And if you could just start by clapping your hands in front of the camera
Perfect. Thank you
Okay, so let's start by you giving us your name which class you graduated from and where you live now
So my name is Uta Wasing. I'm a 1981 graduate of Canadian Academy and I live in Westchester, New York
Perfect great
And so maybe you can tell me a little bit about why your family was in Japan
How long they were there for where if you move where you move from and on the grades
Like what type what year you entered CA and left CA? Okay
so
I'm German and
my father worked for a German pharmaceutical company and right after I was born we moved to Canada to Montreal and
Spent quite a bit of time in
South America as well in Mexico and Argentina
and then when I was 12 my dad came home from work one day and said in two months we're moving to Japan and
So I I think it was quite a surprise at that time
and I think our our image of what Japan was was completely different than
than what was actually there and
And so we moved when I was 12 I went to CA for for sixth grade through until 12th grade
Great. Wow. So you even moved around quite a bit before you were in Japan. Great
Okay, um, so let's talk about maybe pick one of your most memorable experiences during your time at CA
You know, I have to say that that is the most difficult question because how can it's it's hard to
To put it in in one experience
I think
That you know, there are snippets of things that that you remember over time
and I think it was most of my memories are of
being a community being a group and
having to get along with
people who came from different countries
people who had different
religious and political opinions been of your own been your own and
to try and learn to to make it work and I think that
My most vivid memory of CA is really a
feeling of community and
That it was one group that was trying to move in in one direction
But I think of one certain memory
It's it's really hard to to pick out that one moment
So I have to say I can't answer that question as
As well as as maybe someone else can is it would it be easy if you know
It's just like a something that happened one day in class or some school event that you remember something that was just fun for you
Maybe just you know, I have to say I still remember
the
International food festivals we used to have them in the gym and they would be divided up by different country and
I remember
you would walk in and there would be that smell of
Indian food being cooked at one side and
The American side making hamburgers and hot dogs and I know that the German table
They always had the cakes and you had to like plan which way to to go through
You know, you wanted to make sure you got meat first and then you could skip all the vegetable sections and then head straight for dessert
I think that's I think most of all I remember the smell of
that gym being filled with different different foods and it was
That's a lovely memory
We still have those food fairs as part of my experience and they just had theirs last month for this year in the gym in the
gym, yeah
And yeah, I totally remember the smell as well
Um, how about okay, so
Maybe in a bigger context you were in Japan on where you were living and some of the
Experiences and memories you have of just you know being a foreigner in Japan and you're you're some of
Maybe with your CA friends, maybe out in the city some experience of memories from that time, you know, I think
My
Most important memory of that time is how safe we really were and
You could go anywhere that you wanted you could get lost and someone would take you and
Take you to the train station or take you explain to you exactly where you needed to go and
the I think the memory of the kindness of
the Japanese people of the Japanese culture is is
So such a wonderful memory and the true
kindness of a stranger who stops you in the street to ask you where are you from and
Where you were going and what you felt about Japan, I think in in very few other countries
do you experience that
that
true kindness and and almost even an innocence of
Social interactions, why did you live when you were in Japan? We lived in Koyoun
so
in Nishinomiya, and we always took the train to
To school and I used to love it
when the train was really crowded and we went to school with two other
two other boys
My brother and two boys and I would go to school
And we would love it when the train was really crowded and then we would tell each other
lift up your feet lift up your feet and you won't fall and
And it was it was always our game that we played
Gosh, I thought I knew what kind of trace I don't think the my experience is I would fall but
You're probably at the peak of maybe you go to a commuting time. Gosh, okay, um
Um
Is there is there a particular person you might see it
Maybe a teacher maybe a staff member someone in the community that you really remember or maybe it was inspired at the time
And you have some sort of story about them that you can share. I
Think most I think most of all I remember two
individuals first are my English teacher. His name was dr. Creasel and
I think many times in life when I
Think of him. I think of him very often when I work with my kids on their own homework
and
He was so strict and so demanding and he never accepted
he never accepted a
Poorly done job and it seemed he always magically knew when you didn't work hard enough
and then he gave it back to you and you had to to do it again and
And I remember how he would make us analyze our
English literature and he really pushed us
And so of course, I remember dr. Creasel and then I have very very fond memories of
Sitting at lunch in mr. Koops
Office at one point. I think when we were
Maybe in 10th grade 11th grade. He had an office that was a converted
Broom closet and they had put him in there and our lockers were
We're all very close to his office and at lunchtime we would all rush to
sit in his sofas and we would sit there maybe 10 15 of us and
And and we would we would just chat with him we would chat with each other and with him and one time we tried to
Fill his room with as many people as possible
And I don't remember how many we got in there
But we were packed in there and we were laughing and it was so funny and we convinced ourselves that we had the world record of
Of people who could fit into a broom closet
That's funny. Yeah, um gosh
So you were at the school on my son, which is something that I don't know much about and so I was wondering if you could just
Describe what it was like like the old see a that so many people are fond of but a lot of also see people don't know about so maybe
You know use your your your memories of the location
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. I think
For a foreigner
It was you know so much of Japan at that time was of course built in Japanese
Traditional style and then you would go up the hill and you would see these red brick buildings
which in a way was kind of comforting because it was a style of building that I knew very well and
And
But it was so foreign to Japan. It was
Certainly not a part of
Japanese construction style and you would walk in the main building
they had these really wide steps which were lovely to sit on at lunchtime and
it was such
Such a European building
or such a Western building I should say in
in
in a place that wasn't at all Western and
but somehow it worked and
somehow it was a space that that belonged there
Interesting. Well, I've heard magical stories from from that area, but yeah
Um
Now maybe you know, you obviously being a graduate of CA a while, you know
You got your high school was a while back
I'm just looking back like what are some of the things some of the experiences that you still remember that have stuck with you throughout your
post CA life that you
You know, maybe lessons you learned there or things that you maybe took for granted at the time
And now you really think were important things like that
Hmm
You know, I think on the one side, I think
Moving to Japan taught me that if I can live in Japan, I can do anything and that I can I can
Accomplish what I want to because I think that
Certainly, we hold on one second. We have and you have to put in a the car. Just stop
That that was a sign from Mark and I we want to hear what you say
So I started again. We just need to reslate. Okay. Yeah
We need to say it again, right? Yeah, so we just cut sound is that yeah cut sound and then let's reslate the cameras
Automatically stops if it rolls for too long. So that's nothing to do with you
We're both rolling now. So if you could clap your hand again, okay
Thank you take two. Okay, so just sorry, let's start over that question
Just some of the things that have stuck with you from your time in Japan and your time as CA
I think living in Japan
really taught me that
If if I can live in Japan, then it's possible to live anywhere and I think it really taught me that
To not look at the outside of a person but to look at their inside first and though we have
Though we have different cultures and though we have different interests that there's a person inside and
that person is
Much much more important than everything that's around them
Great. Um, this is probably one of the harder questions
If you could just sum up your memory or your time at CA and a word or a little phrase
What would it be and why?
Just wonderful, I think it's the only word and I
Think I
Would say that if I had the chance to do it again, I would
Maybe that's why it's wonderful
Wow, great. Um, let me just look over here. I
Think it is other any other things you'd like to share about
Your thoughts or your time at CA? Oh, I have a question
You know, it's been CA has now you said you went back at a difficult time
I guess for CA and Kobe, but just you know, what do you really hope for the future of you know, people coming out of CA or the
School, you know, they're trying to keep their traditions while times are changing as well
Just some thoughts on the future for that community that you were once you know, you were a part of
You know, maybe this doesn't answer the question completely or directly
but two years ago
my family and I spent the year in Salt Lake City and
at the school that my children went to they had a Japanese department and
as it turns out
my daughter's
Japanese teacher was also a graduate of Canadian Academy and
he
so his name is Tim Stout and
and
he did such a wonderful job of
getting
My daughter and her fellow students
excited about
Japan and learning Japanese and
When I learned that
That he was her teacher
Somehow there was a part of me inside that said how nice I get to I get to share a part of
Not the full CA experience with my daughter
but a part of it with someone who also went to
CA who's her teacher, so I think that CA has
Produced some really wonderful people that are are just
such active parts of society and to also try and share a part of Japan
With the rest of the world, and I think that that's really impressive
Great. That was better than that answer for the question. Oh good
Are there any like I say at the end of the thoughts or things about CA that you would like to share?
Or do we cover it? Do you think I think we got it? I think we got it. Tell us about your first boyfriend. Oh
My first boyfriend. He was so handsome
And he was the smartest person I have ever ever met and if I ever meet him again
I'll just be the happiest person and oh there he is
I see I see we'll get that one on the flip side in a few minutes. Okay, great. Let's cut. Thank you
Thank you. Oh gosh, don't sign up because you have a microphone attached to you. Oh
