Ren's Footprints

When this year started twenty-three days ago, I would have never thought in my wildest dreams that one-twelfth of my year would be spent in Carmel-By-The-Sea. I will be working as a PA (personal assistant) on a movie set. I have done this type of job for sports broadcasts numerous times, but I had no reason to believe I would ever get involved in a movie.
I guess it all sort of started with Carmel, because on the way to Southern California with Miho we took Highway One and drove by that beautiful area. While in LA, I met up with a very generous family I know who is in the film industry and I was randomly asked if I needed a job! My buddy Ryan will also be working with me, and is being put in the same hotel as I am. I am really looking forward to everything my month in Carmel will surely bring me. I head there on Sunday for a kick-off party, and work starts soon after that.
Other than that, my time in LA was pleasant. I got to see Hollywood, which was as dull as I expected, but it was still fun to see a new place. I am sure the night-life is the best part about that area, but that will have to happen another time.


One of the most interesting aspects of the trip were the people we stayed with. The woman on the right is Miho's mother's cousin. Her family was forced to move to LA in August because of her husband's job. For me, it was my first time to not only stay with a family in America that doesn't speak English, but what made it unique was that they were Japanese so I understood all of the language, and cultural challenges they were facing.
They have done a pretty good job at making their lives in LA just like at home in Japan. For example their fifth grade boy goes to a Japanese elementary school where everything is taught in Japanese, and, surprisingly, English studies are minimal. He, and his high school aged sister even go to juku which is after school tutoring and college-prep studies in the evenings.
The father of the house works in an office where he says they don't speak English. He drives a Japanese car to work, uses a laptop with a Japanese keyboard, plays a Japanese Wii that can't play games bought in America, and, possibly the best part, gets Japanese food prepared for him by his wife. Being there reminded me how much I love Japanese food. They even took us out to one of their favorite Japanese restaurants, which had a wall full of pictures of Japanese celebrities who have eaten there.
The family member who is probably facing the most challenges is the high school aged girl. She has no choice but to attend a regular high school, albeit, she is enrolled in a program for students with limited English skills. Still, even with academics aside, being a freshman is just rough!
Having been a person in a place where I don't speak the language, I felt sorry for them at times. Ordering pizza at a restaurant we went to was a challenge, and so were other basic interactions with the general public. This doesn't seem to phase them very much, as they are all high-spirited, friendly people who seem to be able to overcome the language barrier.