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The members in Colombia and the members in Bogota recognize and praise the merits of young people that stand out for their leadership
and work, not only in our Colombian country but, to all human kind. As acknowledge to the individual contributions to the progress in our country
we begin the praise of the ten young outstanding people of Colombia 2010.
8 Men and 2 Women.
Kenji Orito Diaz. Praise by voluntary humanitarian service.
My dad is from a city called Niigata. Is a small city in Japon but well known for it rice production.
And I speak Spanish because my mom is from Tolima - Colombia.
So I have rice from both sides.
I was predestined to eat rice. I had the honour of been born in Colombia.
I travel at the age of 10 to Japan and I studied there until I was 24 and, got married
My first baby was born David, 8 years old. My second baby was born in Colombia, my dear Daniel is 3 years old.
And while been in Japan I discovered amazing things from Colombia.
I want to be very brief, because it is a real honour to be here and, to have to represent my fellow comrades praised. I hope I can do it fine
But I discovered living in Japan that Colombia is not a poor country.
People always tell me: " You work in Ciudad Bolivar?",
No, "Oh, I though you work on Ciudad Bolivar ... so you visit it". No, I live in Ciudad Bolivar. " You live in ciudad Bolivar !? "
Well, actually no. " Oh, no?. What do you do?". I am from Ciudad Bolivar. It must be hard, they say to me
Why?, "It must be hard, isn't it?". What?, "Ciudad Bolivar !".... so ? .... "well everyone knows", is there something that I don't know?, "well is it a really poor area"
Ciudad bolivar is poor? Who said that ? The are that most income produces to Bavaria on weekends is Ciudad Bolivar.
Now there are not only 30 kids, we have 50 children in El Paraiso. I would like to say that they are hungry and that you should help us
But out kids can have two or even three breakfasts because of the so many public cafeterias that are there.
In December, I know that they receive more gifts than my children.
A short time ago there was a fire in La Estrella, near El Paraiso. And from the wood houses they took out plates.
Someone can tell me " There is malnutrition", and for each kid with malnutrition that you show me I will show you ten little fatties friends of mine fed with chips and potatoes.
Becase I don't believe in Colombia's poorness. I believe that there is a poor point of view.
Can somebody tell me please, what is the wealth of Japan?
They own, Toyota, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Sony Vaio, Toshiba, etc
I know ... Japan has gold, do you know Japanese gold? No, because they don't have it.
The Japanese oil?, they don't have that either.
No, no, seriously .... The second country with the highest amount of flowers exportations ... Japan, oh no wait, that's another country (Colombia)
No more craziness, please. The most beautiful emerald, Japan's ones, no, that's another country (Colombia).
Oh, I know, the most delicious coffee of the world ... Japan's one, haven't you seen Tanaka Valdez? oh, sorry is Juan Valdez.
Can somebody explain to me what is it that Japan has?, I know, it is a huge island, no, it is five times smaller than Colombia.
They have less people, so they are better distributed. No, they are 130 million people in a small island without Gold, oil, emeralds, coffee ... without anything !!.
but they are still the second biggest economy in the world. How do they do it? It is a poor country!, that's the true.
But they realize after a war, and it is not necessary a war to realize that, that if we value the biggest resource that a country have
which is not its gold, its oil, its emeralds, its coffee, its flowers, but its people, then comes the success and the progress.
Colombia is rich. Japan is a poor country that lives in richness,
Colombia is a rich country that manage to live in poorness.
When I got to an institution, she had a hole here, another in her knee and other in one of her shoes was opened. It look like she had a tragedy
I took her from her hand, I took her to her house to see in which condition lived this girl ... there in Ciudad Bolivar
When I arrived and I discovered the true ... they discovered that a foreigner just came to the area, a Japanese
and they told her, go sweaty ... they made a hole here, another there, and other over there, and don't forget to show your runny nose, because that's important
You have to produce pity, because to produce pity gives you money.
So we grew up in a country were they taught you " We are Colombians so ... please sweaty, repeat after me ... we are poor"
" We are bad ... the president is good for nothing, which president? that doesn't matter they are all the same, because we are Colombians
I realize while in Japan that this is a rich country. That my grandfather and my cousins all told me about watermelon in August in Japan.
They cover their eyes, spin around and they put it in the street as if it was a piƱata, when someone breaks it, everyone runs to get a piece of it.
and they all scream when they see a Watermelon in August because it cost $160 000 COP ($ 80 US) and they can only eat it in August
I laugh about them without them noticing it because I live in Ciudad Bolivar.
San Fransisco neighbourhood a truck pass by with huge Watermelons, at $ 5000 COP ($ 2 US).
and I am so shameless that I tell the guy I have $3000 COP,
He has so many Watermelons that he seems to be in trouble having them, that he even tells me "it costs $5000", I have $3000
- Ok Chinese - not Chinese, Japanese - That's the same, it's the same
I go to my home with a huge Watermelon of $3000. The sad part is that my sons don't applaud, they don't scream, they say "Watermelon again?"
Because I do live in a really rich country called Colombia. If somebody doubts of my words, they have to go to Corabastos
While giving a conference in Monteria, they told me: - I will not take you to my farm after this conference. - Why?
- Because you will have to walk over all the Mango. - Why? - Because I don't pick them up, I can't there are too many
- And why don't you sell them? - That's nonsense, everyone have Mango. We gave them to the pigs, they got tired of it. So now there is a Mango carpet that you will have to step on if you go to my farm
I do live in a really rich country called Colombia. We suffer from mental poverty. We think we are poor. We think we don't have anything
and that is reinforced by donations, pity, that are transmitted in the area. The young people from Japan, don't come to see poverty, they come to see a huge wealth.
The second thing that I realize while been in Japan is that Colombia is not a violent country. Yes, we suffer from violence, yes, we have some violent episodes, but the Colombian people is not violent
We believed that story. Somebody told us that and they wanted to prove us that with history. But it is not true !
My father never hug me because my grandfather never hug him, because in Japan we don't hug.
There are no hugs. The couples meet and they don't hug or kiss each other. They don't say I like you or I love you
You can imagine why in a country as Japan with so much wealth, are 32 000 suicides per year. I was saved
because on vacations they send me to Colombia, and here even your neighbor hugs you ... and if it is christmas and he is drunk
for some reason they take you from the neck put his head in front of you and say " I love you, I love you Chinese"
I learn to say "yes, sir I love you too, now let me go please"
It is unbelievable how among the Colombians they hug, love, like, smile. You go out of this country renewed, full of energy, full of vigour to face the crisis of a developed country
like Japan, where they lack hugs. Because of that, every Japanese that visits Colombia, as JCI says, "The risk is that you may want to stay".
Is not the flowers, is not the oil, is not the landscape, that matters, but the biggest treasure that this country has is the people.
Is not the flowers, is not the oil, is not the landscape, that matters, but the biggest treasure that this country has is the people.
I have drink Colombian coffee in more than 14 countries ... I don't like it. You have to drink it, I think, in other places like Ciudad Bolivar where you can see the bricks
and you sit in the bedroom of your hosts mattress is old but for some reasons he gives me a huge cup, with a piece missing in it.
but that is not a small coffee is a big cup of coffee. With so much love that in no country I have not taste a better coffee.
you can see the dog, pass by, and so does the cat and the mouse. It looks as if everyone love each other
I have eaten in many countries ... exotic food ... but I cried for my grandmother's meals. Forgive me for my informality but is there something more yummy than to say
- Grandma can you put it all in the pot, and pass me a cloth. I want to eat in the pot watching TV a "calentado"
I don't know. There are several things of Colombia in the outside but it doesn't taste the same if it is not in Colombia, because of its people, because of its love, because of its warmth.
To me, when I am outside and I pick up Colombians they first thing I say is " How is Colombia?"
- Bad, that's why I came - Well did you bring something? a candy, a lollipop, a guava jelly. I buy it from you
- How is Colombia? - Bad - When has it been good?, and so we grow and get fat
Colombia is fine. The foreigners know it, that's why they come to invest. But the important is that the Colombians never find out that they are in one of the richest countries in the world
The third thing that I realized about Colombia is that it is a country full of heroes, that's why as a spokesman of my fellow praised comrades, we represent different cities, people, where we see people
that are not outstanding like us. They are heroes. Ms Estella, each one can say stories like this one, but ms Estella sells little plants at Ciudad Bolivar and by doing that she supports 3 children
She bought a house by selling little plants. She is not outstanding, she is a hero. Ignacio feed 70 grandparents, every day
He doesn't even get a salary, but he does that with so much passion. He is a professional chef but he choose to serve its community and to feed grandparents.
We met a mom a few days ago, she has been taking care for 16 years of his child that has a mental disability
The unbelievable is that she is blind, and says " I have seen without my eyes because of him"
Everyday I see people like that and I feel so unworthy of receiving
This honour, this privilege but I do it in the name of them and I know that my comrades also feel like that. We are here thanks to a community of heroes that exist in a country named Colombia.
And last, I like the beliefs of JCI and because of that I feel even more honoured of been able to be here
We believe that having faith in god gives a sense and a goal to live. Thank you very much