Wanda English Burnett, Editor

Life in rural southeastern Indiana is definitely different for Ai Brown, from her life growing up near Yokohoma, Japan.

“I love it here!” Ai exclaimed as she talked about how she thought she might get homesick when she first moved to Versailles with her military husband, Kris. Her eyes lit up as she talked about the vast, open spaces Indiana provides compared to her home in Japan, which was crowded. The first time she saw lightning bugs was a real treat. “I thought, it’s so wonderful here,” she told The Versailles Republican in an interview where her uncle (by marriage) Wayne Peace, also attended to help with the language barrier.

Ai speaks good English, and when she has a question, she goes to her handy little machine that helps interpret the words. Once in the interview she was trying to think of the word fermentation, and could only think of “smelly”. That’s when she was talking about the differences in food.

Being a nutritionist, Ai loves to prepare food. She said she was disappointed that her American husband doesn’t like her food. “He just eats cereal,” she laughed. Oh, and cereal here and in Japan are two different things, according to Ai. “You have big boxes,” she gestured. “We have small ones.” She thinks everything in America is big compared to her homeland of Japan.

Ai’s journey to America began when she saw Kris Brown for the first time ten years ago. “I never talked to American soldiers, but this one...” she began telling the story of their life together. She said she didn’t talk to soldiers because she couldn’t speak Eng-lish “that good.” After she met Kris, she went back to school to learn the language better. It was love at first sight for Ai and she did what was necessary to learn more about this man.

Kris, a 1997 graduate of South Ripley High School, was serving in the US Navy and was stationed on the USS Kitty Hawk in Japan. He had gone into the city as many soldiers do when they have a little time off. That’s when he met Ai. “He had lots of questions about Japan,” Ai offered, saying she didn’t know as much Japanese history as she thought and they learned it together.

But, the whirlwind romance came to a sudden halt one day when Kris disappeared. “Suddenly, he was gone.” Ai said she emailed him to no avail. She said she continued for two to three weeks, and then gave up. Her heart was broken and she couldn’t figure out what had happened. What happened was the war in Iraq had begun and Kris’s ship had sailed. He wrote her faithfully every day, but for months she didn’t receive anything. Then one day, “I got lots of letters,” she smiled brightly, indicating it was a stack about a foot high.

Then one day Kris was back and knocked on her door. He finally met her family, where he didn’t receive a warm reception from Ai’s father. “He didn’t like it too much that he (Kris) was American,” she shared. Her mother, on the other hand, liked him, she understood about young love. She also helped bridge the gap with the father by reminding him of the good deeds American soldiers had done for their family many years ago. Her father was still apprehensive, saying Kris had a dangerous job, being in the military. “It’s okay now,” Ai said, meaning the relationship between her father and husband is better. Now Kris is employed with Hazen Paper Company in Osgood and not in the military. He is a devoted father to the couple’s daughters, Kacy Nonoka, who is four, and Grace Nana, three. The girls both have American first names and Japanese middle names, Ai noted.

Both girls were present for the interview and spoke Japanese with their mother. They also speak English. Ai noted that they use the Japanese language when Kris is at work, but when he comes home everyone speaks in English, although Kris speaks fluent Japanese.

The couple compromise on things in their marriage. They had a traditional Japanese ceremony in Japan for their wedding and also an American wedding. Ai says she is learning to cook some American dishes, but since her husband loves cereal, it’s been easy. She noted that their daughters love her Japanese cooking and also love American food. “They eat popcorn and pizza,” she laughed. She said their favorite food is a Japanese dish called Nattou, which is made from soybeans and other ingredients that goes through a fermentation process. To the question if her husband likes the dish, she laughed. “He leaves the house when I make it,” she confessed.

Ai is getting used to life in America and says she loves it here. “Everyone is so friendly,” she noted. She says she has an international driver’s license, but finds it hard to drive here. (They drive on the opposite side in Japan.) The gas crunch doesn’t affect her much, she just gets out her bicycle, complete with a front and back basket, and takes the girls down to Pat’s Bulk Food Store when she needs items. In Japan, their family mostly took a train or bicycle, not many people had cars, she said. That’s a big difference for her, but she understands the need for vehicles, due to distance issues.
She does miss getting fresh seafood daily, something she did at her oceanside home in Japan. She also misses the beautiful outdoor spas that are nestled between the mountains near Toyko. When she went home for a visit early this spring, those are some of the things she enjoyed. Her daughters, however, wanted a little touch of America, and their father shipped them some cereal, Chocolate Rice Krispies and their favorite movies, Dora and Sponge Bob Square Pants in English! Ai laughed, saying the girls really missed their movies.

Ai is hoping her daughters will make friends quickly when they start school, Kacy will begin preschool in the fall. “When we go to the park kids are curious, and friendly,” she noted. She wants them to be accepted and have great school memories.

Ai’s parents are planning a trip to Versailles in the fall. “My mom is learning English better,” noted Ai, saying she wants to be able to communicate via email with her daughter and family.

While it has been a big adjustment from the Japanese way of life to American style, Ai says it’s one that’s been worth it. She loves her new home and family. She enjoys holiday gatherings and expressed that when she tasted turkey for the first time she loved it. “It was yummy,” she noted. She enjoys fishing at Peace’s pond and doing things with Kris’s cousins, Holley Meador and Becky Peace. She said her mother-in-law, Kathy Brown, has also been very good to her, helping to teach her American ways. She has met another lady from Japan and says she enjoys being with her, talking about life before America.

In Japan elderly people are more respected than in America. That’s something Ai wishes would change here. Her grandfather lived with them and she said her parents never fought. She believes that was due to the respect they had for her grandfather. He helped out a lot with Ai and her sister, Hitomi. She believes the older generation has a lot to offer.

Living in or near Versailles for the past two years has convinced Ai that it’s a great place to have a family. She says the people are “very nice” and she looks forward to meeting new friends. While there are many differences in Ai’s life now, she says she’s happy with the blend of cultures and families. She has respect for what Kris has always known and he has respect for her as well. The only thing he can’t stand, is her favorite Japanese dish, and she forgives him for that!

WANDA ENGLISH BURNETT PHOTO The gas prices don't affect Ai Brown when she uses her bicycle for transportation. In Japan, it was a common mode of travel, and since she finds driving a car confusing, bicycling is not so bad here. She is pictured with her daughters, Kacy, in the rear seat, and Grace, in front. She says she can take the girls, get her exercise, and get where she's going without spending money for gas.