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You were practically just out of art school. The other stone-cutters/had been working for years. It must have been hard to fit in.
At first,/the other stone-cutters/treated me with suspicion. They called me japonés ,/meaning “Japanese.”
Mornings began with an ordeal. At 7 a.m.,/all of us stone-cutters/would get together for a drink. I had to drink to fit in. But it was not by drinking/that I won their acceptance;/it was by proving myself. I impressed them with my first sculpture,/a statue of an angel playing a harp. It was then/they started to call me “Sotoo.”
Did you experience any misunderstandings/due to cultural differences?
Definitely. There were misunderstandings/almost every day. For instance,/when I was working,/the other stone-cutters/would come around to chat. That got on my nerves,/so I said,/“Let me work!” That made them talk even more. In the end,/I got so angry/that I threw my hammer/to make them go away. After that,/they left me alone. For my part,/I had no idea/why they kept annoying me. I should have known/that they were just trying to be friendly. They wanted me to feel relaxed.
You were practically just out of art school. The other stone-cutters/had been working for years. It must have been hard to fit in.
At first,/the other stone-cutters/treated me with suspicion. They called me japonés ,/meaning “Japanese.”
Mornings began with an ordeal. At 7 a.m.,/all of us stone-cutters/would get together for a drink. I had to drink to fit in. But it was not by drinking/that I won their acceptance;/it was by proving myself. I impressed them with my first sculpture,/a statue of an angel playing a harp. It was then/they started to call me “Sotoo.”
Did you experience any misunderstandings/due to cultural differences?
Definitely. There were misunderstandings/almost every day. For instance,/when I was working,/the other stone-cutters/would come around to chat. That got on my nerves,/so I said,/“Let me work!” That made them talk even more. In the end,/I got so angry/that I threw my hammer/to make them go away. After that,/they left me alone. For my part,/I had no idea/why they kept annoying me. I should have known/that they were just trying to be friendly. They wanted me to feel relaxed.