First Generation American Interview

What is your name?
Yoshiko Michael

What country were you born in?
Okinawa, Japan

What is your birthday?
June 10th 1941

Where and how did you meet your husband?
“I worked at a restaurant as a waitress because I wanted to learn English. Larry, my husband, was in the Marines and was stationed in Okinawa. After meeting me he became a returning customer, I was 21 when we met.”

How old were you when you got married and where was the location?
“I was 22 when I got married on June 20th 1963, in Japan. I had a traditional American wedding in Japan. My mother told me that when you marry someone, that is where you are going to die. Now we have been happily married for 44 years.”

What kind of jobs have you had?
“After we got married we moved to Beaufort, SC in November where I had my two girls. I did not work while the girls were little. But when they were in middle school, I had a part time job as a cafeteria worker in Colorado and Alaska.”

Have you always lived in Denton?
“Larry was a Marine for 7 years and then was in the Air Force, all together 23 years. We moved locations about every three years traveling with his job. I have been to South Carolina, Florida, Colorado and Alaska. Larry’s parents lived in Thomasville and we wanted to live close to them, we found some land in Denton and built our home.”

Were Larry’s parents welcoming?
“Yes, I stayed with Larry’s parents while he was stationed in Iceland. They were very proud of me. They thought I was a good housekeeper. A story about his mother and I started with the first meal we had together. I have never had nor heard of turnips, which was served at the dinner table. Larry’s mother asked if I liked them. Even though I thought turnips were not good I said they were. From then on she always made me turnips, which I have grown to love.”

Do you incorporate your native country into your American lifestyle?
“I cook Japanese food sometimes but I do not eat at Japanese restaurants because it is nothing like real Japanese food. Occasionally I make sushi however it is not all raw fish like everyone thinks it is. I enjoy singing Japanese songs at church also. I brought up my girls as American because I knew that we were planning to stay in the States. I did not want to force two languages on them. “

What were challenges you faced?
“It was very hard coming over here. I knew little to no English and was not well educated but Larry taught me a lot.”

What is your goal in life?
“My goal is to make the country better for everyone.”

What is your fear when coming over to the States?
“My fear was not being accepted as an American and by Larry’s family.”

Do you keep in touch with your family?
“My father worked for a construction materials business (gravel, dirt, etc.) and because of the war, it went out of business and then he became a farmer. I was very close with my father until he started abusing alcohol and then we stopped keeping in touch. I had many brothers and sisters, two brothers and one sister were lost in the war. I still keep in touch with one sister and one brother today. Once I chose to marry Larry and leave my country, my parents disowned me.”

What were some items that you brought with you from Okinawa?
“I brought with me a kimono and a child’s pair of shoes. I ended up giving it away because I knew I would not have any use for it.”

Is schooling different in Okinawa then in America?
“Schooling in Okinawa consisted of classes running from 8 to 5, Monday through Friday and half a day on Saturday. We went to school 240 days whereas American children go for only 180 days; I was 16 when I finished school. I remember first thing in the morning, we would exercise for half an hour, as a requirement. I played volleyball, and I was a runner. We wore uniforms that were black or navy; girls were required to wear a pleated skirt with a blouse. Boys wore dress pants and a collared shirt. When Larry was in college, I recognized his schoolwork as what I did when I was in school.”

How did you feel when you first arrived in America?
“It was a major cultural shock, I was very surprised but I was determined to make it.”

Did you have any terrifying experiences while adjusting to the American culture?
“I was with Larry and his family celebrating Thanksgiving for the first time, after dinner I was helping his mother clean the table. I dropped a glass and pieces fell into the leftover turkey. His mother said that we would have to throw away the turkey just in case. I was terrified because I was only there for a couple of weeks and in my family, we would of never thrown away food. I was so sacred; I thought that she would hate me, I just did not understand.”

Any crazy experiences?
“I was at Larry’s parents home and wanted to clean up while his parents were at work. I wanted to clean the coffee percolator. Larry came in while I was washing it and said “you took all the flavor out of the coffee pot by washing it.” Thinking he was being serious. This really confused me as well as upset me, he finally told me he was only joking.”