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The reactions of others when I got my American citizenship (Japanese)

(Japanese) Well my husband is American, and when I told my American friends that I was going to go to the oathing ceremony to get my citizenship, they all got really exited for me, and bought me this bronze statue of an American eagle, telling me that I should go to a party wearing a patriotic tie or something. They’d say, “you’ve got to celebrate with a glass of wine right after you get it!” They were definitely way more excited than me. I was just thinking, “Well, glad I got it.” I guess Americans really believe that the US is the best country in the world, so they’re really proud about their nationality; for me, though, it wasn’t because I thought of America as the greatest of all countries—it’s just a place where I’m comfortable at. The weather is nice, and I do have a job. For those reasons… how should I explain this… so others were really happy for me for getting my citizenship, and I even received a card from my husband’s friend which said something about “your dreams” and “your goals” and such, but I was just kind of like, “Oh… OK.” On the other hand, what’s also funny is that when I told my Japanese friends the same thing (about getting my citizenship), not one person said “congratulations,” but instead replied nonchalantly, “Oh, really.” Yes, “Oh, really,” and that was it. One lady, who has been living here for as long as me and already has two children, asked me with a curious look, “Why would you change your citizenship?” She said, “You’re supposed to be Japanese.” To me, that reaction was the strangest of all.


citizenship identity

Date: March 1, 2007

Location: California, US

Interviewer: Yoko Nishimura

Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Interviewee Bio

Yumi Matsubara was born and grew up in Gifu prefecture in Japan. Growing up in a conservative family in Japan, she didn’t tell her parents that she was moving to Los Angeles, California, to improve her English. She first attended an English language school for a couple of months before studying fashion at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) in Los Angeles. After she graduated from FIDM in 1994, she started working in the fashion industry.

Around this time, her desire to make a permanent home in the United States was growing. Her company agreed to support her green card (permanent residency), so she started the green card process. In 1999, however, the financial situation of her company deteriorated and she left the company before she received her U.S. permanent residency. She decided to marry an American citizen in November 1999 after just two weeks of dating. She received her green card in May 2001 and her American citizenship in December 2006. Currently, she works in the fashion industry in Los Angeles where she serves as a grader* and spec writer. (March 1, 2007)

* Grader: a person who produces scaled versions of an original pattern to produce clothes across a range of sizes and fits.

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