Asian-American stand-up comedian Atsuko Okatsuka on new special and ‘representing weirdos'
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Her Taiwanese mother and Japanese father divorced when she was very young. Since her father got full custody of her, she spent most of her early childhood in Japan.
When she was eight, her maternal grandmother took her on a 'two-month vacation' to Los Angeles that turned into a seven-year undocumented stay in the United States.
Okatsuka says she was very confused.
'You're still a kid. You're still finding your personality in general. You think you started to find it in Japan, then suddenly you're in a new country,' she tells the Post on a video call from Los Angeles, where she is based.
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'[For years] I only spoke Japanese, then I moved to America. Not knowing the language, you're shy about it at first, too. Learning English was like … What is my personality? Who are my friends? Am I a shy person? Am I excited, loud and animated?'
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