{"id":46,"date":"2017-12-22T15:27:00","date_gmt":"2017-12-22T06:27:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/livingabroad.site\/en\/?p=46"},"modified":"2023-05-14T15:33:27","modified_gmt":"2023-05-14T06:33:27","slug":"marcel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/livingabroad.site\/en\/marcel\/","title":{"rendered":"Didn\u2019t think I was so Brazilian: Marcel(Sao Paulo > Tokyo)"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"46\" class=\"elementor elementor-46\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-51949be elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"51949be\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-2d4f84a\" data-id=\"2d4f84a\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2a0e9e7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2a0e9e7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.13.2 - 11-05-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<p>Marcel moved to Japan from Sao Paulo, now works for a Japanese company. Though he longed to live abroad since he was a University student, Marcel says his promising career path was holding him back. With one major life change came another, Marcel made the decision to move abroad.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Profile<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Name: <strong>Marcel Ferragi<\/strong>&nbsp; Age: 35<\/p>\n<p>He was born in Sao Paulo but, spent most of his teenage years in Peru. After graduating from the University of Sao Paulo, he worked in investment banking and a financial consulting company. In April 2014, he moved to Tokyo as a Japanese Government (Monbukagakusho) Scholarships recipient and went to Keio University for his Master\u2019s degree. Now he works for a Japanese company in Tokyo.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1>Reality held him back from living abroad<\/h1>\n<p><strong>&nbsp;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;Did you think about living abroad when you were in University?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Marcel<\/strong>: Back then I had so many friends who studied abroad and I always wanted to go abroad as well. However, when I was younger, the cost of the decision to leave Brazil was too high.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I was studying at one of the best universities in Brazil and I thought if I freeze one year, I would never finish it. Plus I was doing an internship and they were offering me an opportunity to learn to become a bank manager at a young age. My life was too good to leave.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 16.6624px;\">Then I started working in Brazil. I can\u2019t tell you how many times I tried to become an expat. Sadly the company did not want me to leave because I was doing so well where I was.&nbsp;<\/span><span style=\"color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif; font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--medium); font-weight: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-weight ); background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--base);\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<div><br><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/mugikomuraoka.jp\/projects\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/1474428_10151751378356512_1870382136_n-e1512875569748.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"470\"> Marcel searched for an opportunity to be an expat while working in Brazil<\/p>\n<h1>Incident that changed his life<\/h1>\n<p><strong>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;When and how did you make up your mind to come to Japan?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Marcel<\/strong>: I had an incident that changed my personal life.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I had a fianc\u00e9 back in Brazil. We were together for 4 years. He had a stroke and my life changed completely. I would take care of him for 11months after the accident but then he broke up with me. He wanted to set me free.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>After 6 months after the break up, I applied for the Monbukagakusyo Scholarship.&nbsp;<span style=\"color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif; font-weight: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-weight ); background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--base); font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--medium);\">If the incident had not happened and the relationship had continued, I may not have moved into action toward living abroad.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/mugikomuraoka.jp\/projects\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/995590_10151762737621512_360687127_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"376\" height=\"376\" style=\"color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif; font-weight: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-weight ); background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--base); font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--medium);\"><span style=\"color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif; font-weight: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-weight ); background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--base); font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--medium);\">&nbsp;<br><\/span><span style=\"background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--base); color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif; font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--medium); font-weight: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-weight );\">Chilling out by the pool is his regular weekend relaxation<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><br><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>&nbsp;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;How did you know about the scholarship<\/strong><strong>?<\/strong><span style=\"color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif; font-weight: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-weight ); background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--base); font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--medium);\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Marcel<\/strong>: I knew of it because my brother was once a recipient. I visited him in Japan in 2008. I really liked the country. So I thought if I got the scholarship, I would go for it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I knew then and there that there was no chance to be an expat at my company and money was not the most important thing for me in life.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;Did you apply for other scholarships as well?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Marcel<\/strong>: No I didn\u2019t. I could not do it because I was too tired. There was the break up and I had a job. I was tired of everything. So when people ask me why I chose Japan, I say that Japan chose me. Because that was my only shot and I was chosen to come here.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1>Applying for Scholarship in Japan<\/h1>\n<p><strong>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;What was the process like to be a recipient?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Marcel<\/strong>: The program had a 1-year selection. Exam after exam, and at one point there was an interview in the Japanese consulate, with 6 or 7 Old men. They stare at you and judging you! It was so scary.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>For the interview with the old men, I had a tip from my brother who got the scholarship years ago, at the end, I said \u201c Oh, to add one more thing, Gambarimasu (I will work hard)\u201d. Everyone seemed delighted like \u201cOh! Gambatte! (Work hard)\u201d. That shows that I understand the philosophy right?&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;How many did they pick?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Marcel<\/strong>:&nbsp;10 out of about 300 candidates. So it was competitive, but actually my university was much harder to get into.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I think that the fact that I studied in the University of Sao Paulo, one of Brazils\u2019 top universities, helped me get the scholarship as well.&nbsp;The fact that I studied in Keio University, one of Japans\u2019 top universities, shows that life is full of consequence.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/mugikomuraoka.jp\/projects\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/21752699_10154852694436512_6155861125518101585_o.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1433\"> Marcel received Master&#8217;s degree and graduated from Keio University in 2017.<\/p>\n<h1>Living abroad as a child<\/h1>\n<p><strong>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;You spent your childhood abroad right?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Marcel<\/strong>: Yes, I spent most of my teenage abroad in Peru. Before that I lived in many different places in Brazil like Brasilia, Campinas and so on. Our family was always moving for our father&#8217;s job. From kindergarten to high school, I went to 13 different schools.<\/p>\n<p>In Peru, I went to an American school and a British one. Most of the students were rich Peruvians. They were not middle class but rather, they were very rich, so many of the kids were very spoiled.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>At the British school, I had a very hard time getting along with the other students and I went through a lot of bullying.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;In Peru, do people recognize you as a Brazilian?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Marcel<\/strong>: Yes, they recognize me as a Brazilian, which puts me in a good position. It makes me look cooler, more sophisticated. You can date cool girls because you are Brazilian.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Also they expect you to play soccer very well. I think that is one of the reasons I did not do well at first. I was not so good at football. That said I was good at hitting on all the nice girls. That time I became more aware of where I come from.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1>Self discovery in Japan<\/h1>\n<p><strong>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;Has living in Japan too changed your perception about yourself?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Marcel<\/strong>: Back then I didn\u2019t think that I was so Brazilian but, when I moved to Japan I realized how Catholic I was.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Take the concept of forgiveness. In Japan, you have the rules and if you don\u2019t follow them, you pay the price. For example, once you miss a deadline, you don\u2019t have a second chance.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In Brazil, it is more about forgiveness. If you forgive someone, it is something noble. You can always say sorry, and you will be forgiven. So that way, I realized how Catholic I was although I don\u2019t follow the religion.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/mugikomuraoka.jp\/projects\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/21232049_10154820206981512_8431197854616486822_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"358\" height=\"358\"><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;What sort of expectation did you have about Japan before you came here?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Marcel<\/strong>: One of the keys to happiness is that you don\u2019t have expectations. I had very low expectations. I was very relaxed and came with an open heart.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Instead, I had three goals that were all tangible.&nbsp;<span style=\"color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif; font-weight: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-weight ); background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--base); font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--medium);\">First, I wanted to get my Master\u2019s degree. Second, I wanted to visit countries throughout Asia. Third, I wanted English to be my second language. Back then Spanish was my second.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;How are you doing with those goals?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Marcel<\/strong>:&nbsp;I achieved them all and I would say I got much more. Now I have a fianc\u00e9 who is handsome, intelligent, strong and successful and I got a job. I have friends from all over the world. It is amazing!<\/p>\n<p>Although I feel like I am a child most of the time. I am struggling with the language and expressing even the small things. In Brazil, I felt strong in the society. Here everyday I am learning new things that are basic for you. So sometimes it is so tiring.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1>Accepting to Play Gaijin card<\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/mugikomuraoka.jp\/projects\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/1975184_10151961654741512_1047538766932501517_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"359\" height=\"359\" style=\"color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif; font-weight: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-weight ); background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--base); font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--medium);\"><span style=\"color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif; font-weight: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-weight ); background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--base); font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--medium);\"> <br>Japanese classs at Keio University<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong style=\"font-size: 16.6624px;\">&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;What about being Brazilian in Japan?<\/strong><span style=\"color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif; font-weight: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-weight ); background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--base); font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--medium);\"><br><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Marcel<\/strong>: I think that I am very welcomed here, because of my personality and my stereotype. There is a white privilege here, being a Caucasian male.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>It is not only in Japan though. I think Japanese people treat me as a European because I look like one and they are open to connect.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>My friends from Asian countries complain that it is very difficult to make Japanese friends. If I had the exact same personality but with different physical appearance, it would have been harder.<\/p>\n<p>Also Japan is a very tricky society for foreigners. It is very different from being a foreigner in say Canada or in Australia.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I have friends from Europe, they have been in Japan for ages and speak fluent Japanese, but people still treat them as ignorant Gaijin (foreigner). So I am trying to learn to accept and to play the Gaijin card as needed.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1>Perception about Brazil<\/h1>\n<p><strong>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;After 3 and a half years in Japan, has your perception of your own country been changed?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Marcel<\/strong>: Being in the Japanese society that is so well organized, I think now some parts of Brazil are so disorganized. From transportation to the health care system, in Brazil, it is a mess. Japan is like a machine society.<\/p>\n<p>The thing that I like about Brazil, is that people are happy in Brazil. We have many problems and many things to complain about, but we are happy and we enjoy life.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Japanese people, they have everything but they are very hard on each other. There is a lot of pressure and passive aggressiveness, which makes the people so sad.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Maybe that\u2019s why we don\u2019t develop as much in Brazil though, because we are relaxed.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/mugikomuraoka.jp\/projects\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/13692663_10153640191966512_5606861366521490364_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" style=\"color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif; font-weight: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-weight ); background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--base); font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--medium);\"><span style=\"color: var( --e-global-color-text ); font-family: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-family ), Sans-serif; font-weight: var( --e-global-typography-text-font-weight ); background-color: var(--wp--preset--color--base); font-size: var(--wp--preset--font-size--medium);\"> Crowded Omotesando area on a weekend.[\/caption]<\/span><br><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;Are there things that you think could be better here?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Marce<\/strong>l: In Japan, people avoid conflict a lot here. People play Tatemae (Public face) rather than telling the truth and have a conflict, because it is easier and they want to protect themselves.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes conflicts are necessary to solve problems and to improve the situation. So I have many foreign friends who say that Japanese people have a knife behind them at all times.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Having only 3 years of experience here, I think I am not so good at noticing it. So here is my solution. I believe that they are honest. That\u2019s it. I would not be surprised if a very bad situation happened though, because of their Tatemae.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/mugikomuraoka.jp\/projects\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/13266119_10153515500016512_7478969872184160343_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"390\" height=\"520\"><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;What are things you like about Japan?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Marcel<\/strong>: I like Japan\u2019s 4 seasons. Summer here is awful though.&nbsp;We do have seasons in Brazil, though it is always green. It is like \u201cOh! It is X\u2019 mas all of a sudden!\u201d<strong> Here, there is a change of nature. You notice more the passing of time. Autumn and spring are awesome.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;What do you miss the most about being in Brazil?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Marcel<\/strong>:<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>My family. When I see their pictures, how they are changing, sometimes I question my decision to live so far away.&nbsp;<\/p><p>We keep in contact so they know exactly what is happening but it\u2019s not the same.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;Would you consider moving to another county someday?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Marcel<\/strong>: My priority is my personal life. So if my fianc\u00e9 wants to go abroad, I would follow him to move to another country.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/mugikomuraoka.jp\/projects\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/13607040_10153632467301512_4932836531703982716_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\"><\/p>\n<p><br><\/p>\n<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":56,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingabroad.site\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingabroad.site\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingabroad.site\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingabroad.site\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingabroad.site\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/livingabroad.site\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58,"href":"https:\/\/livingabroad.site\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46\/revisions\/58"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingabroad.site\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingabroad.site\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingabroad.site\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingabroad.site\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}