ENG 273N RD#2-PORTRAIT

Kristine Asato           

8 October, 2010

RD #2

My grandfather sits in his grandfather chair.  The armrest is worn from over use, and I’m pretty sure the chair is older than me.  My grandfather was a man of few words.  But when he spoke, everything seemed to resonate in me.  [THESIS] Without even knowing, my grandfather has taught me lessons in life, that I thought could only come from books. [THESIS]  Oblivious to his powers, my grandfather has shaped my life, and I am eternally grateful for it.

The earliest childhood memory still left in my brain was of my grandfather.  I remember crying, for what reason I do not remember.  All I remember was I felt upset.  My grandfather carried me, around the house until I fell asleep in his arms.  I always felt love and a silent sense of affection from the arms that once held me close.  I learned how it felt to be loved at such a young age.  The fact that I still remember it causes me to think that my grandfather’s embrace made me a little more warm hearted. 

During my elementary school years I had to do a project on a person, and I picked my grandfather.   I asked him questions about Pearl Harbor where he used to work before retirement.  I took down notes, of the Japanese and the internment camps.  He looked over and saw that I had abbreviated Japanese into “Jap”.  Bewildered, he told me never to write that word again.  In my later years, I came to understand the word derogatory, making my grandfather’s outburst clearer.  I don’t remember the paper I wrote, but the lesson I learned has stayed with me.  I am proud to be Japanese.  My grandfather had taught me to have respect and pride for my culture.

Everyone seems to tell me that I should learn to cook from my grandfather.  I asked him about it once.  The joy in his face was worth the time it would take to master this unique art of grandfather cooking.  My grandfather proceeded to remove a simple green book from the kitchen shelf.  I had never noticed it before.  I could see the clipping from magazines sticking out, aged pages with his familiar slanted handwriting.  This book was like the creator of all things that taste stupendous.  Although to make almost everything in the book, it took hours.  Patience was the ultimate lesson.  It took the entire day to prepare some of the best dishes. 

As I grew older, I needed to choose a specific field of study.  My grandfather had his heart set on me becoming a nurse.   He told me “When I was in the hospital the nurses took such good care of me.”  And I it was the only explanation I received on the subject.  As the years went on and my attempts at any sort of major went out the door, I turned to the medical field.  I am currently employed in a care home facility, and am enjoying it completely.  It seems my grandfather knew me better than I knew myself.  When all else failed, my grandfather was there, with his hope for me.  His confidence encouraged me to become something better than what I used to be.

My grandfather stands for everything I’ve become, and he has taught me a little bit of everything I know.  Sometimes the paths we choose may be wrong and hard, but knowing someone will always be there for you is what counts.  My grandfather taught me respect, inspiration, patience and love.  It seems that these are the things that have helped me get by in life with flying colors.  I found that the lessons my grandfather taught me are valuable to my well-being.  I can apply every one of them to my work, my social life, and even on a personal basis of character.  My grandfather was, without knowing, the greatest teacher ever.