Small World

Today, after my very last class of my graduate school (!!!), I went to the restroom and ran into a professor that I've known since undergrad. She was a Japanese professor at Penn State and we both moved to LA three summers ago. It was a mere coincidence that we moved to the same city at the same time. She has known me since I was 18!! This was the first time I saw her in months. The last time I saw her, she happened to be walking right in front of me on campus. It's incredible how these things happen. My mother and I were just talking about her the other day because she was wondering if we stayed in touch and whether she could join us at my graduation. I told her we haven't really spoken to each other in a while, and there she is!!!!

It truly is amazing how these things happen. Another example is my friend Panda, formerly known as Eastcoastjap. I met him in New York when we both worked at a Japanese nursery school during their summer camp. I happened to hear from one of the teachers that he used to live in Chicago. I asked him about it because I used to live there as well (suburbs). It turns out that he and I went to the same Japanese Saturday School (well of course, because there was only one in the area...). That day, I went home and I asked my brother because they were in the same grade. We found a picture of the two of them together :)

Yes, the Satureday school...The first year I moved to Chicago from Japan, I went to the Japanese Day School. You'll hear music playing when you open that website...I was there when they wrote the school song! In addition to the Saturday School, I also went to this thing called Cram School...Many Japanese students go to cram schools to prepare for high school and college entrance exams. I actually ended up staying in the United States, but I think it's what helped me maintain my Japanese.

Too many schools. I am done!!!!!