I recommend this to any child whose families send them away from their familiar surroundings to another country to bond with relatives or learn a language. In fact, even adult college students going for study abroad programs should read this. In my experience in study abroad programs, a surprising number of students don't perform well because of homesickness and failing to deal properly with the difficult and embarrassing situations Waka encountered.
By reading this book, the reluctant child traveling abroad can gain the wisdom the author attained writing as an adult reflecting on her experiences. As a child, it's difficult to understand that your relatives may have painful episodes in their pasts which impact their treatment of people. It's also difficult to understand that circumstances may prevent you from ever seeing those family members again. This book would help your child understand why it is important to try to spend every moment of time with your extended family and hear their stories.
Also, one is likely to find conditions difficult. The experienced traveler knows that, when people in another place do things differently, they most often have very good reasons. It is simply a matter of being patient and flexible enough to adapt.
While I've emphasized practical reasons to recommend the book, it is aesthetically pleasing! I became hungry reading passages describing Japanese cuisine. When reading passages describing flora, I remembered fondly the time I was able to see the cherry blossoms in Washington, DC. I was rooting for Waka to learn her kanji!
Ms. Brown participated in a webinar on May 18, 2022. The recording is available for free. Just fill out the registration form.
We in the United States must also remember the thousands of people who are prevented from traveling to visit their relatives because of immigration restrictions, custody disputes and/or ongoing conflicts.
A passage reminded me of Ahmaud Arbery, whom racists in Brunswick, Georgia murdered, claiming that they suspected him of stealing from construction sites in their white neighborhood.
"While I Was Away" by @W_T_Brown, p 22#AhmaudArbery #IRunWithAhmaud #RIPAhmaudArberyhttps://t.co/lw4fnW2sXc
— Ayman Hossam Fadel (@aymanfadel) May 29, 2022
I used to explore construction sites as a child. pic.twitter.com/tBJVvDeMms
Another tidbit I found interesting was Waka describing how the students in the school would clean the school.
In @W_T_Brown "While I Was Away," the protagonist, a visiting student in a Japanese public school, informs her friend from Kansas that the Japanese students clean their own schools. Apparently that is the case. https://t.co/rCnzIh3Yow
— Ayman Hossam Fadel (@aymanfadel) May 29, 2022
The response in the United States to the COVID-19 pandemic revealed yet again our complete lack of solidarity and our racial and class divisions. Do measures such as eliminating the distinction between students and janitorial staff reduce these divisions? Might they reduce the gendered division of labor which makes cleaning "women's work?" I know that trying piecemeal measures to resolve structural issues is rarely effective, but it is a useful thought experiment and perhaps applicable immediately in limited situations.
Al-Imam al-Shafi`i is reported to have said
تغربْ عن الأوطانِ في طلبِ العُلا … وسافرْ ففي الأسفارِ خمسُ فوائدِتفرجُ همٍ واكتسابُ معيشةٍ … وعلمٌ وأدابٌ وصحبةُ ماجدِ
My translation:
Depart from your homeland in pursuit of achievement
and travel! In the journey are five benefits:
Easing your mental burden, earning your living,
knowledge, habits of character and majestic companionship.
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