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> KI-san & NI-san
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> KN-san & YN-san
> T-san
> Kazuko Yoshida
Jewish Community
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Individual Reminiscences
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T-san's Story
Before coming to the UK (1975) I lived in Tokorozanawa-shi, Saitama prefecture near Tokyo, Japan. I worked as a dietician in a hospital for handicapped children in Tokyo. I really enjoyed my work there – with lots of challenge and learning experience. But when I thought about my future – I thought that I had not done anything but study. I want to see a different world before settling down. As I studied English at school I joined an English learning club and started saving. It took me over a year and I went to a travel agent and asked him how to deal with it. He suggested to me the easiest way would be to go to England as an au pair and study English. I had never thought about going to England – but again I never had any other plan – so I accepted. I resigned my job and told my parents about my plan. I only told my parents after receiving my air ticket. I also asked them to pay my tax which I had already put aside and left in Japan. |
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I came to Cambridge in 1975. I was twenty-five years old. My first thought was “Why on earth did I choose Cambridge?” – it was a small town in the middle of nowhere. My travel agent had had a contact in Cambridge. That is the reason I came to Cambridge!
I got a job as an au pair, responsible for the dormitory of a large school. I actually managed to stay there for six months. That was one of the hardest things in my life. Culture shock! Language difficulty, homesickness, a hostile environment and a different attitude to almost everything – came on top of me.
Life in England was harder than I expected. The hardest thing was that I was a nobody. Nobody had any interest in me – that was my feeling at the time.
In Japan I used to be a dietician in charge of ten cooks – and within a matter of a month – I became the servant of a sixteen-year-old girl with a very strong accent - who had just finished secondary school. She knew very little about cooking.
The house mother in the school never trusted us, three au pairs. So we had no key to get in. We had to rely on each other when going out. Her family treated us as their servant. I quite often thought if I managed to survive there for six months – I could survive anywhere.
Thinking about how I felt about the UK before I came here – I saw England and Japan as two island countries. Many Japanese tried to look to England to find some similarity. But I have found very little similarity. Japan copied parliamentary democracy and look to England as the birthplace of democracy and the Industrial Revolution. So Japanese respect England and also (like Japan) the UK possesses a Royal Family. There is similarity, they say. Apart from this knowledge I have very little knowledge and understanding about England. Someone said: “fog, bad weather, and English tea”.
In Cambridge I found it was very difficult to relate myself to ordinary English people. Food is unbelievably bad – vegetables were over- cooked – there was a lack of fresh vegetables and fruit. Their diet, I thought, was so bad – shocking. They had very little understanding of nutrients. They don’t wash themselves everyday. They wash pets’ food trays with human’s dishes! They don’t wash their plates with running water. Unbelievable!
Regarding good things in the UK
I met my husband and have a lovely son.
Through the birth of my son I met many kind people.
I also met many interesting people from over all over the world.
What was/is really nice about living in the UK and Cambridge:
i) Hot water and central heating. I cannot live without them!
ii)Freedom! People don’t care what other people do. People are allowed to speak their own mind. People accept other people’s opinions.
iii) Politics: UK politicians are more honest that than Japanese politicians. I admire that they actually fight with their party policy and they stick with them and work for them. I think that in England democracy works.
In England I am surrounded by English people and lead life like an English person. I find it incredible.
Regarding good things in the UK – the most important is that I have found the Lord Jesus.
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