Berkeley Diary

Masaki YAMAOKA



Sep/22/2005  New Semester has coming

       In these two months, I was so busy that I couldn't write this diary. My family's short visit, a trip to Mexico and Cuba, and a short homecoming to Japan... I had experienced plenty of episodes. Especially the spectacles I had seen in Cuba are unforgettable. I want to share the experience with many friends. However, I cannot afford to look back at the past, because in the new semester I will be much busier than last semester.

       I would like to share only one episode from this summer. I left Bay Area for a trip to Mexico and Cuba in late August. My main purpose was to visit Cuba after 9 years from my last visit in 1996. From USA, we cannot go to Cuba directly because owing to an absence of nonstop flights by the confrontation of the two nations. So to stay at Mexico City for two days, I got off the airplane at the Mexico City International Airport. When I joined at the line to the entry immigration, the old gentleman who was standing just before me in the line looked exactly like someone I knew! But he wore a baseball cap, so looks casual and informal unusually.
       I asked him, saying gexcuse me, are you Dr. Searle?h
       He turned around and was surprised, saying gOh, nice to see you again here! Where are you going?h I answered gI am going to Cubah. But before I could ask him why he was there, his turn had come. So we couldnft talk any more there.

       After I came back to Berkeley, I visited Dr. Searlefs office to say hello before new semester and to give him my little souvenir from Cuba. I asked him why was he there after a week. According to him, his purpose was to attend the conference on philosophy in Mexico City. Honestly I told him my trip to Cuba was for a private purpose, and when I started to talk about my exciting experience in Cuba, he stopped me, saying, gHow is your research?h
       After that we talked about my research plan in detail. As the result of this consultation, I  have to write a new paper in English these two months. Now I am reading, thinking, and writing in English on a theme in the philosophy of language. I appreciate his kindness and advise. I felt actually he was a great scholar indeed, and I felt  another man who I came across in Mexico.
        So maybe I wonft be able to write this diary as often. Even if I have a time, I would like to write the entire article in English for my exercise.

 

To: Soka University HP (English)
To: Department of the Japanese Language and Literature HP
To: Masaki YAMAOKA's HP: Index
e-mail to myamaoka@soka.ac.jp