At 16 years old, Yuki spent about a year as a Japanese exchange student in Iowa. Her brother, known as Samurai Shiba, has found joy in looking back at her old diary from that time and has decided to share some excerpts. He describes himself on his X page as “a Japanese guy who loves America” and enjoys posting “stories, questions, history and laughs.” He also mentions that while his stories come from real moments, some details may change.
Reading a diary can be a revealing experience, allowing people to reflect on their past feelings and experiences. For Yuki, it seems she gained insights during her exchange year that she still values today. In a recent post on X, Shiba shared that Yuki kept her diary because she was nervous about being in a new place, and he offered to translate a few pages from it. The entries are dated from August 1998 to June 1999.
In one entry from August 22, 1998, Yuki wrote about meeting her host father, noting he was gentle when shaking her hand, as if she were fragile. On August 25, she mentioned that people driving by in trucks wave at her, even though she does not know them, and she often waves back too late. Another entry from September 2 recalled her teacher’s response when Yuki asked where the bathroom was, which was “Great question!”
Yuki also noted some friendly gestures from her host family, like her host mother writing encouraging messages in her lunch bag. On November 26, during Thanksgiving, she described a gathering with 23 people where everyone shared what they were thankful for. In her entry, a cousin she had just met mentioned her name, which made her shy, and she expressed gratitude in Japanese.
By December 31, Yuki reflected on her feelings of homesickness, noting she hadn’t felt that way in a while and believed this new place was also home. Finally, on June 11, 1999, she wrote about going home the next day, sharing a moment with her host father as he drove her past cornfields, where people waved at her again, and this time she waved back on time.
Shiba mentioned that Yuki is now 44 and still waves on time. Some commenters on X mentioned their own experiences with Iowa’s cornfields. One recalled visiting Iowa briefly in 1996 and was surprised by the abundance of corn. Another shared a laugh about Yuki’s teacher responding positively to her bathroom question and talked about the Japanese meal blessing, looking forward to practicing saying it at meals.
Shiba expressed his delight when someone mentioned practicing Japanese phrases related to meals, acknowledging that many Japanese people say them quickly. He noted that speaking them slowly and clearly shows a good level of politeness.
What are your thoughts on Yuki’s experiences as a foreign exchange student?
Sources:
Source: Upworthy, by Cecily Knobler