| |
| |
|
My name is Veronica and I come from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
I came to Matsue at the end of May as a Shimane-ken trainee. My father was born
in Yasugi and immigrated to Argentina around 36 years ago.
Two months ago, I visited an aged-care home with
a Japanese couple who work there. They were having
a recreational party with the patients and the patients'
relatives. At the beginning of the event we were
introduced to the residents. I explained that I
was from Argentina and where my father was born.
After the party was over, a woman came to me and
asked what my last name was. When I answered, she
looked very surprised.
“I know your father”, she said. “When I first saw
you, your face reminded me of him. And then, when
you said you were from Argentina, I was so surprised.
It's amazing! I went to your father's farewell party
before he left Japan many years ago! ”.
This woman and her brother used to be my father's
neighbors and friends! A couple of weeks after this
chance meeting, the woman sent me some black and white
pictures of my father, taken as he boarded the ship
to Argentina.
I had seen similar photographs, shown to me by my
father in Argentina, but receiving them from an old friend of my father's here
in Japan made them extra special.
One week later, I was at the Shimane International
Center reading the news when a couple of young people
sat down nearby. They were reading some books in Spanish
and English so I wondered if they were foreigners.
On asking them, I discovered that they were Japanese
and were interested in visiting some foreign countries
to learn Spanish or English. I told them I was from
Argentina and suggested that we exchange Japanese-Spanish
lessons. As I wrote down my e-mail, the girl said,
“You have the same last name as my boyfriend! You
are family! ”.
“Ah, but, my dad was not born in Matsue. He is from
Yasugi” I replied.
“I am from Yasugi!” her boyfriend exclaimed. “My whole
family is from Yasugi! And I don't know other families with that surname!” We
were surprised and started laughing and joking around at the chance we might be
cousins or related in some way. We still do not know for sure, but in the meantime,
we have become good friends.
These are two little interesting and fun anecdotes
that I'm taking with me from Matsue. Once more, the
world shows me how small it is. I took a 30 hour trip
from Argentina to get to Japan and now I am in the
country of my father and my grandparents. It is really
nice to discover where they come from and even more,
to get to know, by accident, those people who knew
them and possibly even those who might be family.
|
|
|
|
|
