Let's just say that this blog started earlier than it should have, but that's the excitement of it all, getting ready and preparing myself for my next big adventure. Who knows how long I will end up there and how long this blog will last. However, I guarantee you that these posts will remain informative for the time being, and that it'll be a natural progression from researching about Metro Manila to actually immersing myself in the culture.
So, for now at least, my posts will be research I've found on the internet, etc. But to give you my street credibility on all things Filipino, I am a pure-blooded Filipino and I did go to high school in the Philippines almost 20 years ago. And the Philippines I knew back then is a vastly different place from what it is now. I remember it being a much more conservative and insular place, although American influence has always been a big driving force within the culture. These days with the the more rapid spread of information via the internet, Western influence is even more pronounced than it ever has been. Which is why it surprises me how Manila often reminds me of Los Angeles these days.
This topic of Western influence, of immigration and of the balikbayan (a term used for Filipinos returning to the home country after being away for awhile) has always been on my mind. To explain a little bit about my background, I immigrated with my family when I was only three years old. But even after moving, Filipino culture has always been a part of my life. For example, my family has never really lost its ties with the Philippines ( and I think I find this true with most Filipino immigrants). Since I was little, my dad has always gone back once or twice a year for long stretches of time ( between three to six months). My two older sisters went to high school there while us two younger brothers studied in the States. Then, when my sisters went to college in the States, it was my turn to study high school in the Philippines. We were never really a family that grew up together, and I sometimes often blame that on either the Philippines and our inability to lose ties with it or the mere fact that we immigrated to begin with.
Nonetheless, I am learning to embrace the idea that I do have two homes, that I do have the possibility of understanding two cultures very intimately. And I think that my American influence and Filipino influence will translate into the events, art and culture that I blog about. So read on, I hope...
Nonetheless, I am learning to embrace the idea that I do have two homes, that I do have the possibility of understanding two cultures very intimately. And I think that my American influence and Filipino influence will translate into the events, art and culture that I blog about. So read on, I hope...
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