At first glance, people do recognize that I am of mixed race – my mother is Japanese-Argentine and my father is a German. Being raised by two immigrant parents and being racially mixed was not too uncommon in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. Because my parents met in Argentina, I grew up in a household where my parents conversed in Spanish. Therefore, I spoke German with my father and Japanese with my mother.
I grew up in Friendship Heights, a residential neighborhood, encircled by commercial structures and office buildings. Although I lived in the United States, I was mainly in a community bubble with all the other German and Japanese residents, therefore my English was very poor. I attended a German School, Kindergarten through 8th grade, and was in the College Preparatory (Gymnasium) program. This private school has a German curriculum with a main objective to deliver education to diplomatic children, living in the Washington D.C. area. On Saturdays, I attended the Washington Japanese Language School, beginning age 3 up to 7th grade. This academy, similar to the Germany School, was also mainly to carry out Japanese education to
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The troupe performed all over the Washington D.C. metropolitan area, including opening ceremonies for the National Cherry Blossom Festival, and several times at the Kennedy Center. Being part of this dance group is a privilege and unusual opportunity where I immerse myself into my Japanese ethnicity and community. The highlight of our Dance Troupe was our trip to Japan, where we performed at the Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Anniversary in 2010, and many other venues. Visiting Japan with my Dance Troupe was also a cross-cultural experience. Since I do not look entirely Asian, but speak Japanese fluently, many citizens assumed I must be entirely foreign, and frequently addressed me in