July 30, 2011
My dear Diario. I'm back!
I had a lot of fun during the winter vacation I spent in Sao Paulo, but two days before I returned here, I found out about Marina-chan and I was really worried. She was with me at a Brazilian school in Japan until three years ago, but she came back to Brazil this year and hasn't gotten used to life here and isn't going to school. Why? I can't believe it! She's smarter than me, speaks Japanese fluently, and is cute.
When she told Bachan about Marina, he encouraged her, saying, "It's such a waste that such a smart girl doesn't go to school and stays shut up at home. Jessica is a true friend, so she can do something. She can help you."
So I thought about it. And every time I sit down at my desk, I'll write words of encouragement in this diary. And I'll have Marina read this diary. Mommy also said, "Talk to Marina and write her letters in Portuguese as much as possible. I'm sure she'll gain more confidence in Portuguese."
It's decided! Diario, let's do our best!
August 22, 2011
Today, there was an event at school called "Festa do Folclore" to introduce Brazilian folklore. When I was in Japan, I never thought that such an event would be held in a Brazilian school, so I was excited from the morning.
Each class decorated their classroom beautifully and presented what they had researched over the course of a month. I tried drawing a picture for the first time. The teacher praised me for my skill. The picture was a cartoon of a character named Curpira, who appears in Brazilian folklore! Isn't it amazing?
With red hair and eyes and blue nails, he looks like a slightly eccentric, mischievous boy, but take a look at his feet! His toes are pointing backwards, and he's a guardian deity who hops around the forest like that.
Students from other classes also stopped and stared. The reactions of the little kids were moving. "Who's that?", "Poor thing, can it walk on those legs?", "It's so cool that it can hop around!", "It's friends with the animals in the forest!" Everyone was fascinated.
I was very happy that something I made seemed to attract people for the first time in my life. If I have a chance like this again next year, I would like to try "kamishibai" (paper theater), which is not available in Brazil. This manga will be exhibited at school until the end of the month, so I will send it to Marina when it is over.
Students from other classes also introduced various things. They showed plays, folk dances, and parades in national costumes. Brazilian girls love fashion and are crazy about dances and parades in national costumes. They want to look cute, but I think they also have a strong desire to be appreciated by boys.
Today, Bachan came to support me again. Of course, he said that my drawing of Kurupila was the best! Thank you, Bachan.
Well then, my dear Diario. Good night!
October 15, 2011
Today is Teacher's Day and school is closed. Because Bachan taught primary school students, he always says that it's a shame that teachers are not held in high regard in Brazilian society.
So, today he told me this story. In 1959, Bachan was in the first year of junior high school. His math teacher, who was originally a quiet man of German descent, suddenly said to the class during a lesson, "Look at Japan. Of course, only important people were invited to the Crown Prince's wedding. It was in the newspaper that one of them was the Crown Prince's first teacher." At the time, Bachan didn't really understand what he meant, but after he started teaching at school, he remembered his old teacher's words and finally understood what he was saying.
When I was in Japan, I helped take care of small children at a Brazilian school, and I thought I would become a teacher, but I don't think I can do that in Brazil. The children here are too energetic, and when I look at the children in my neighborhood, they don't seem to listen to adults.
I've never really thought about what I want to be in the future, but I sometimes think I'd like to work in the design field. I could be an interior coordinator, make clothes for pets, or be a manga artist, or I'd like to try a lot of different things.
Although she has many friends, girls who are called "cute" by those around them always seem to choose to be "models" or "actresses." Mommy's cousin Rumi was like that too. When she told her Brazilian friend about it, she was told, "Give up. There are no models with Japanese faces or actresses who appear in TV dramas in Brazil!" In the end, Rumi was so shocked that she stayed in bed all day, and the next day she went to a hair salon and dyed her hair blonde. This was 10 years ago, and now Rumi works at a Japanese restaurant in America. Her hair is, of course, black.
I've never told anyone this before, but I really want to come back to Japan someday, study and work.
My dear Diario, please support me.
© 2015 Laura Honda-Hasegawa
