WHO AM I

WHO AM I?

     I am a conservative Jewish American female.  My family lineage stems from mainly Russia and a small percentage from Lithuania and Canada.  My education and career background prior to Asian studies, was in music marketing, promotions as well as visual display.   I am a native Floridian but have also lived in NY, DC, TN and Japan.    I went back to college to get my Bachelor's many years after receiving my Associate's degree.   Right from the start, I decided I had to major in Asian Studies and study abroad in Japan in order for me to go back to school.   This stemmed from my interest in Japanese culture after volunteering with Sakura Matsuri in DC for four years with the Japan American Society of DC.  

     Presently, I attend Florida International University in Miami.  I went in as a transfer student in the B.A. Asian Studies program in 2013.  I spent my senior year in Japan at Kansai Gaidai in Hirakata, Osaka.  Upon returning to the states I was offered a TAship if I continued with the Master's program in Asian Studies.  I  am now completing my final research to complete my degree, president of the Asian Studies Graduate Student Organization, Volunteer coordinator at Ichimura Japanese Garden in Miami and most recently accepted a position as the Education Program Coordinator at Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach, Florida.   I plan to graduate this summer after completing my research in Japan.

WHILE LIVING IN JAPAN...

• I witnessed people not sitting next to me on the bus/train or not walking down the same aisle as me at the grocery store.
• I was called "gaijin" (foreigner) with both a positive and a negative connotation.
• I heard the word "hafu" (half) for the first time.  I later found out that the word meant a person who came from one parent that was Japanese and one of another ethnicity.
• I became aware that there was an issue with some people in Japan not accepting others who have Japanese lineage via one parent as "Japanese".
• I was told much of this unacceptance may just be fear of the unknown.
• After meeting and talking with a number of multi-cultured Japanese people, I chose the topic for a project in one of my classes.  Along with another International student and a Japanese student we decided to do a documentary on the subject.