South America: DJ Fujimori

In our travels, we've grown accustomed to the local people not being able to figure out where we're from. At times, this has frustrated me, but lately it's mostly just been mildly amusing. Like, when a local vendor or tout spots us, he or she usually will shout out one or more of the usual Japanese or Chinese greetings.

"Konnichi wa!"

"Ni hao ma?"

When I reply in English (or, down here, in accented Spanish), it confuses them for about a split second. But the dollar signs quickly return to their eyes and they go back to their usual selling mode, now in their best broken English (or, down here, slow Spanish with lots of baby words).

In South America, we´ve been getting a lot of "Konnichi wa." I like to think this is because of my distinctive Japanese-y features, which, in fact, Rita tells me have been greatly enhanced by the new wild and wiry facial growth. But it's probably more because they get tons of Japanese tourists here, and hardly any Chinese ones. Give it time. At the rate China is growing, soon the souvenir hawks will be bowing and chanting "huanying guanglin" when any Asian walks through the door.

On this trip, we've been getting all kinds of interesting and funny greetings and comments in passing from the locals. A popular greeting from vendors who either don´t know any Japanese phrases or don´t want to use them on us has been, "Hola, amigo - where you from, Japan?" (One time I responded, "No, los Estados Unidos," and the guy laughed. It was weird. What's so funny?) On Easter Island, a group of schoolchildren made random kung fu/karate noises when they saw us. The next day, I could have sworn that one guy on a horse mumbled the word "Ninja!" as he rode by. In Peru, one guy who noticed me made a quick, barely intelligible reference to Alberto Fujimori, the controversial former president of Peru. (I wish I had understood what he had said there!) And, of course, there were the touts along "Gringo Alley" in Cuzco, Peru, whose sole marketing pitch was to intone "hapa hapa hapa hapa..." as we walked by. (Rita's blog explains this one - click on the above link for her post.)

I would imagine other Asian Americans get this treatment as well. I'm fine with it. What else are the locals supposed to think? I look Japanese. And I am, sort of. And no one's being malicious or racist - at least it doesn't seem like it to me.

Ninja. That's good stuff.

Signing off, from Pucon, Chile,
D