When I first came to Hamamatsu two years ago, I was surprised to find so many Brazilians.A Japanese friend told me then that there are many Brazilians and other foreigners in the area because of the numerous car factories based in Hamamatsu. The city center is overflowing with them. There were other nationalities too- Filipinos, Indians and other Asians but the Brazilians are the most noticeable. They don't blend in and they don't seem to try to blend in. They just stand out.
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| credit: http://web.mit.edu/fll/www/newsletter/2012/02/20/ |
I didn't have the chance to be friends with Brazilians in the area. Most of the Brazilians I met cannot speak English. I'm also kinda overwhelmed by their personality. (No racism intended. I'm just really overwhelmed.) They're so full of character. There was also this one time when a group of young Brazilians were asked to leave Saizeriya. They were so loud that the other customers complained. Interestingly, they didn't argue and just left the place without a fuss.
Fast forward to present time, I'm suddenly in the midst of many Brazilian junior high school students. Six percent of the school population I currently work for are Brazilians. This means there are about 2-3 Brazilians in each class. In a few months that I've been teaching them, I noticed that Brazilian students in Japan are either the class leaders / the coolest in class or the problem students. There are no moderates. It's either of the two. As a teacher, I can neatly categorize which Brazilian students I like and which I want to avoid.
The Alpha Female
All of the Brazilians who are class leaders are female. And I think they are really good leaders. They have strong personalities that even the male students follow them. In my school at least, there are no male Brazilian class leaders. I wonder why.
The Cool Male
There may be no male Brazilian student leaders but they dominate the "cool" category. These are the male Brazilian students who are well-liked by their peers. They can set the mood of the class or amuse the class. Interestingly, there are no female Brazilian students who are considered cool by their peers, even the class leaders.
The Problem Student
If a Brazilian is not a leader nor cool, he/she is probably one of the difficult students. This is just my experience, so far. Some Brazilians are considered difficult because of their indifferent and non-participatory behavior in class. They'd just stare down at the teacher the whole time. They don't do seat works and worksheet exercises. They sleep in class and they just don't care. They are the most annoying Brazilians for me.
Some are difficult because they are bullied or being left out. I feel that they want to learn and be part of a group but they are seen differently by their peers. Because of these, they have a hard time with the lesson and they don't seem happy to be in school. I have about 5 or Brazilian students who are being made fun of all the time. Two of them are having difficulty in Japanese. I feel bad for them.
Wikipedia has an interesting entry for Brazilians in Japan. It was stated there that Brazilians in Japan, although mostly descended with a Japanese blood, are greatly prejudiced and discriminated. There's also a big dropout rate of Brazilians from Japanese schools. A few years ago, the Japanese government offered cash incentives to Brazilians who wanted to return to Brazil. Those who participated cannot return to Japan anymore. This program was initiated because the Brazilians did not assimilate to Japanese culture as the government expected.
I'm not surprised with the non-assimilation of the Brazilians into the Japanese culture. Japan has a very subtle and understated culture that seems to be a total opposite of Brazilians' personable and strong culture. They are one of those people that you either want to be around or try to avoid. As I've said, there are no moderates. Either you love them or hate them.
More on Brazilians in Japan:
