Returning to a Community Far From Home

Brazilian sports journalists Carlos and Ana enrolled their children at MST for three and a half years and they became vital members of the parent community. Vicente (Oak and Willow) and Emilia (Hazel and Ginkgo) quickly made friends despite their lack of English at first. Assigned to cover the Olympics, their stay was lengthened when the Tokyo games were delayed due to the pandemic. But the MST community were fortunate to have them a little longer.

"I felt just like a time-traveler. It’s been SEVEN years since that visit, when James took me on a tour by the MST Forest Campus. That day I was already sure that place would be special for us. And so it was. The school where our children have been taught values bigger than subjects. Where we found truly a sense of community far away from home. At MST we made our best friends in Tokyo. Love we still carry throughout the years. One hour visiting the facilities and neighborhood brought me peace, joy, emotion and the promise to myself we’ll be here again soon. Together."

What made you decide to enroll them at MST? Why a Montessori education?

I had a Montessori experience back in Brazil when I was a kid. Therefore, the concept wasn't unknown to me. When I knew I would move to Tokyo I started searching for schools around the place I would live, which was already decided by my company. 

When I found out there was a Montessori school nearby I immediately sent an email to arrange a visit. After visiting MST I was sure it would be our plan A. Especially because I saw a lot of similarities between MST and Vicente's and Emilia's Brazilian school in terms of pedagogical philosophy – even if they weren't attending a Montessori school in Rio. 

What do you remember most fondly about the MST community?

The way our children were welcomed by all MST staff. They did not speak English and the first weeks and months were especially tough. Then, they soon made friends and started to feel more confident. 

Since the first time I visited the school I could see how important it was for everyone there to build an open and sincere relationship with parents. And also how concerned the school was – and still is – to create opportunities for the families to get involved in extracurricular activities, festivals, parties, events. It gave us the chance to meet a lot of people and make new friends as well among other MST families. It was really important for us as a family living far away from our hometown.

Where are you living now?

In December 2021 we moved back to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, our hometown.

How does it compare to living in Tokyo?

It's very different actually. I could list a lot of advantages and disadvantages of both sides. But the most important is, in my opinion, to realize there are not perfect societies. Japan has got its issues as well as Brazil does. Of course I can't ignore how safe and peaceful it is to live in Tokyo compared to Rio. And I mean not only urban violence but the sense of community. 

Here we need to be alert and concerned about some aspects of daily routine we didn't have in Japan. For example, the way the kids go to school. Back in Tokyo we had no worries about them moving around the city walking alone, by bike or by metro. At the same time, they find here a feeling of building human relationships in a warmer and relaxed way that we can only have in our place, speaking our language, living our own culture. Despite all problems this is our city and our country and we do have this sense of belonging.

What do you love most about living in Rio?

I think a little bit of everything I mentioned before. Not only to be closer to family and friends but also to feel part of the society in a way we would never feel the same in Japan. We love Japan but we know we would always be considered outsiders. We had never had any bad experience related to prejudice whatsoever. Anyway, we were foreigners. And here we are not. We definitely feel more integrated because of that.

What’s your favorite place there?

We have so many favorite places in Rio. The beach, to go to Maracana Stadium to support our football team, to go somewhere where we can listen to Brazilian music and have some local dishes. And to feel the atmosphere of the city during popular festivals, such as New Year's eve and the Carnaval.

What was your favorite place in Tokyo and Japan?

Very hard to say! There are so many as well. Particularly, I love Yoyogi park and the Meiji shrine area. Walking through Harajuku's narrow streets is so funny as well. I know the kids would say Arisugawa park, next to MST. To have some sushi at Tsukiji fish market. 

And outside Tokyo, I would recommend visiting Hiroshima, Kyoto and those small villages around Mount Fuji.

What kind of school do the kids go to now? How would you describe it?

It is a regular school in Rio. Its name is Sá Pereira. Vicente will be moving next year to another school, to start high school. The pedagogical project is based on constructivist ideas, which I consider similar to some of Montessori guidelines. It's close to home, which is good. And they have a lot of friends, which is even better.

What do you miss the most about living in Japan?

We miss our friends. The fact that we were all living abroad, distant from home, strengthened our emotional bonds. We still have contact with three or four former MST families who are not in Japan anymore. Actually we are all spread around the globe. 

It's great to be here, close to our Brazilian friends and family. But we miss those moments we had by ourselves, as a family in a smaller core. We definitely miss the security of walking down the streets anytime, with no worries at all. We miss the freedom to go everywhere by bike and the amazing public transport system. We miss the food and the sake! We miss the economic stability as well, I must say as someone who lives in a country where social imbalance and economic crisis are constant.

What was the toughest part of living in Tokyo and Japan?

I guess I would say the lack of flexibility sometimes. Japan is very strict. Very organized and safe, which is good, is great. However, sometimes it can turn into bureaucracy and excessive rigidity. 

What’s your biggest passion these days?

As I mentioned before, I enjoy exploring Rio’s natural beauty. The beach, the forest, the parks, to ride my bike around the Lagoa, one of my favorite neighborhoods in the town. Kids love to go to the beach as well. We are members of a very nice club. So, they can meet their friends there, use the pool, play some sports, prepare a barbecue and relax. I went back to work with sports journalism, which I love. And Anna also is back to work, which was important for her. She had to take a break in her career sometime when we were in Tokyo.

What does your family like to do on the weekends?

I work very often during weekends, because it's part of my routine to cover sports events. But we like to go to the club or to invite some friends and make a barbecue in our house. We also like to visit Anna's parents in their place, which is around 200 km from Rio, in the mountains, very pleasant. 

What would you like to say to the MST community?

It's been very emotional for me to visit MST again. MST was so important in our process of adaptation to Japan. Our lives would have been different without having your support. You can be sure you played a key role in our lives, in the development of our kids as students and citizens. We'll never forget it. And we are looking forward to being with you as soon as possible when it comes time to visit Tokyo again.