Letter from Boston

Surprise Visitor

By MASAKO YAMADA

One busy day, as I was checking my e-mail, I noticed that there was an e-mail message with the title "I'm going to Boston tomorrow!" It was from one of the readers, Yuri Nagao, with whom I've exchanged e-mail a couple of times before. She had decided to visit Boston for a week during her spring break on the spur of the moment and she wanted to know whether I could meet her in town.

As I wrote last week, I was in the midst of my mid-term period, and I honestly didn't know whether I could find the time to see her. I had just stayed in New York for one day, and the long trip (five hours each way) had taken enough of a toll. However, I knew there was no way I could study round-the-clock, and I wanted to meet her before she left Boston. Since I like to have a good excuse to have study breaks, anyway, I said yes.

Since I couldn't spend much time in travel, we agreed to meet at the BU Bookstore right after my Chinese class. I didn't know what Yuri looked like, but she knew what I looked like: as soon as I walked into the store, she came walking toward me. Our mail exchange had been in English, and I didn't know how old she was, so I was a little worried about the language and tone I should use to talk with her. I think she was worried, too, since her first words to me were in English. We quickly settled into the "informal Japanese" mode, though, and things were fine after that.

Yuri is a graduate student who is studying "affirmative action policy," so she's obviously interested in studying in the States. Before I met her, I mistook her for another reader ― one who is a medical student ― but I quickly realized the mistake and after that, I answered her questions about the college application process as well as I could. Frankly speaking, I don't know much about the subject, either, since the colleges are reluctant to disclose how, exactly, they select the students that they accept. In Japan, students who apply on the basis of "non-traditional" skills know that they are part of a separate group of applicants. Such is not the case for private colleges in the States. The standards for admission are not as clear-cut, and, in many cases, I think they are subject to the moods, trends and "flavors" of the school.

All of this serious talk was conducted at a nearby cafe. Pretty soon, however, our conversation veered off into the personal realm, and Yuri asked me whether I felt the urge to get married. I suppose that for female graduate students that issue always lurks somewhere behind the books. As I've written quite recently, it's even popped up in my dreams. Since we were only chit-chatting, I somewhat jokingly answered, "Well, I'm only 22. Besides, there are no candidates!!" She replied, "Oh, I'm 26. I suppose it's different for you, but at this age, the people around you start talking."

The funny thing about e-mail is that unless you know the other person's age, you have to make a guess solely based on the content of the writing. I had guessed that she was about my age, but I was a little off. If I were in Japan, I suppose it would be unthinkable for me to talk in the informal to an elder whom I've just met ― but it seemed very natural to me.

I had to leave after 90 minutes, but as our time was ending, Yuri searched around her bag and asked me if we could take a picture together. I was glad that she asked, since I'd wanted to take a picture, too. We promised to continue exchanging e-mail ― this time, in Japanese ― and then she gave me some hina-matsuri sweets. After we walked back to my science building, Yuri told me that she wanted to check out some more spots in Boston, but before she walked on, she said, "I'm really glad I met you. You never know what'll happen so I guess it's always worth trying." I was flattered to hear her say this and I was truly glad that I took the time to meet her.

Shukan ST: March 21, 1997

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