Dialog #1. “Filipino culture is unique.” -Junel-
Junel, who considers himself Filipino, shared his experience and told me a story of love, unity and strength.
Junel is 18, he is currently enrolled in CCSF. In is free time he likes to “dance, taking pictures, hanging out with friends, and watching movies.” For Junel Filipino culture is “UNIQUE” because of the many foreign influences, mainly from Spain and United States.
He was not born in the United States, and he looks very passionate about his culture. He is fluent in Tagalog which is, with English, the official language spoken in the Philippines. During the conversation Junel talks about how important religion is for him and his family; even if they don’t go to church they are thankful to God for their blessings and look to God in moments of struggle.
His words are strong and positive, he explains he was raised with the idea of working hard and putting a lot of effort and passion into life.
Proud of his collectivistic family Junel says” family is really important for us, it’s one of our values and we cherish that so much that we don’t leave each other behind. We always try to stick together and help one another, that’s one of the most important things when it comes to Filipino families, especially here in the United States and also in the Philippines; there is no difference actually.” He continues: “That is why I feel like having a Filipino family is really one of the benefits” of being Filipino. But with positives come negatives. There seems to be a generational gap, he thinks: “the older Generations from our families are more traditional thinking, traditional mindset, while the younger ones are more open-minded.”
He pauses a minute and thinks about what other challenges Filipino families face in the United States, then specifies that even if there are different types of Filipino families in America, he is aware of the struggle they all go through when dealing with racism, stereotypes, and other types of discrimination.
When it comes to interpersonal relationships, either friendships or romantic, Junel feels there are things that separate Filipinos from others: “when we love we actually love, we give our all, we put a lot of effort and we really show it in so many different ways. Some people I know show their love through cooking, because Filipinos like to cook. Some of us are really attached to their partners and when having issues they would always work hard and try to fix things.”
Junel emphasizes how precious interpersonal relationships are for his culture:
“What I want to tell you guys is that whenever we hang out with friends we always try to have fun, and you probably hear us, we are usually the loudest. Hopefully you guys will understand how fun it is to have Filipino friends and also Filipino partners. There are so many things you can learn about us, we are passionate people, loving, welcoming also and outgoing. We really are.”
Junel words are simple and genuine, but strong. He his proud of his culture, loves it and misses it. While concluding he says he has been in the US for 7 years but misses home. The collectivistic characteristic of his society is strong in him, so when he went back he felt a lot of nostalgia, he missed his extended family, all of it, even if they are not blood related nor Filipino.
