Carlos who came to Japan in 2006 after being in Peru until the age of 15. he obtained his national certification as a caregiver in 2016 and is currently active in Shizuoka Prefecture, where he founded the José Carlos Caregiving and Welfare Office and focuses on caregiver training projects including teaching training to beginning caregivers.

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How did you learn Japanese after coming to Japan?

Influenced by my mother, who is a nurse, I wanted to become a doctor in Peru. When I just turned 15 years old and am one year away from graduating from high school in Peru, I came to Japan with my parents to work as migrant workers. When I thought about what I could do now here in Japan, I realized that I had no choice but to study Japanese and that if I wanted to do so, I would have to attend a Japanese school, so I enrolled in Shizuoka Prefectural Arai High School (part-time).

I went to high school for four years, but in the first year, I could not understand Japanese at all (I was only N4 in the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) at the time) and I could not make friends, making every day a struggle. This continued for about a month. After that, my homeroom teacher at the time noticed my situation and decided that something had to be done, so she held a Japanese class just for me one hour before class. Thanks to that teacher, I was able to study Japanese and it changed my situation, which had been troubling me so much that I even considered dropping out at one point.

Then, in my second year of high school, I started working part-time at a nursing home. I worked part-time from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and then went to high school from 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. until graduation. I used Japanese throughout my part-time job and also studied Japanese at school afterward. Since I spent about 12 hours a day dealing with the Japanese language, I think I was able to learn it naturally.

As I mentioned, during my four years of high school, I was in an environment where I was constantly exposed to the Japanese language. Of course, I studied and obtained JLPT N2 on my own, but I think my Japanese language ability grew mostly because of the environment. While working part-time, I began to think about what I wanted to do in the future. At that time, I thought I wanted to study welfare and decided that I would like to get a job instead of going on to higher education, after which I would like to get a national certification as a caregiver. I learned that I would have a chance to qualify as a caregiver after three years if I did this kind of work part-time and that I should give it a try if I could get a certification while getting paid, and so here I am today.

What did you learn from your part-time job at the nursing home?

Caregiving can be roughly divided into two categories: (1) physical care (taking care of people who are physically disabled and (2) daily living assistance (to help a person do what he/she wants to do and to be independent, such as cooking a meal or cleaning the house, since it is difficult for him/her to do so by himself/herself). For the first three months of my part-time job, I washed dishes, scrubbed toilets, and cleaned floors. After that, I learned and practiced more about caregiving skills, such as physical care and daily living assistance.

At the nursing home, I learned not only these skills but also a lot about Japanese culture and customs. For example, what to do when the floor gets wet. Peruvians wipe the floor with their feet, so I did the same, but a Japanese staff member who saw me doing so told and taught me, “This is how you wipe the floor, not with your feet (while demonstrating how to wipe with a rag while squatting down).” When a senior staff member teaches me something, I would respond, “Yes, I understand.” They once told me, “Don’t fold your arms, put your arms behind or in front of you.” In Peru, it is normal to listen with your arms folded, but in Japan, it is considered rude. I am very grateful that my seniors and caregiver teachers taught me these various manners in Japan. Peru and Japan have totally different cultures, so it is important to also learn about Japanese culture.

It must have been difficult coming from Peru to Japan, where the culture and language are completely different. What was it actually like?

Of course, there were many things that I worried about, such as “What will happen in the future?” or “Will I be able to make a living?” I had a sense of security in knowing that my parents were there, but I was anxious and worried about what would happen to me when I become a working adult.

Were you able to talk to someone about it when you were going through a difficult time?

At that time, there was no one I could sincerely talk to. Fifteen years ago, there were no consultation services like there are today, and the people I would talk to were friends who were in the same situation as I was. They were suffering from the same problems as I was, and some were even more so than me. There were times when I told my high school homeroom teacher about my problems, but because of the cultural differences between Peru and Japan, I think that some parts were understood and others were not. Sometimes, I would talk to someone about my problems, but there was no one who I felt “really understood me” or “could help me.” I think a big part of that was because no one had the same experience as I did. For example, there is a Spanish word that expresses the feeling of “extrañar.” It means “I want to go back to where I was before (Peru), but I can’t.” To this day, I still can’t find a Japanese translation of “extrañar.” When I have worries, I would ponder about how it would be nice to have someone who understands such words so that they can draw closer to how I feel.

I felt that my homeroom teacher, who supported me in my first year of high school, somehow understood my feelings. At that time, I was having a hard time every day because I couldn’t speak Japanese and didn’t have any friends. As a result, I started to worry a lot for a while and even thought about dropping out, but with follow-ups from my homeroom teacher and parents, I managed to continue. I think it is reassuring to have someone who speaks your native language to consult with/ as a point of contact, as they can help you understand the culture and customs behind the language.

Tell us about your career path as a caregiver.

In order to develop my career, I have had experience in all genres of nursing homes, including special nursing homes, community-based services, serviced residences for the elderly, daycare services, and daycare. Therefore, when consulted in my current training program, I am able to offer advice and support based on past experiences in various facilities.

In 2018, I started giving caregiving seminars for foreigners living in Japan. The impetus came from my own experience of struggling to develop a career in the caregiving field, which made me wonder, “How are the foreigners around me doing in the caregiving field? There are more foreigners also working in the field than I thought,” so I wanted to make a small contribution based on my experience to those people. I guess you could say that I am “giving back” to those around me who have supported me, including my high school homeroom teacher, who has been a great help to me since I came to Japan. I started the José Carlos Caregiving and Welfare Office in April 2019 to provide initial training for caregivers.

Since 2018, I have taken a break from working as a caregiver in nursing homes and shifted to the training business, holding care seminars for foreigners and people of Japanese descent, and using “Carlos’ Textbook for Initial Caregiver Training,” a teaching material created in easy Japanese (with Spanish), to train care workers.

Textbook for initial training for caregivers prepared by Carlos / Photo: provided by Carlos

The seminars were originally conducted in person, but we decided to conduct them online during the COVID-19 pandemic as there was still a high demand for them. At one point, we would have about 20 students in the room, with participants from all over Japan, including Gunma, Kanagawa, and Aichi, which really surprised me. The online seminars and more had spread through the main networks I have.

Many of the seminar participants are of Japanese descent, but many of them have no caregiving experience or have just taken initial training. Our place became like a “café” where participants can share and learn about issues they are facing in the field, with lots of free conversations and interactions among the participants.

What do you want to tackle in the future?

Last year, we started a nursing care class, and we hope to conduct this class not only for foreigners and people of Japanese descent but for all those who need it. I also hope to offer training programs for those who want to work in caregiving and deepen their understanding of what it is all about.

In order to create opportunities for people of their parents’ generation to get out and interact with each other, we plan to offer dance exercise classes that incorporate Peruvian and other Latin cultures. Residents and permanent residents living in or near Hamamatsu City are aging. In the midst of this, we received a request from Korekara Buddy, which is planned and operated jointly by the Hamamatsu International Association and the JICA Hamamatsu Desk.

Currently, he focuses on the caregiver training business/ Photo: courtesy of Carlos

As a “bridge” between Peru and Japan, what do you value?

When describing myself, I clearly say, “I speak Japanese.” and “I am Peruvian.” I think my strength is that I am part of both the Peruvian and Japanese culture, and that there are people who have more than one root, such as their own culture or the culture taught to them by their parents, etc. I believe having more than one culture is in itself a source of pride, and I hope that people remember this.

Do you have any messages of support or advice for young people who want to come to Japan or for children and youth with foreign roots, including Hispanics from South America, living in Japan?

Work toward your goals. The first important thing is to learn Japanese. By doing so, you can learn about the culture and more. When working toward your goals, you may feel some setbacks, so don’t give up.

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