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...and no, it's not about a recent World Cup football match.

It's a bit of social commentary on life in Japan vs life in Colombia from a Japanese who lives in Colombia, one of the poorest area in Bogota and manages a charity there. It's a bit long but worth savouring, word by word.

(English subtitles are available, via the usual CC button below.)

Kinda silly posting a Spanish language video here on HA, a site which uses English language as tool of communication. Sure there are handful of posters here who are proficient in Spanish, Russian, Chinese, or other languages. And said posters may from time to time throw out a few non-English lines as a kind of inside comment or joke for those here who understand. But posting a full vid like that which is virtually all verbal (no expressive visuals) on a non-Spanish site without English subtitles seems pretty pointless. Common sense.

Thanks! It would also be a bit helpful if you could give a brief synopsis on the differences.

There's been a long Japanese presence in many South American countries such as Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, and Chile, and naturally there would be some in Colombia. Some of these Sudamericanos of Japanese descent recently have migrated to Japan for economic reasons, but they are discriminated against as foreigners. Naturally, they tend to strongly identify themselves as Latin American in Japan and speak Portuguese or Spanish.

And Rock, there are subtitles in the video. Publicduende himself isn't that fluent in Spanish, although he can understand much of it.

Rock wrote:Kinda silly posting a Spanish language video here on HA, a site which uses English language as tool of communication. Sure there are handful of posters here who are proficient in Spanish, Russian, Chinese, or other languages. And said posters may from time to time throw out a few non-English lines as a kind of inside comment or joke for those here who understand. But posting a full vid like that which is virtually all verbal (no expressive visuals) on a non-Spanish site without English subtitles seems pretty pointless. Common sense.

Forgot to mention, the video does come with English subtitles. Had CC on by default and thought they were burnt into the video file.

Cool video!

It seems like Asians are well-adjusted and do well, socially, in Latin America, unlike in the United States. I also got the feeling I would do well with Latin women over there--back when I traveled to the Dominican Republic a few years back.

Also, whenever I discuss life in South America with my Father (who worked for the S. Korean embassy) when I was a baby, he said Asians are relatively prosperous and happy throughout South America. ...

Falcon wrote:Thanks! It would also be a bit helpful if you could give a brief synopsis on the differences.

There's been a long Japanese presence in many South American countries such as Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, and Chile, and naturally there would be some in Colombia. Some of these Sudamericanos of Japanese descent recently have migrated to Japan for economic reasons, but they are discriminated against as foreigners. Naturally, they tend to strongly identify themselves as Latin American in Japan and speak Portuguese or Spanish.

And Rock, there are subtitles in the video. Publicduende himself isn't that fluent in Spanish, although he can understand much of it.

This guy's story is quite unique. His parents (Japanese dad, Colombian mom) have always been living in Japan, near Yokohama I think. It was his choice to spend his adult life in Colombia, and one of the poorest barrios of Bogota none the less.
I think the video makes a sobering view for those who aren't interesting in comparing two societies and cultures beyond the dating aspect.

zboy1 wrote:Cool video!

It seems like Asians are well-adjusted and do well, socially, in Latin America, unlike in the United States. I also got the feeling I would do well with Latin women over there--back when I traveled to the Dominican Republic a few years back.

Also, whenever I discuss life in South America with my Father (who worked for the S. Korean embassy) when I was a baby, he said Asians are relatively prosperous and happy throughout South America. ...

Asians tend to do well everywhere they go, as they are (usually) serious, hard working and open up to the host culture without indulging too much in isolation..
This young man's case is even more remarkable, as he deliberately gave up a certainly cosier life in Japan to manage a number of charities in some of the poorest areas of Bogota. That video made him famous, yet he's not an instant celebrity: prior to winning the prize as in the video, he had been working in the charity sector for about 7 years.

Finally, it didn't slip me that he is quite handsome and certainly charming and well spoken. He could have absolutely killed with the ladies. Instead, he chose to be married and have a few kids.

A solid inspirational figure, at least as far as I am concerned.

publicduende wrote:Asians tend to do well everywhere they go, as they are (usually) serious, hard working and open up to the host culture without indulging too much in isolation..
This young man's case is even more remarkable, as he deliberately gave up a certainly cosier life in Japan to manage a number of charities in some of the poorest areas of Bogota. That video made him famous, yet he's not an instant celebrity: prior to winning the prize as in the video, he had been working in the charity sector for about 7 years.

However, the later Asian arrivals, especially the ones from the last quarter of the 20th century onward, tend to be more resistant to acculturation, especially if they come in groups. Asian migrants from before the 20th century often assimilated abroad in Southeast Asia, Latin America, etc. very rapidly since they often did not bring their own women along or have frequent access to media in their own languages.

Finally, it didn't slip me that he is quite handsome and certainly charming and well spoken. He could have absolutely killed with the ladies. Instead, he chose to be married and have a few kids.

A solid inspirational figure, at least as far as I am concerned.

Once at my university in the US, I saw a Japanese Brazilian guy who flanked by 2 Brasilena beauties (1 blonde and 1 brunette), and he kept making them laugh with his playful flirtiness. He told me that he's from Curitiba and knows only a smattering of Japanese. He's just another cool Brazilian playboy and had absolutely none of that minority inferiority complex that you find in the US.

The English captions worked just fine for me.

Does he want to go into politics? He could be the next Alberto Fujimori.