March 4, 2011
Bachan's sister is in the hospital, so he's in Campo Grande. So I'm staying with my Auntie Niall for a while. I have three cousins, and the youngest one, Noah, is so cute. He's 2 years old.
Compared to when I was in Japan, it's so much more lively and fun now! In Japan, I went to school from 7:30 in the morning to 6 in the evening. There were only eight students in my class. I was very close with three of them, but at the end of 2008, half of the students were gone. They had left town. And my best friend Aline had gone back to Brazil. Mommy said "É a crise 1 ", but I didn't really understand.
My friends at school got fewer and fewer, and at home it was just me and Mommy. I no longer spent time with many people. I knew that I had my grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins in Brazil from pictures. Sometimes Mommy would call me and at the end she would say, "Say hello to Jessica, too," and I would say, "Como vai? 2. " All my neighbors were Japanese, and we didn't even say hello to each other.
Coming to Brazil, it seemed like a completely different world to me, and I became more and more interested in Brazil. My neighbor, Dona Claudia, always asks me about school, and after she found out that Bachan went to Campo Grande, she asks me how Bachan's sister is doing, and always says, "Estimo melhoras 3. "
My current school is about five times larger than the Brazilian school in Japan, with over 400 students. Of course, there are more teachers. At Brazilian schools in Japan, due to a teacher shortage, it was normal for one teacher to teach two or more subjects and for students of different grades to study together in the same classroom. But here, there are as many as 35 students of the same grade in one class, and the teacher only has to teach the same content, so students can make progress in their studies.
However, I still can't get used to the boys' loud noises, and I'm always surprised by them. Especially when they start arguing about soccer, they get so noisy that I can't stop them even if I cover my ears. I wonder why they are so crazy about soccer.
Girls are all about fashion! Unlike in Japan, you can wear makeup to school, and you can also wear accessories and sandals! When I told Sakura-chan in Japan about this, she was surprised! She said she was jealous. But I'm satisfied with my own style. Now I'm into customizing T-shirts myself. I also get orders from friends. Brazilian girls seem to be bad at manual work.
It's about time I help my aunt.
My dear Diaglio. See you soon.
July 23 , 2011
The first semester has ended successfully, and I'm looking forward to spending winter break with Mommy in Sao Paulo!
This year, there is one more thing I want to do. To meet Marina-chan for the first time in 4 years! Marina-chan and I were in the same Brazilian school until the third grade of elementary school. But Marina-chan moved to a different town and started attending a Japanese school there. After a while, Marina-chan forgot Portuguese and started emailing only in Japanese, which was very difficult for me, so our email exchange ended there.
I heard that Marina had returned to Brazil in January of this year (Marina's mother had contacted Mommy), and I was looking forward to meeting her, but Mommy was slow to take me to her house.
However, two days before we were due to return to Maringá, Marina's mother came to visit us at home. But she was alone.
When I asked Marina's mother where she was, she hugged me tightly and said, "Marina has a cold and is in bed. Jessica has a favor to ask of me today," and handed me a notebook with a red cover.
It was a diary that we had exchanged until four years ago. Marina's mother had been waiting for me to write in it, and she took it home with her.
That night, Mommy told me the truth. After returning to Brazil, Marina was on a bus with her mother one day, happily speaking Japanese, when a group of young people started to make fun of her. She was so sad that she stayed home ever since.
I want to do something for Marina-chan. I will ask God. Please tell me some good way. Marina-chan is my dear friend. Please.
My dear Dialio, thank you for always being with me.
Note
1. "It's because of the economic crisis"
2. "How are you?"
3. "Take care of yourself."
© 2015 Laura Honda-Hasegawa
