What other places [besides Orlando] have you previously lived? How long did you live in each place?
I’ve lived in three different countries and moved dozens of times between them. I was born in Honolulu, Hawaii and lived there for about five to six years but then moved to the Caribbean (Anguilla specifically) for about a year and a half. Then my mother decided that the education system wasn’t good enough so she moved my sister and me to Japan where we stayed until the great earthquake. After that, for safety reason, my dad moved us [to Orlando] to our vacation home. I’ve been here ever since.
What are your favorite places? Why?
My favorite, is for sure, Hawaii and Anguilla because of the tropical environment. I loved the culture and lifestyle, and would love to move back to either.
What are your least favorites? Why?
I wouldn’t say it’s my absolute least favorite, because Japan is wonderful in a lot of ways, but I did not like how cramped and small everything was. The average apartment in Japan (especially smack dab in the middle of Tokyo where I was) is like living in a shoe box, and coming from being able to walk outside into the backyard and jumping into the ocean or just seeing the blue sky, it was a big difference. The culture is also very anti-foreigner and I had some instances of where I was bullied because of my race. It is also very oppressive to women and has a very strict seniority system so I had the cards stacked against me in every single way. Again, I love Japan but I prefer not living there.
Why does your family move so often?
It was all initially because of my father’s job (he runs a construction company) but then we started moving around for different reasons and situations.
How has traveling affected your life?
I think it’s made me have a very open mind about different people and cultures, and I’ve had a lot of experiences most people will never have in their lifetime. I love it. Even without moving around we still travel and there’s something new to each experience and to learn anywhere you go. I can pack a suitcase in two minutes and I definitely consider myself an adventurer.
How do you feel about moving/traveling?
I love it and I will never stop traveling.
What do you (most) enjoy about traveling?
Funny enough, the plane ride there. A plane is like a second home to me. I love flying. I always joke that I’m a professional traveler because I can calculate the time difference of where I am and wherever I’m going and change my sleeping schedule beforehand so I never experience jet lag.
What do you dislike about it?
There really isn’t anything I dislike about it, but saying goodbye to friends you’ve made is always hard. I’m still in contact with all my friends in Hawaii that I’ve known since birth and true friends from here and there. If it’s a true friendship I’ve learned that time and space can’t ruin it. Everywhere I’ve ever lived I know I can go back and see friends and it’ll be like no time ever passed so that makes leaving a lot easier.
What is the transition from each place like?
It’s always been smooth for me. I have a calm personality, so that’s probably part of it. I’ve always loved new places and new homes, so I was always more excited than anything else. I’m also very used to it at this point, so it doesn’t really bother me. The transition to Japan was rougher [than the other places] but we had family there and visited a lot so that made it a lot easier.
What do you enjoy/dislike about living here?
I enjoy how spacious everything is after Japan, but on the flip side, I don’t like how you need to drive everywhere. I guess you can’t have everything. Japan you can walk to anything you need and the public transportation was top notch. I was given freedom no 9-year-old will ever have here and I miss that.
How long are you planning to stay here?
There are no moving plans for now because the construction business is good here and I’m planning on finishing high school here (which is amazing to me because my longest record at any school is a year and a half, which Boone beat. Go Braves.)
What are your plans for your future?
Plans for future are up in the air for me in the long run, because moving has always been spontaneous for us. I never know until I’m told to start packing.
Do you want to continue traveling?
For me it’s not a matter of want, but need. It’s been ingrained into the way my family and I live. I get bored of places very easily and love the thrill of being on a plane ride heading somewhere new.
What are some of your hobbies? How have they transitioned from place to place? I’ve always been an avid reader so the language I’m reading in changed according to wherever I am, but that’s about the biggest transition hobby-wise.