I applied for the Kawamura Fellowship thinking that I had no chance of getting into the program. I had never been to Japan and knew very little about its people and culture. Once I was accepted, I berated myself for applying in the first place. I was agreeing to go to a country where I didn’t speak the language. Worse still, I was convinced that I’d feel uncomfortable as a black person in Japan. Thankfully, Kofi Fynn put my fears about racism to rest (almost!) and I came to Japan with minimal reluctance.

Am I glad I came to Japan? I would say so. Admittedly, it took me a while to get used to the packed days of events Sumio scheduled for us. However, once I got over my perpetual sleep deprivation, I began to enjoy my stay immensely. Never did I feel out of place as a black person. In fact, my braids garnered me quite a lot of positive attention (made me very happy!). Everyone I met welcomed me with a tremendous measure of warmth and respect. Without a doubt, the highlight of this fellowship came in learning, firsthand, just how kind the Japanese people are.

Upon my arrival in Nagoya, my host parents said to call them otosan and okasan, and they truly did treat me like a third daughter. My host sisters, Mari and Mikki, went out of their way to get to know me. Although I rarely spoke to my host grandmother (we had a bit of a language barrier), she genuinely seemed pleased to see me. Some of my greatest memories in Japan (e.g. the trip to Hakone, the Venetian Glass Museum, lunch at Sabatini, dinner with Chie) involve the Kawamura family. I will miss you all a great deal.