It seems that many of them are picture brides who have been tricked into taking fake photos of their husbands. I pity the men who have to pretend to be more handsome than they really are. I talk bad about them to you, but because we all live close together, I spend most of my non-working hours talking and gambling with them. One day, we were playing cards and I won two months worth of my neighbor’s pay. Surprisingly, gambling has helped me get closer to paying back the plantation and getting back to Japan. As I spend more time here, I have become increasingly aware of the tensions that exist between the Japanese and Filipinos. At first, I was surprised when the Filipinos would scowl at me when I tried to be friendly, but now I understand that there is a deep-seated resentment that has developed over time, and the two groups clash so often that they even have separate strikes. There are some rumors that there will be a strike sometime soon, but I am not going to include myself in it since I am not a fool to lose my job. The other day, I bought Portuguese sausage from the plantation store and I had it with