Initially I had my doubts about enrolling in this class. Being an engineering major, I was thinking, "What am I doing sitting in an Asian American literature class for three hours a day? How will this help me in pursuing my engineering degree?" Honestly, I am quite sad that this Jan Term went as quickly as it did. I enjoyed every minute spent in this class and found the readings very interesting. The various plays we performed in class were a great deal of fun to watch and participate in. It was really great to see what the first generation of Asian-Americans went through. Whether it was Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Korean, Indian, Vietnamese or Cambodian, each different group had its own experience unique from any other. It is inspiring to see what these immigrants had to overcome in order to settle in America in the midst of animosity and negative feelings towards them. It is also neat to see how far we have come as Americans. Although there is still racism to a certain extent, it is amazing to see how much times have changed and racial tolerance has increased over the years.
Being of Japanese descent, it really opened my eyes to what my people went through in finding their home in the United States. Of course I had a general idea of what my family went through and how they found their way to the United States, but reading the literature and watching the films on what picture brides went through definitely helped me to find a new appreciation for the sacrifices and risks that my great-grandparents took in sailing across the Pacific Ocean to settle in what is now home for our family.
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