Prize Winning Essay: "It Is Up to You" by Tomohiko Kino

Tomohiko Kino
Alt Text:  Smiling man in
baseball hat and grey sweatshirt

Tomohiko Kino is a SMAS Success Story wrote a prize-winning essay.  He won 3rd place in the San Mateo County Fair Writing Contest:  Division 337 "The Immigrant Experience:  Short Story, Essay, or Monologue."

Tomo, as he is called, is from Japan.  He came to the US in September of 2017.  He started at High Intermediate level in January of 2018.  He studied with Teachers Alesha, Katherine, Jessica in the morning and Patricia's and then Lisa's writing classes.  He took Patricia's writing class for two semesters before he began Lisa's Writing Intensive class.  Now he continues his English learning with the SMAS Distance Learning program while he works full time.

I asked Tomo if he had advice for students who want to improve their writing.  He answered, "Keep writing every day.  Simple sentences are okay. It is important to continue to write the sentences. I wrote the sentence everyday at least between 3 to 5."

Here, with his permission, is his winning essay. 

It Is Up to You
by Tomohiko Kino

Being an immigrant gives you a different perspective. In particular, if you do not speak the language, you have a lot of problems. This is my experience when I did not speak English well. I have been in the U.S. now for one year and a half. I came here with my wife because she transferred her work from Japan. Consequently, I quit my job as a mental health care counsellor because I wanted to support her job. 

The morning I first arrived at the SFO airport with my wife, it was nice weather, warmer than in Japan. We came out of the arrival gate, and took a yellow colored taxi in front of the gate. We had 4 large suitcases and 2 small bags, so the taxi was full. During the taxi ride, I was looking out of the window. We traveled toward our new residence in Redwood City. It was difficult to find the place because we only had the address and our phone did not work, and the driver did not know the area much either. Although the driver did not find the place, he wanted to drop us off, and I was worried about the meter because I got the feeling that the number was rising briskly. When we paid the fare, he began to calculate, and he told us to pay 1.5 times the fare. I could recognize that the meter showed a specific price, but he told us that it had nothing to do with it. He said, "I told you that you needed to pay 1.5 times the fare before you got in the taxi." He and my wife were talking emotionally, but I could not speak well. When we decided to pay, he requested a tip, so we got even more tired. We had no choice but to pay the price he asked. My wife spoke English very well, but even with her English we could not communicate well with the driver. Therefore, I felt worried about my future because my English was not as good as I thought it was. 

The first month in the U.S. was very tough for me because I had to talk with Americans, such as asking at the leasing office, shopping at the supermarket, and taking the driver's license test. I often prepared some questions in advanced if I wanted to ask something, but I could not understand what they answered in most cases. As a result, I was afraid to talk with someone in English. Although I tried to study hard, studying made me feel less confident. When I was depressed, I reflected on my international co-workers in Japan. I used to work at a beef bowl restaurant with them. Some of them were students from Vietnam, and others were Nepalese who came to Japan for their husbands' work. As I worked alongside them, I occasionally did not understand what they were saying and watched them struggle communicating with Japanese customers. However, they were such hard workers and positive although they were busy because they had to go to school after work. Moreover, most of them liked Japan and the Japanese language. I remember their smile was so impressive. When I reflected on this experience, I realized that I did not make use of my training as a mental health counselor. I was not prepared on how to deal with my newfound American life. I thought that I could and should learn from their attitudes. 

Furthermore, I realized that I could talk to people who were from other countries. When I realized that many people here did not speak English well, I started to go to the San Mateo Adult School. There were many immigrants who had some English problems like me. They were enthusiastically studying English, so it was a good stimulus for me. In particular, I was impressed by a man from South Korea. He came here with his wife and son, and he took a break from work to support his wife's job. He was very talkative and friendly. He also invited me to participate in an English conversation group at the library. When we conversed, the conversation was often unsmooth, but it was very fun. I think that we shared similar situations and felt compatible. He was crazy about golf, so he did not attend class much, instead choosing to spend his days playing golf with other players as a way to improve his English. He knew that he had only one year in the U.S., so he really enjoyed his life. I will not go back to my country soon, but I figured out that it is important to do something with enjoyment like my South Korean friend. 

In conclusion, I think my experience in America has been a great experience in the last year and a half, but I am still struggling to speak English. However, I realized that attitude is more important than language skills. I am looking for a job now, and I am thinking about taking some classes in college. I will try to be positive and cheerful like those who inspired me. In the future, I would like to contribute to society and to immigrants' lives by using my own experience.