Atsuko Okatsuka

I said, I thought this was a two-month vacation.

Why am I no longer living with dad in Japan?

why and then two months turned into three months and then it turned into it's been 20 something years so oh wait it just it just went on yeah and then so we were undocumented when we first got here because my grandma didn't you know there was no paperwork done so suddenly and i didn't even know you know what being undocumented meant i i thought oh we flew here so

We're allowed to be here.

I just thought every human should, you know, wherever they end up, they're allowed to be.

Because I'm not, I'm eight.

I don't know immigration law.

You know, that would be, if I did, if I did, I would be a genius.

And as we talked about that may or may not be good.

That's right.

Very specific eight-year-old.

And so, yeah, so I, but, you know, so I was undocumented, learning two new languages and also being brought to a Chinese Baptist church, you know, where my uncle was the choir director at.

Wow.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And I said, and what's this?

They said, well, you want friends, right?

I said, yes.

Well, you like free food?

We're like, yes.