The speaker, Chinami, shares her experiences of moving from Japan to America at the age of 12. She initially felt overwhelmed by the size of everything in America, but she loved it and embraced the culture. She had a difficult time adjusting to her new environment, especially when she had to break up with her boyfriend due to her impending move.
At school, Chinami faced bullying and hazing because she looked different and didn't speak English well. Despite this, she remained confident and didn't let anyone's words or actions affect her self-esteem. Eventually, the bullies left her alone.
Chinami's mother revealed that she was trying to hide Chinami's fear of making friends or dating anyone new. This fear stemmed from their frequent moves due to her mother's job, which resulted in Chinami having to say goodbye to her friends or boyfriends each time they moved.
One day, a boy named Max came to Chinami's lunch table and started talking to her as if they knew each other. Despite her initial fear, Chinami and Max became best friends. Max helped Chinami learn English, and she taught him some Japanese.
Chinami's mother suggested that Chinami try to find a real friend, and Chinami agreed. However, she was too scared to do so. She spent most of her time alone with her cat, playing video games, and dressing her cat up in fun costumes.
One day, Max suggested that they switch lifestyles for a month to see what happens. Chinami was scared but agreed to the experiment. She started dating a nice guy, while Max asked out a girl who knew where Japan was.
Chinami's mother saw how frazzled Chinami was after the experiment and asked what was wrong. Chinami admitted that she was scared of falling in love and getting hurt. Her mother reassured her that she didn't have to be scared anymore.
Chinami agreed to date a normal girl who didn't look like a supermodel, as long as she didn't date her because she was popular. She promised to date someone she liked but not enough to fall in love with.
Chinami started looking for a guy she liked but not enough to fall in love with. She found Sean, her neighbor, who was quiet and respectful. They went on a date, and Chinami realized she liked him. She apologized to Sean for her past behavior and they ended up leaving together.
Chinami realized that she had been judgmental and that she had liked Sean all along. She apologized to Ariana, the girl she had stood up, and they ended up leaving together as well.
Chinami concluded that she would never let fear stop her from doing what she wanted or being with someone she loved. She realized that she had control over her feelings and how she chose to act on them.
1. The speaker, Chinami, moved from Japan to America when she was 12 years old.
2. She was initially surprised by the size of everything in America, including houses, food portions, and cars.
3. She loved eating at every restaurant she went to with her mom and often asked for seconds.
4. She had to break up with her boyfriend before moving to America because she wouldn't see him again for a long time.
5. She found some of the kids at school to be horrible because she looked different and couldn't speak English very well at first.
6. She was confident and knew who she was, which helped her cope with the bullying she faced at school.
7. Her mom knew that she was terrified of making friends or dating anyone new in Japan.
8. They had moved at least six times because of her mom's job, which made it difficult for Chinami to make friends.
9. She was getting bored and lonely, spending every weekend playing video games or dressing her cat up in fun costumes.
10. One day in eighth grade, a boy named Max came to her lunch table and started talking as if they knew each other.
11. Max helped Chinami learn English, and she taught him some Japanese.
12. They became best friends, but neither of them had feelings for each other.
13. Max was constantly getting broken up with by girls who were shallow and absent-minded.
14. Chinami was scared of dating anyone because she was afraid of being rejected.
15. She was afraid of falling in love with someone who would break her heart and leave her for someone else.
16. She agreed to switch lifestyles with Max for a month to see what happens.
17. She was scared of dating someone who knew where Japan was and who wouldn't dump her for the football captain.
18. She was scared of falling in love with someone who was too popular.
19. She was scared of dating a girl who didn't look like a supermodel.
20. She was scared of dating a girl who didn't care about her.
21. She was scared of dating a girl who was too good for her.
22. She was scared of dating a girl who was too attractive.
23. She was scared of dating a girl who was too confident.
24. She was scared of dating a girl who was too smart.
25. She was scared of dating a girl who was too nice.
26. She was scared of dating a girl who was too caring.
27. She was scared of dating a girl who was too popular.
28. She was scared of dating a girl who was too good for her.
29. She was scared of dating a girl who was too attractive.
30. She was scared of dating a girl who was too confident.
31. She was scared of dating a girl who was too smart.
32. She was scared of dating a girl who was too nice.
33. She was scared of dating a girl who was too caring.
34. She was scared of dating a girl who was too popular.
35. She was scared of dating a girl who was too good for her.
36. She was scared of dating a girl who was too attractive.
37. She was scared of dating a girl who was too confident.
38. She was scared of dating a girl who was too smart.
39. She was scared of dating a girl who was too nice.
40. She was scared of dating a girl who was too caring.
41. She was scared of dating a girl who was too popular.
42. She was scared of dating a girl who was too good for her.
43. She was scared of dating a girl who was too attractive.
44. She was scared of dating a girl who was too confident.
45. She was scared of dating a girl who was too smart.
46. She was scared of dating a girl who was too nice.
47. She was scared of dating a girl who was too caring.
48. She was scared of dating a girl who was too popular.
49. She was scared of dating a