Culture of One

I have three people in my family.  My mother and father are both incredible parents.  I couldn’t have asked for parents who would love me or support me more than they do.  My mother is full Japanese and my dad is full Caucasian.  They both grew up in Ohio and met in college.  A couple of years after they got married, my Dad had to relocate for his work.  He was given the choice of moving to Tennessee or Washington, and thankfully, he chose Washington.  When we moved, my older sister was 4 and I was less than one year old.  Growing up, other people have always commented on how similar my sister and I are.  I have never been able to understand what they mean.  They must mean we look alike, because personality-wise, my sister and I couldn’t be more different.  She is very dedicated and focused on everything that she does. She puts a lot of pressure on herself, and, as a result, she always exceeds exceptionally at what she does.  I, on the other hand, tend to me more laid back.  I do not stress as much as she does, and I don’t think it is a coincidence that I am never able to do as well as her.  Half the time my parents look at this trait and call me balanced, and the other half of the time they call me unmotivated.  Just like my sister, the only real pressure on me, I put on myself.

In high school I was part of the Kamiak Show Band, which isn’t the same as a marching band.  It was a competitive group that would practice for about 250 hours a season in order to produce a seven-minute show consisting of music and marching into specific, unique, formations.  The only reason I joined show band is because my sister had done it, and I trusted her when she told me it would be worth my time.  The first season was rough, and once it was over I was sure I wasn’t going to do it again next year.  However, as the next summer began to come around, I missed band practice so much. It was as absolutely nerdy as it came, and I loved every minute of it.  Being part of this group has affected me more than any other group that I can think of.   Truly, it taught me so much about commitment and dedication.  Every weekday in August we would have 12 hours of practice, with 3 hours set aside for eating and resting throughout the day.  Once school started we would have to balance academics with around 15 hours of practice a week.  However, by the end of the season you would never remember how stressed or tired you were, you would remember all the amazing times you had. I was a band nerd in the truest sense, and I am extremely proud of it.

My sophomore year of high school, my best friend and I decided to join our schools winterguard.  In guard, we were both put on the rifle line, which I was horrible at.  Constantly I would be hurting my hands, and occasionally I would hurt other people.  One particularly windy day we went to the local elementary school to practice.  As I’m sure you can predict, that did not go well.  Right when I released my flag for a parallel toss, a strong gust of wind blew my flag pole right into my forehead.  Even though I laughed it off, the dizziness and pain didn’t fade.  The next day my mother took me to the doctor, who told me I had a concussion.  I had to miss two weeks of school, and the championships for winterguard.  Not even two months later, when my band was returning from a parade in Canada, I hit my head unloading the bus and sustained another concussion.  This concussion was very different from the first.  The pain was much more overwhelming, and never really faded.  To this day, I still get incapacitating migraines, powerful dizzy spells, and sometimes sensitivity to light and sound.  After discussing this with a doctor that said that is likely to continue for the rest of my life. 

I find it safe to say that these three topics, my family, my band experience, and my concussions, have deeply affected how I live my life.  I try to be the caring and hardworking person that my parents raised me to be, I make sure to stay true to my commitments like band has taught me to do, and I fight to do my best no matter what stands in my way.