i was watching a united states based show on the filipino channel called "stateside." and today's show featured the newly crowned miss america 2001, ms. angela barroqio who is, surprisingly, a filipina and hailing from hawaii. in the show, the host asked the first filipino and first asian ms. america ever about how she felt about being filipino and being ms. america at the same time. and she kept telling the host that it is her great pleasure that she represents the filipino community and to make it known to the world that she is a filipina. she truly puts philippines on the map.
watching the show made me think of my heritage. i was born and partly raised in a small town north of the philippine islands. it is here where i developed my sense of self despite the fact that my mother was not around most of the time i was growing up. yet, my father managed to instill me the morals and the values of a filipino. in this homeland, i was placed in a catholic school learning the teachings of the bible, i was taught to respect my elders and other people around me, it imparted me deep love and caring for my family, it prepared me with knowledge and skills in math, science, english, history, and religion, enlightened with the unique traditions and customs of my fellow filipinos, moreover, it indoctrinate me to be the brilliant, helpful, genreous, and hospitable filipina that i am.
although i have since migrated here in the united states, i still embrace my dignity and celebrate the glory of being a filipino. my family still teach me the importance of being hospitable host to our visitor by feeding them too much food when the come over to my home to visit, my grandparents continue to exemplify to remain close and show great love for my family even the extended ones and this is evident everytime we have our annual family reunion. i have not forgotten to praise our Lord above who always keeps us in good guidance and showers us with bountiful blessings. i treasure the friends around me and i help them out as much as i can because this is one of the main qualities that my dad invested in me.
at school, i excelled with my educational endeavors. i compete, not only with the people whose ancestors hailed here in the united states, but also with my fellow asians and the rest of the other immigrants like me who went here in the u. s. to search for a greener pasture. i graduated on top of my classes from junior high school to college. and i have various of certificates and awards to prove that. at present, i hold a spot in my college's dean's scholarship awardee and i am now on the president list for having maintained a 4.0 average for the past semesters. i remain a role model to my other classmates and i help my fellow filipinos excel as well with the best of my ability. in addition to that, i have acquired leadership skills in organizations such as leadership class, multicultural club, student body, and also taking pride with my filipino~ness by putting up a filipino club in our local schools.
yet, my greatest achievement as a filipino is probably excelling to be the best human i can be in a melting pot country such as united states where people across the world are united. i learned to adjust to other people's traditions, beliefs, and custom and in return, i tell and show them the wonders of being a filipino. there were, are, and will still be people who still choose to be dominant and self centered and not care about anyone but their culture. i feel this egoism towards my pride, sometimes, but i also learn a great respect for others. i think, most filipinos are flexible. and i take huge compliment for that.
i have yet to prove a lot to them on what i am and who i am as a filipina american now. but so far, i think, i was able to add brightness and shine to my country being a filipina surviving and excelling in the land of opportunity and greener pasture. and i will continue on.
and like miss america 2001, i am darn proud to be filipino made!
posted by pinay freestyle @ 9:49 PM
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