tell her, "Look at me, I'm Yuuka! Konichiwa, Me Yuuka!" Yuuka hated it. She hated the bulletin board even more. The spelling bee was going on, and Yuuka wanted to give it a try. "That looks like fun." she said. "Probably not for you. We only use English words in it." said a girl. Yuuka went into the girls' bathroom this time. And cried.
She got home and went into her room. Got the matress off her bed and put it on the floor. And then rested there for a while.
Yuuka's mom came upstairs and saw Yuuka on the matress. "Put your matress on your bed, Yuuka." she said. Nothing came from her. A few seconds later, Yuuka stood up and stomped her foot and said, "You don't care about me. You don't care at all! Why do we have to live here? We would've been perfectly fine in Japan! Dad would've stayed with me!" Her mother held Yuuka's hand. "I left for America because of your dad. Before he died, he asked me if I wanted to go to America with him. I said yes. He was so excited to go, but he never got the chance." said Yuuka's mom. Then Mother walked downstairs. Yuuka cried.
Yuuka came down a little later. She saw her mother at the table with a mug of coffee. "I'm sorry," said Yuuka. "It's just, everyone's being so mean to me lately. And it hurts me terribly. They won't treat me like everybody else. I don't have any friends here." Her mother said to her, "It will come clear. After all, America is a melting pot."
The next day was the spelling bee. Word by word, Yuuka spelled them correctly. Suddenly, it was down to Yuuka and a boy named Julian. Miss Keater said to Julian, "Julian, your word is exasperate. "Can I have a diefinition please?" "To make someone angry or frustrated, often done by repeatedly doing something annoying." said Miss Keater. "Can you use it in a sentence, please?" said Julian. Miss Keater huffed, "You are exasperating me!" Julian stumbled, "E-X-A-S-P-I-R-A-T-E." "That is incorrect." said Miss Keater. "Yuuka, if you get this word right, you will advance to the District Bee. Your word is racist." "Oh, I should know how to spell racist. People have been racist to me! They've been so rude, mean, and terrible to me. It gets so annoying! I could spell it all day. R-A-C-I-S-T! You didn't hear it? R-A-C-I-S-T!" "That's correct," said Miss Keater. "You are moving on to the district bee. Congratulations, Yuuka."