Even as a child, Joana was a hard worker, going to the fields early in the morning with her parents and three older brothers, returning home at 11:30 and eating lunch with her two younger brothers before going to school with them.
When Joana was just three months away from graduating from elementary school, her mother fell seriously ill. Joana had to take care of her mother and also work in the fields. She could no longer go to school, but she worked hard at the fields and housework, thinking that she had to do it for the sake of her family.
When she turned 18, she married into a farming family in a neighboring village and was soon blessed with three children. Her daily routine was to leave her children with her mother-in-law in the morning, go to the fields with her father-in-law and husband, and then return home early in the afternoon to look after the children and do housework.
When her third son was eight years old, they gave birth to a long-awaited baby girl. The family was overjoyed. Her husband chose the names of their three sons, but Joana insisted on choosing the name for their first daughter. "After I was no longer able to go to school, my homeroom teacher would come to our house from time to time to help me with my studies and encourage me. I still treasure the books she gave me. I want my daughter to be a kind and caring person like her, so I want to name her after her." When asked, "What was the teacher's name?" she replied, "Luisa!" and so the baby's name was decided.
Luisa grew up healthily. She always got good grades from elementary school onwards. Just before graduating from high school, she said she wanted to become a nurse. Her parents were very worried. "If she wanted to become a nurse, she had to go to São Paulo after all... but we had no relatives or acquaintances there, and we couldn't let our only daughter go alone."
The second son, Josue, who had always dreamed of living in the city, said, "I'll go to Sao Paulo with you! I'll take good care of Luisa." "Josue, what are you talking about! Who's going to do the farm work? You just want to go to Sao Paulo and give guitar lessons, don't you?"
"I'll go!" Joanna suddenly announced.
"What? You 've never been to Sao Paulo, have you? And every time you see the news about Sao Paulo on TV, you say, 'Sao Paulo is scary because there are so many traffic accidents, bank robberies, and murders, I don't want to go there'... Is it really okay?" Luisa said in shock. "But then, who will do the housework?" The whole family was filled with anxiety.
"It's okay. I'll go to Sao Paulo with Luisa, find a place to live, and come back as soon as Luisa's life is settled!"
Although her husband and sons were a little worried, they understood and sent them off warmly.
Joana's life with her daughter in São Paulo got off to a hectic start: she got up at 5am to pack lunch for the two of them, then walked 20 minutes to the bus stop. Luisa got off the bus and took the subway to school, while Joana walked another 15 minutes to a small handbag factory where she worked until 5pm. They met at the bus stop at 5:30pm and walked home together.
This routine continued for about six months. During the winter break in July, Luisa moved to an apartment near the school and started living with her Japanese-American seniors Akemi and Kaori, who were also attending the same nursing school.
At first, Joana felt very strange because there were very few Asians in the area where she had lived until then, she had no opportunities to interact with Asians, and there were no Asians among her children's classmates.
Akemi and Kaori are cousins born in Brazil, and their grandparents are immigrants from Japan. Akemi is very cheerful and reliable, and Kaori is dexterous, and she knitted Luisa a scarf shortly after they met. The two of them loved Luisa like a little sister, so Joana thought she had nothing to worry about.
Two weeks after Luisa began living with them, Joanna returned home feeling relieved.
Her husband and sons were very welcome! The house was a mess because the wife had been away for months, but Joanna didn't mind and felt deeply grateful for her home.
That evening, a group of neighbours gathered round, excited to hear Joana talk about her first visit to Sao Paulo.
As the conversation got more and more lively, Joanna suddenly remembered something and brought a heavy suitcase from the back of the room and opened it in front of everyone. Countless small items spilled out: colorful bowls and mugs, five-toed socks, a mirror, a dustpan with a mini broom, nail polish, candy, a cutter, a hand mixer, curry roux, sponges, hangers, small plates, decorative tape, and more.
"I bought these at the Japanese 100 yen shop that's only found in São Paulo!" Joana said as she handed out bags of sweets to each person.
Joanna's second adventure begins when her daughter makes a Japanese friend.
Note
1. Mom
© 2019 Laura Honda-Hasegawa
