00:00
Welcome to Kevin's English Room Podcast.
Hello.
Hello, guys.
All right.
What are you doing?
This one.
All right.
Not that one.
That one.
Not that one.
That one.
All right.
Not this DM.
Not this DM.
OK.
That DM.
There you go.
Thank you.
[JAPANESE]
Thank you.
[JAPANESE]
OK.
[JAPANESE]
OK.
[JAPANESE]
[JAPANESE]
OK.
[JAPANESE]
Mm-hmm.
[JAPANESE]
Mm-hmm.
[JAPANESE]
OK.
Wow.
Let's see.
Thank you.
Hmm.
Well, I mean, I've never been a parent before.
So I can't speak for parenthood, whether that's
the right thing to do or not.
Right.
Whether that person's being too selfish for not wanting
to go back.
Yeah, yeah.
We're still child.
We're still kid.
Yeah.
But no.
03:02
I mean, I guess if--
I mean, your life is still your life, I feel like.
So I guess if you don't want to go back,
then I guess letting the grandparents take care of him
would be-- or her, I forgot.
But it would be an option, I guess.
I don't think that's selfish, I think.
Yeah.
Right?
Right.
Staying healthy is a good thing for the kids, too, right?
Like, mentally healthy.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, right.
For example, if you all move to Japan without your father,
and work, and do all the things by alone in Japan,
and you will maybe, like, be--
Fuku-Takashi said, get sick.
Yeah.
And that doesn't lead him to be, like, a great days in Japan,
right?
Right.
So yeah.
Right.
So being mentally healthy is--
Yeah, that's quite important.
Staying in the place that you want to stay in.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
And also for two daughters.
Right.
That's quite important.
Right.
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
So about going abroad when, like, the age
is around high schoolers, how was your situation?
Yeah, so when middle school ended,
I was like, OK, I want to go back to Japan.
Yeah.
Either from high school or from college.
Either way, I do want to work in Japan either way.
So my parents were like, OK, so if you're going to work,
and if you know that you're going to work in Japan,
why don't you just start Japan earlier?
Because you'll get used to Japan faster, and that's better.
So that's that.
And my sister, who's three years older than me,
my sister was like, OK, I want to go back to Japan too.
Like, I want to go to university there.
And the timing was the same.
Right.
Right?
Three years.
Three years.
So like, starting college there, starting college
and starting high school was the same.
So like, OK, let's just all--
me, sister, mother-- all went to Japan at that timing.
OK.
So we lived, three of us.
OK.
Yeah.
Right.
So your mother didn't hesitate to coming back to Japan?
Rather, like, love to give up Japan?
I actually don't know whether she loved--
whether she wanted to stay or go.
06:01
OK.
But from my-- I don't know.
I think she wanted to go back.
Because she can't speak that much English.
OK.
She was born and raised in Japan?
Yes.
OK.
OK.
Yes.
Yeah.
So that means, like, it's completely OK
to coming back to Japan, right?
Yeah.
When she loved Japanese food, she loved Japan, I think,
more than America, I think.
OK.
So all three were kind of, you know,
wanted to coming back to Japan.
Right.
Right.
Right.
So, OK.
Yeah, so then why you stay in the United States?
Exactly.
Yeah.
Right.
Right.
It's true that, you know, my father
was going to stay in America.
So it was like, it was far, right?
So that was one big, you know, drawback.
Yeah.
Or like one negative thing.
Of course.
Bad thing about, you know, me moving to Japan.
Like, I won't be able to see my dad often.
Yeah.
And my dog at that time.
OK.
My dog, Hannah.
[LAUGHTER]
Yeah.
So, yeah, that was--
I did have to weigh that.
But me going to Japan.
Yeah.
Right.
OK.
Yeah.
Hmm.
So the situation isn't that same to this message.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Hmm.
But do you think-- so the moment you decided to come back
to Japan, you were 15 years old?
Like I--
Which you didn't say.
Yeah.
Just after graduation from junior high, right?
Yes.
So you decided, right?
Yes.
You made a decision of your life.
Yes.
Right.
So do you think you were kind of mature enough
to decide everything of your life?
Or like if you were him, like this guy,
even if you were alone, you would try to come back to Japan
and stay at your grandparents' house.
Right.
Yeah.
If my mother at that time said, no, I want to stay in America.
And your sister?
Yeah, my sister's like, OK, I want to stay in America too.
Kevin, you just-- if you want to go,
you're going to have to go alone.
I would have probably done the same thing.
I would probably be like, OK, I'll go alone.
I probably would have been excited.
Oh, even.
Right?
To like, oh, I get to live alone.
[LAUGHTER]
Right?
Yeah.
Of course, you feel the sadness of having
distance from your family.
But still, you kind of--
Still, but I guess at that time, all I were able to see
09:02
was like the excitement.
Yeah, yeah, for the future.
Yeah.
And in Japan.
Right.
I probably would have done something
if I felt very lonely.
I probably maybe would have gone back.
But that wasn't the problem for me at that time.
OK.
I was just too excited.
Yeah.
So even if I were to go alone, I probably would have taken it.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And spending time with your grandparents.
Yeah.
And going to high school from the house.
And maybe even alone.
And live alone?
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[LAUGHTER]
Just me being naive.
But yeah, I probably would have thought that.
OK, OK, OK.
Yeah.
OK.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Right.
I mean, you going to France was just without your parents
and just very lonely.
Yeah, that was a lonely--
War, right?
Yeah.
I mean, was that an easy choice for you?
Yeah.
That wasn't that much of a problem that you were alone?
That wasn't--
I mean, Shu.
Not at all.
First of all, I wasn't lived in France for a long time.
Like you live in Japan or in the United States.
I was just as an exchange student.
I went there for just one month, one year.
So that's a different point.
But anyways, so that was kind of me trying to be alone.
Getting completely different culture,
completely different country and different languages.
That was my goal.
So even to me, that was an exciting thing.
I mean, sad.
I love my family.
So the day I just arrived in France,
I cried as a homeschooler.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
But still--
So that was what you wanted.
Wanted, right.
As an experience, as a life training.
I get it.
Yeah.
So yeah.
Right.
But yeah, mine was like just one year.
So if one year ended, I automatically will be sent off
and get back to Japan.
That's true.
That's true.
So that's a different vibe.
Because you decided to live forever in Japan.
Right.
That's true.
Right?
You're going to work in Japan in the future,
and then you move to Japan.
My case wasn't like that.
I just visited France for one year.
And do some experiences, trying, and fight, and get bigger,
and come back was my goal.
True.
Mine was a forever decision, I guess.
Right?
Yeah.
I think that's way more tough.
Well, of course, you can return if you want to.
Yeah, it's never-- you can't ever go back.
12:01
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
But still, to me, it's a huge step, a huge decision.
That's true.
That's true.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And I feel like 15-year-olds are more capable than what
the adults think.
Yeah.
I think.
I feel like, I mean, at 15, I thought--
I don't know if I could, but I thought I could survive in Japan.
Yeah.
Like, alone.
Right.
Like, find a job.
Yeah.
[LAUGHTER]
Right.
So, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I'm curious that high schoolers are quite tough.
I mean, they're kids.
Still kids, but at the same time, they're--
They have energy.
Yeah.
Right?
Like, it's also a great opportunity to grow up.
That's true.
That's true.
Mature, so--
Yeah.
Very capable.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Right.
Yeah.
Well, I think it's quite good experience, like, getting--
of course he's Japanese, and he can speak Japanese.
Then there's no problem about that.
Just coming back to Japan and stay with grandparents and--
But the shougakusei ka?
You know?
Shougakusei?
Shougakusei.
Shougakusei.
Sorry.
About to be a koko-sei?
Yeah.
Yeah.
If I--
Yeah.
So same as me.
Same situation.
Yeah.
Me, then.
[SPEAKING JAPANESE]
Yeah.
Same as you.
Same situation.
Yeah.
OK.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
That would be-- you know, it's just my opinion.
That's your opinion.
It's not like something like advising things.
Right.
And there's no right answer to it.
Yeah.
So it's not those things.
But it feels to me like it will be fun.
Great experience.
Go for it.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I agree.
Yeah.
And before that, the most important thing is stay healthy.
That's true.
As a mentally--
That's right.
Mentally.
As a physically.
Yeah.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
All right.
Wow.
Exciting future, huh?
Yeah.
Exciting future.
Yeah.
That's right.
Thanks for listening guys.
Thank you.
Bye bye.
