Lesson 1: Love is Transcendant
I met who I'm calling my "surrogate grandmother" at the Gary Mary West Senior Wellness Center. Her name is Eiko. She is 82 years old. She is a volunteer ambassador who comes into the center every day except Sundays. She caught my eye when we first set foot in the center because she was wearing the coolest denim maxi dress with embroidered flowers and a beanie with a metal rooster pin in it. She was holding 1lb weights curling them for the bone health exercise class the West Center offers to their clients.
After the tour of the facility, I mustered up the courage to go over and talk to her. I met her friend Tom (pictured to the left of the selfie) and they were both so warm and friendly to me. We talked about our cultural background and when I mentioned I was half-Japanese on my mother's side, her eyes lit up and she immediately gave me the biggest hug. I got nervous that she would be disappointed that I didn't speak Japanese well, but she said she didn't mind. We joked about having 1:1 Japanese lessons so I could practice with her. I made sure I complimented her outfit once I felt more confident in our interaction. I couldn't help but feel so much awe and admiration towards her. Tom also spoke very highly of Eiko-san. That she is well-known throughout the facility, and I now understood why.
She told me that she loves to make her own items like the beanie she was wearing. She then proceeded to reach into her bag and took out two cloth discs wrapped in plastic. She told me that she hand-stitched them herself. Eiko described them as oven mitts for the microwave. My eyes began to well-up with the overwhelming feeling of love. She reminded me so much of my own grandmother. I told Eiko that my grandmother was a seamstress and made items similar to the mitts and beanie. We hugged again. She told me that the mitts were for me to keep. I thanked her in Japanese, and tried my best not to lose all my composure and just absolutely burst into tears.
Before we left, my peers were telling me that Eiko was looking for me. When I reached her, she took the black beanie off her head and placed them in my hands. She said it was for me to keep. I would've lost it right then and there, but I just hugged her tight and told her I would come back to visit her again.
The love that she had for a complete stranger, only sharing a similar cultural background amazes me. I have been raised by my own family, including my Japanese grandmother with this same value, to always care for others and do right by others when given the opportunity. Eiko-san is someone I will never forget. She carries such light and bright energy, and we both knew we felt a beautiful connection emerging from our short-lived first interaction together. Indeed, love transcends across oceans, cultures, race, language barriers, and age. However, there is something to be said about the way Eiko-san's love transcends the socially constructed emotional barriers of being a stranger.
I met who I'm calling my "surrogate grandmother" at the Gary Mary West Senior Wellness Center. Her name is Eiko. She is 82 years old. She is a volunteer ambassador who comes into the center every day except Sundays. She caught my eye when we first set foot in the center because she was wearing the coolest denim maxi dress with embroidered flowers and a beanie with a metal rooster pin in it. She was holding 1lb weights curling them for the bone health exercise class the West Center offers to their clients.
After the tour of the facility, I mustered up the courage to go over and talk to her. I met her friend Tom (pictured to the left of the selfie) and they were both so warm and friendly to me. We talked about our cultural background and when I mentioned I was half-Japanese on my mother's side, her eyes lit up and she immediately gave me the biggest hug. I got nervous that she would be disappointed that I didn't speak Japanese well, but she said she didn't mind. We joked about having 1:1 Japanese lessons so I could practice with her. I made sure I complimented her outfit once I felt more confident in our interaction. I couldn't help but feel so much awe and admiration towards her. Tom also spoke very highly of Eiko-san. That she is well-known throughout the facility, and I now understood why.
She told me that she loves to make her own items like the beanie she was wearing. She then proceeded to reach into her bag and took out two cloth discs wrapped in plastic. She told me that she hand-stitched them herself. Eiko described them as oven mitts for the microwave. My eyes began to well-up with the overwhelming feeling of love. She reminded me so much of my own grandmother. I told Eiko that my grandmother was a seamstress and made items similar to the mitts and beanie. We hugged again. She told me that the mitts were for me to keep. I thanked her in Japanese, and tried my best not to lose all my composure and just absolutely burst into tears.
Before we left, my peers were telling me that Eiko was looking for me. When I reached her, she took the black beanie off her head and placed them in my hands. She said it was for me to keep. I would've lost it right then and there, but I just hugged her tight and told her I would come back to visit her again.
The love that she had for a complete stranger, only sharing a similar cultural background amazes me. I have been raised by my own family, including my Japanese grandmother with this same value, to always care for others and do right by others when given the opportunity. Eiko-san is someone I will never forget. She carries such light and bright energy, and we both knew we felt a beautiful connection emerging from our short-lived first interaction together. Indeed, love transcends across oceans, cultures, race, language barriers, and age. However, there is something to be said about the way Eiko-san's love transcends the socially constructed emotional barriers of being a stranger.