Issue 1 / September 2017 “I moved so I could return”
Malia and Jeevika’s Long Distance Newsletter
a monthly installment
Jeevika
Malia
New Delhi, India 8 years Hyderabad, India 8 years Yaounde, Cameroon 2 years Seattle, WA 4 years Washington, D.C. 3 weeks
Minokamo, Japan 5 years Vancouver, WA 14 years Seattle, WA 4 years Niimi, Japan 2 months
Meeting
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Malia met you at the Eight on University of Washington’s west campus. We had a common friend. I’m so glad I accepted his invitation to dinner, and that you joined us. I was so intimidated by you at first. You seemed smart, and a little scary. But you were passionate about something, I could tell. I soon learnt that you had moved about so much in your life. Seattle was another scary change for you. It just took some time getting to know you. And when I did, we made such great memories, riding down greek row in shopping carts, cooking posthangover omelets, taking “shots” of fireball and tallying it on our arms at a sketchy Super 8. I still cannot drink Fireball to this day. And I’m so glad.
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Jeevika
hen I sat down next to you, I was drawn to your aura instantly. You were friendly, confident, gorgeous. And you’d had such a fascinating life. I wanted to learn all about you. I didn’t have to explain too much of myself. You understood what it meant to move about growing up, and you understood what it feels like to be immersed in two very different cultures. What’s more, even though we connected on a complex diasporic level, we had so much fun together. We were the perfect roommates, and from the first year of freshman year to the last day of college — we grew together. We both liked our independence, but we also valued each other’s company. That has always been so rare and beautiful for me. 2
Moving
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Malia was craving change. I wanted a life in another country. With no real job, I was restless after graduation. Then I was notified last minute that I had made the JET program. I was going to teach English in Japan. I never had a chance to do study abroad in college and had wanted to travel for the longest time. This was my chance. More importantly, I wanted to go back to Japan to truly experience my culture beyond vacation. I was born in Minokamo, and my dad and his side of the family still lives there. I was raised with an understanding of Japanese lifestyle, and it has made me who I am today. I am extremely grateful for this. Not everyone has the chance to be raised within multiple cultures. It has helped me learn more about the world, and be more open minded. Now, under the Niimi Board of Education as an Assistant Language Teacher in Niimi, Okayama, I finally get to revisit my roots. I also get to improve my Japanese, which is what I studied in college.
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Jeevika wanted to do something big. I wanted to rattle my world. As an international student in America, my future is never certain. And as someone living with anxiety, the uncertainty doesn’t really help in any way. When I got accepted for an internship at NPR, I was shaken. This was a dream. Me, a creative writing student from India, working at one of the biggest media companies in America. But if I accepted, I’d have to move across the country. This would not be good for my anxiety. But I knew, that it’s exactly what I had to do. I was tired of letting my anxiety rule me. I wanted to take control of my life, of my future. I wanted to believe I could do anything. I didn’t want to be my own obstacle. As a communications team member at NPR, I’m learning so much about being confident, and about loving myself at a time when it feels difficult to do so. Because there is so much beauty and art around me. I deserve to be here. 3
A New Kind of Day in Th
Malia teaching 2nd grade / Commute to work
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sensei!” Sensei means teacher. And I feel so proud whenever the students accomplish learning a new phrase, and can recite it without my help. It’s difficult to communicate with the teachers, though. I can speak Japanese, but there are things the teachers say that I just don’t understand, or things I want to say but can’t, and that is where I notice the gap in our cultures. Even though we have the same background, we had such different upbringings. But these teachers are very kind to me, and they try to include me whenever they can.
very day, I teach English to Japanese students at the elementary level. Three times a month I also teach kindergarten classes, which is an entirely new level of exhaustion. Since I live in the extreme countryside of Japan, the schools only have 40 to 60 students. So, a class could have as few as six students. Having been to as large a school as the University of Washington, this is something I’m not used to it. A lot of my teachers have lesson plans they want me to follow, but they have been created check out Malia’s song of the month using outdated sources. I am - Pitch Black by Mazde and LissA trying to figure out better ways of I wake up at 6:00 or 7:00 a.m., teaching. depending on which school I Some of my favorite moments am going to. My base school is a are when the kids spot me at the 15 minute bike ride away. Rain supermarket and say, “Malia- or snow, I have to get there no
matter what. My other school is tucked away in the mountains and requires me to bike 10 minutes to a train station, then taking a 10 minute train ride north, and then biking another 10 minutes. This train only comes once in the morning, so I really can’t miss it. Just another aspect of living in the mountains. I have found a cafe-dance studio that I love going to. The owner is wonderful, and lets me attend two hip-hop classes a month. She makes me hot chocolate or bubble tea. Not to mention, giant churros straight out of the oven.
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he Life
Jeevika at NPR/ Office building
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walk to work every morning. It takes me 30 minutes, and so far the weather has been lovely on the east coast. The walk wakes me up. Usually, I have a buddy to walk with, and it so happened that the house I was subletting from has a few other NPR interns. I love when things work out that way. It was the universe saying, “Hey! You’re not alone! Talk to these cool people!” And I love that we are all so passionate. That’s the best thing about NPR. Work never feels like work, and we could talk about what we do all day. I’ve already had the chance to meet several influential people in D.C. I rode the elevator with Shankar Vedantam, ran into Ari Shapiro while getting coffee, and
observed a Sam Sanders interview in a studio. I ate lunch while Steve Martin sat at the next table. He was visiting our office to film a Tiny Desk concert, which I also get to attend for free, multiple times a week. It honestly feels like a special concert set up just for me and and my NPR family. I saw Nate Smith and Ledisi perform, and in November I’ll see Kurt Vile and Courtney Barnett, whose new single I’m loving at the moment. check out Jeevika’s song of the month - Ballad of Keenan Milton by Devendra Banhart I’ve also noticed that D.C. thrives on “happy hour” and everyone always has an elevator pitch ready to go. At first, I was intimidated by this change. As a tech city, Seattle is crazy about networking and startup culture, but people there don’t strike up a conversation
as smoothly as in D.C. Plus, as a transit city, D.C. brings in people from all over the country, if not the world. I definitely was around more South Asians in Seattle, and I do miss that comfort, but here I’m getting to know different parts of America better, and I’m understanding what drives politics and media at this moment in time. It didn’t take me long to start enjoying the fast-paced nature of D.C. I’ve started walking around the city by myself, and the metro gets me anywhere. The best part about the city is the free museums. I visit a new neighborhood each weekend, find a bookstore there, and then float towards a coffee or tea shop to read and people watch.
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Malia miss the convenience of buses in Seattle and the ability to communicate with ease and in English. But here in Niimi, I am finally away from the crowds of people, from technology and stress. It’s just me and nature.
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Jeevika miss the comfort of knowing my friends are just a bus away, if not in the next room. But here in D.C. I am reconnecting with the passionate me, and I am loving the time I get to spend with myself. I missed me.
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T Malia
Adapting
hey talked to us about culture shock, but that wasn’t really an issue. I am used to Japanese culture. It was the fact that I am a 10 hour flight away from my family and friends. A 10 hour flight from my boyfriend, who I saw every day for the past four months. And the first few days were painfully slow. We had a tedious Tokyo orientation that lasted three days. After arriving in Niimi and making it to my apartment, I was beyond excited to have a completely new place to stay. But then things started to settle. Wild boars were groaning outside my window. Spiders and bugs everywhere. All of the other English teachers had just left for vacation, so the new teachers were left to explore on our own. It was lonely, and hot.
Malia’s new room
But, seeing the mountains every day started to make me peaceful. I came to realize that I have everything I need to live happily. I was embracing minimalism, and in turn feeling like I was cleansing my life.
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Jeevika ’ve done this before. I’ve moved. I’ve changed. But Seattle was the first place I’d grown to call mine — truly mine. And then I had to leave this life I’d built for myself. My friends, my boyfriend — who I was practically living with before I left — and my network. There were days I really had to struggle to get out of bed, to explore the city for myself and by myself. My first weekend here, I took myself to the National Portrait Gallery and remembered why I was here. I remembered why I was alive. For art, for coffee, and for good conversation. I will recreate a life for myself wherever I go. D.C. culture has already made me better at talking about things I love, things I want to change. As an international student in the humanities, I’m so proud of everything I’ve achieved — first in Seattle, and now here. I know I will continue to do so no matter where I go next.
Jeevika’s new room
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Accepting
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I am learning that I am okay being on my own. I was a bit worried when I came over here that I would feel lonely and depressed like I often used to in Seattle. But I go to work every day with teachers who are so kind and hardworking, and I am finally doing things that I actually like. I’m always motivated to work harder. Plus, I can ride my bike all around town at any time. I never even need to lock it up. I feel safe here. I have a breathtaking view around me 24/7, and we don’t get that much rain here, which is even better. I love my environment and it is helping me become a better me. A healthier me. A stronger me. A happier me.
Every day here gets easier, and every day I love myself -- and my time -- a little more. My memory has sharpened, because I’m more aware of my surroundings. I’m around people that truly believe in the work I do. I’m pushed to stay informed, to challenge my thinking, and work harder than I ever have before. There is no room for complacency. I know myself again, and I’m determined to make an impact. The competitiveness of D.C. is exactly what I needed to get out of my shell. To become stronger. To become confident. To become fearless.
Malia
oming home around 4:00 or 4:30 p.m. every day often gives me the whole evening to myself. I have started three design projects which is adding to my once empty plate, and it is exactly what I have been wanting. It has been difficult to sleep, and I have been a bit fatigued the whole time here. But I am hoping my body will soon get used to this new routine, and I will feel rested.
Since I can’t have pets....
Jeevika ’ll still have days where I feel low, where it’s difficult to socialize, to stay motivated, to learn. That is the nature of my anxious personality. But having left my comfort zone behind, I have more time now to read, and write, and meet people. I have more time to work on personal projects. I love my fellow artists, and I’m good at staying in touch with them. I’m good at collaboration. I’m good at forming ideas and building new worlds. Change has reignited the curiosity in me.
I find Sylvia wherever I go.
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learn more at jeevikav.com and maliaimayama.myportfolio.com