This is a letter that I wrote to Sensei. I read it at my school's 1999 Women's Experience show. This letter sums up how I feel about Sensei and how she has transformed my life. (Tegami means 'letter' in Japanese.)
For those of you who do not know, Sensei was my Japanese professor, major and minor advisor, mentor, and friend while I was at Wittenberg. Her real name is Amy Gwen Christiansen, but Sensei means 'teacher' in Japanese.
Our relationship did not end upon graduation. We are still in touch.
The beauty of an event like this is the connection of women. In my opinion, women are magical and mystical. But not everyone seems to see this. Unfortunatly, the media and society give women fake identities. We have been portrayed as everything from sexual objects to dangerous witches. Yellow Springs has a comparable event to this called Women's Voices Out Loud. Once a year, a group of women who are talented in everything from gypsy dance to poetry reading gather together to share their talents with the audience. The performers are able to express themselves - something that historically women have not always been able to do. Here, we call our event Women's Experience, and like Women's Voices Out Loud, it gives women at Wittenberg a chance to speak out - a powerful tool. That is why I feel an event like this is so important. To honor women - to give women a chance to speak their minds after constantly being silenced. Tonight, I am going to do both. I am going to, through my writing, tell you about an amazing woman who I have the honor of knowing.
This piece isn't about a historically acclaimed woman. It's not even about a famous woman. Instead, it is about one of my personal heroines, someone who I personally know. I recently wrote her a letter that I have not yet sent. So I decided that tonight presented me with the perfect opportunity to share it.
I met you when I was just a freshman. Shy and scared, you were always willing to listen. I can't tell you how much that meant (and still means) to me. Knowing that someone cares about me that much is a feeling that is so awesome.
Our relationship began to grow. We started talking about issues realizing how much we really have in common. You helped shape me into the strong feminist that I am today. Sometimes I wonder if I have a long lost sister that my mom never told me about. Going together to Women's Voices Out Loud in Yellow Springs (our tradition), sharing a mutual love for our genre of music, exchanging e-mails both about pressing issues and who is da bomb, and sharing details about who we really are - tearing down the facades to learn about our true selves. All of that means so much to me.
Slowly, you became one of the most important people in my life. It was you who convinced me to stay here. It was you who I could discuss my sexuality openly with. It was you who I could share my Take Back the Night-type story with. Did you know that you were the first person who I told because I trusted you that much? You were the one who had faith in me that I could learn that difficult language, you know, the one with three different sets of characters? Soshite, ima ga dai suki desune! Yeah, that one. You were the one who introduced me to the wonderful world of Women's Studies.
And after three years, you have yet to let me down. Every little thing I learn about you makes me believe even stronger that you are the nicest person. Every one of your actions brings out your compassion and concern. I never get sick of you. I always want to hear your opinions on the issues. I love discussing feminism, political activism, and environmental action with you. Working on the web page with you has been nothing but fun. Assisting you with women's studies related things has been a true honor, and a tremendous learning experience.
And fun - we always manage to have fun together. Remember that time we got lost when we went to check out that piece of furniture for your house? We ended up in that cornfield in the opposite direction of campus! Or that time where you had to find 35 randomly hid Ho Ho's around your house? I still crack up whenever I read those clues! Or remember when we took those hysterical pictures together in Morris Lounge? We were both laughing so hard, we couldn't sit up!
I know that Wittenberg would not be the same place if I hadn't met you. To me, this tiny campus is conservative in many ways. In fact, my views are marginalized. Talking to you and knowing that you are here is my outlet for that. My calm in the midst of the storm, if you will. You and I would both fit in fine in a place like Berkeley, California or Madison, Wisconsin. It is nice to know that there is at least one other true liberal here.
And of course, you are also a strong feminist. One of the best. In you, I see a strong woman. A woman who never compromises herself. You taught me the fine art of feminism. Through observing you, and reading the books that you recommended, I have learned that it's okay to declare yourself a feminist. You taught me not to compromise or sacrifice my beliefs to please any man or anyone else. I have truly learned from the master.
You have been an advocate for women both here and elsewhere. From editing a magazine that published articles written by women from all over the world, to coordinating our own Women's Studies program. When you sense an injustice against women, you are quick to speak out, even if it means writing a foreign government to call their country "uncivilized".
And of course you had to scale gender barriers in your own lifetime. A woman who has a Ph.D. in almost any field has to. You never listened to those people who told you "women can't…" or "women don't…". Every woman gets confronted with that form of chauvinism at at least point of her life. You didn't listen, you did what was right for you.
When I look at you, I see a person filled with kindness, a tree-hugger, an intelligent feminist, a person with the best sense of humor, and a strong woman all in one. You have played a huge role in my life since I met you. I am excited to keep learning from you. I look forward to many more fond memories with you. You gave me everything I need to survive college. Sensei, you are not just my Japanese professor and my major and minor adviser. You are my role model, my mentor, my listener, and my friend. I am honored to know you and am elated that we met. And I often wonder, "what would I do without you?"
