While out for an early morning drive during the sweet potato harvest, Noda pulls over to the side of the road so that a tractor can pass through, but by doing so her car ends up in the sand. Her uncle immediately runs over and is absolutely furious at what she's done, but Noda simply apologizes and isn't bothered by his angry outburst. She is instead filled with admiration and amusement for her uncle, and she must try to hide her smile while apologizing. She admires her uncle for all his hard work to make a living for their family. Usually, Noda would be upset if someone was angry with her, but she doesn't feel that way this time, which surprises her.
Noda is a sweet niece, showing love and affection for her uncle. She describes an incident with him in California as he is trying to harvest his sweet potatoes. The harvest is his life's work, and it is through this work that he provides for his family. He is extremely stressed and overwhelmed with the tasks at hand when Noda is driving nearby and she moves off the road to allow a tractor to pass by. In doing so, she becomes stuck in the sand.
Her uncle runs over, throwing his hat and gesticulating wildly. In the moment, while it could have been very stressful, Noda is overcome with love and affection for the man who is working so hard for his family, and she offers a sincere and loving apology. She is very kind and gentle with him, which shows the love and care she has for the man.
"Growing up Asian in America" is an essay by Japanese American writer Kesaya E. Noda and is included in the anthology Making Waves: An Anthology of Writings By and About Asian American Women. The essay explores issues of race and self-acceptance in America surrounding the ever evolving and changing identity of Asian Americans.
The narrator describes a scene that takes place in California as her uncle is frantically working in his sweet potato fields during the harvest season. Noda describes her uncle as being stressed and concerned with managing his harvest crews and the influx of equipment onto his fields. Noda pulls her car off to the side of the road to make room for a passing tractor and quickly becomes stuck in the sand, blocking the entire roadway. As Noda tries to free her stuck car, she notices her uncle furiously running toward her car and shouting at her. Noda’s uncle continues screaming at her and rips off his hat, throwing it through the air. Although Noda says she is upset by outbursts of anger, she finds herself amused by the situation and overcome with affection for her uncle as she forces herself to hide a smile and apologizes to her uncle for the mishap.
Noda's uncle is a farmer—a potato farmer, no less. And when she goes to visit him, he's pretty stressed out, as it's right in the middle of harvest time. It's early morning when Noda drives up the farm roadway toward the shed, but as she pulls off to the side of the road to let a tractor go by, her car gets stuck in some white sand. She tries to move it forward and back, but it just won't budge. It's at that moment that her uncle starts running toward her, screaming at Noda for blocking the entire roadway.
Noda's never driven in sand before, and she apologizes to her uncle. Normally she's devastated by displays of anger, but curiously not this time. Instead, Noda's surprised to find herself deeply amused, as well as feeling rather affectionate toward her irate uncle.
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