(Kha's Reflection Blog #5) Tuesday - October 17th

 Why Does The Idea of America Excite Foreigners And How Does Those False American Dream Depicted In The Memoir "Speak, Okinawa" By Elizabeth Miki Brina?

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Personal Experiences/Reflection: 👀💭

- I have never wanted to migrate to the United States, the land of liberty and opportunities, because I was genuinely happy with where I was in Vietnam. The news came suddenly on a typical morning when I was getting ready for school: I was ten years old at the time. It was quite a shock, considering the many plans I had already come up with for the summer since it was nearing the end of the school year. With the blink of an eye, I landed on American soil, specifically in Atlanta, Georgia to meet up with my dad's sister who completed all of the documents required for my family and me to go to the United States. Fun fact, I had only recently become a citizen of the United States just two months before attending Xavier University: It took me eight years. Anyway, my family and I stayed in Georgia for around a month and we decided to move to New Orleans East to live closer to my uncle on my mom's side of the family. I had always thought that the America that I always see and hear from afar either on TV or from relatives was a dream come true, but it wasn't in the slightest. My parents were struggling to adjust and the same goes for me. Learning at school was hell since I could not understand a single word that came out of anyone's mouth. My family and I have struggled for years, crying day and night for a future in this foreign land of fake liberty. Finally, after years of hardship, my parents bought a house and I was also starting to aim for the top at school to make up for all the sacrifices my parent had made for me. Now, I have finally understood the harsh reality behind the American dream. The land of living on edge. The land of danger. The land of segregation. The land of false hope. 

Class Discussion & "Speak, Okinawa" Dissection: 😨😲

- The memoir "Speak, Okinawa" has an interesting setting that connects to the idea of America being the land of freedom and opportunities. The mother of the speaker was blindly led into a marriage with a white man who was once a soldier in the US Army. The mother thought that she hit the Jackpot when a white American man came into her life, but little did she know her dream would eventually shattered because of the reality behind living in the United States. To make better worse, it was also during a time when women in the United States had little to no power as compared to men. As discussed in class, Elizabeth mom's was never able to do anything or have any say over any of the practices that Elizabeth father's often did. The mother was practically powerless and soulless to a certain extent when she realized that she was disillusioned into believing the American dream was real. This memoir serves as this piece of reflection that the daughter, Elizabeth, comes to realize as a child of a Japanese mother and American father. At a young age, she would often despise her mother because, to her, her mother was the embodiment of everything that America was not. So, for most of her young life, she was heavily influenced by her father and his practices. However, only by getting older was Elizabeth able to understand why she was wrong in judging her mother the way she did because in a way there was nothing her Japanese mother could do.

Thank you for reading ✌,

Kha