Identification as Colombian, feeling closer to JA than Japanese
Japanese has a lot of layers, and formalities, and unspoken languages that are both verbal and behavioral that I don't understand. They completely go over my head. Americans are more Latin in that sense. Even though I feel I have Japanese values, culturally, I am very Latin American. I consider myself culturally very Colombian.
Contributed by: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum
Interviewee Bio
Monica Teisher was born in Cali, Colombia in 1974 to an Issei father and Nisei mother. She and her large extended family were active in the Cali Japanese community, the largest in Colombia. She moved to the United States after marrying a U.S. citizen of Eastern European Jewish descent. They and their daughters spend vacation time in Colombia, participating in community events. (May 2020)