Las desventuras de un LA Sansei en Sudamérica
John Katagi es un ex miembro del personal del Museo Nacional Japonés Americano. Comparte recuerdos de casi dos décadas de viajes a Sudamérica. Sus experiencias son el resultado del estudio y la observación como parte del equipo directivo de JEMS, una agencia intercultural con sede en Los Ángeles.
Historias de Esta Serie
Beautiful, but Deadly
24 de febrero de 2010 • John Katagi
Kawashima sensei and I were at a conference outside of São Paulo at a retreat site called Tabor. We were having coffee with a number of community leaders, when a giant caterpillar on a nearby branch caught sensei’s attention. The caterpillar had the plumpness of a tomato worm and the curious hairiness of a bottlebrush flower. The tip of the “hairs” had tiny glistening drops of what appeared to be nectar. A real beauty! Sensei was about to lift the …
Wheee!
25 de noviembre de 2009 • John Katagi
My first night in São Paulo, Brazil was like Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride at Disneyland. Based on my first experience of riding in a car in São Paulo, these would be my understanding of the driving rules: There are lines on the street. They are painted there for no reason whatsoever. Two lanes on the roadway can have four lanes or more of traffic. Oh, and the shoulder adds another two lanes. Traffic signals are not rules. They are guidelines. …
Asking for Directions
2 de octubre de 2009 • John Katagi
When you’re driving and you’ve lost your way, what do you do? A. Keep driving until you see something familiar. B. Consult the Thomas Guide. C. Pull into a gas station and ask for directions. D. Stop and ask a pedestrian for directions. E. None of the above. I suppose that living in California, and especially in Los Angeles where we are a car culture, asking for directions is pretty much a normal activity. Let’s change the venue for a moment and ask the same …
Wash Day
4 de septiembre de 2009 • John Katagi
There must have been dryers somewhere in South America. Gas or electric, I would have taken either. During my eight years in Brazil, washday usually involved a washboard built into a sink, a hard, square, giant bar of soap and a clothesline. I never stayed anywhere with a dryer, no less a washing machine. That meant that during the rainy season, washday could last several days as clothes hanging on the line outside were repeatedly rained on in the late afternoon, delaying the drying …
Grapes of Wrath
17 de julio de 2009 • John Katagi
My first trip to Argentina was with Kiyo and Rosa. Kiyo would become my advisor and friend during my term in South America. He and his wife invited me to join them on the journey to the Argentine state of Misiones, where they would visit and counsel a scattered group of Nikkei, in this rural province in Argentina as well as the southern section of Paraguay. Our route would take us by car from São Paulo to the city of …
Hot. Muggy. Sweaty. The Whole Nine Yards
17 de junio de 2009 • John Katagi
The air was stifling. Outside, the rain cooled the air to the low-90's. But the moisture raised the humidity to 100%. It was after midnight and I struggled to find a comfortable position in my cot. I had no blankets because of the heat. Only the sheet between me and the mattress. There was no breeze. I was in Belém do Pará in the heart of the Amazon. The setting was a boarding house north of the city. Called a …
