CULTURAL PRODUCTION: “Mama Filipina” by Apl.de.ap

Allan Pineda Lindo or better known as Apl.de.ap a former of the Black Eyed Peas group sang “Mama Filipina”. In this song appears some major Filipino cultural values such as “kapwa”, “pakikisama” and “utang ng loob”. In the lyrics says “mama filipina, I never meant to give you up, I had to move to America”. He’s telling that he left his mother and moved to America to look for the American dream. Here appears the value of utang ng loob where he expected to send money back to his family in the Philippines and to help them with their future. “Now you gotta leave home to feed the family” shows the value of pakikisama because he is giving more importance his family than himself. An example is that Filipino people who forced or encouraged to work abroad to feed their families and to keep their familiy surviving into their financial situation. The lyrics has an important message that the singer recognized where he came from and that he is proud where he came from by not not hiding his past and not feeling embarrased about it.

THE LEARNING

In my English 114 I could not attend in the screening of THE LEARNING movie because that I had my Math exam in the same day. By the way I saw it via online.  The movie films 4 different women teacher who are recruited from the Baltimore district. They are encouraged to go there because the fact of the salary was higher there and to leave their  family in the Philippines. In these fact shows how the Filipino cultural value of “Pakikisama”, “Kapwa” and “Utang ng Loob” are seen. They sacrifice by going in a foreign place for them in the purpose of giving a better life for their families. When they are in Baltimore teaching in schools they suffer in many ways. As a women working abroad they suffer culture shock.  Even it was difficult the everyday of their journey they had the courage to keep going and still moving on.

These teachers and all the Filipinos working hard are my role models to pursue to be able to success in the United States. It gives me a motivation to pursue my dreams and to value this opportunity that God offered to me. I feel identified to them because I am always moving and leaving what I have because of the circumstances. I left Philippines almost 10 years ago to stay in Spain and when I was already comfortable living there my family decided to move in United States. I would rather stay in Barcelona to finish my career and to go directly in the University that I wanted because I was confident in there. Now I have to learn English, accustom myself in the American school system that were really different from the Spanish system. However, this movie gave me the attitude to survive in San Diego. “Move on” was the word that I kept in my mind that I took from the movie. It’s my motivation word to keep going and not to give up as a student. Life offered me this opportunity to study in the United States and I will not waste it. My friends always said me that “it’s an opportunity and that without any effort I will not take the fruits of the success”. In someway I drain energy to keep going because of my family, friends, teachers that want me to work hard to be able to reach my dreams.

MARIA CLAIRE

Maria Clara was described as Mother of Philippines and heroine in Noli Me Tangere. A novel written by Jose Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines. In the plot, Maria Clara is the illegitimate daughter of Father Damaso, a Spanish friar and Dona Pia Alba. Dona Alba is the wife of Kapitan Tiyago, who are both native Filipinos.

In the novel, Marica Clara is represented as the most beautiful and widely celebrated lady in the town of San Diego. Maria Clara is the personification of virtue and blessed with beauty, grace and charm that was promoted by Rizal as the “ideal image” of a Filipino woman who are honored by Filipino male.

Maria Clara gown is a typical dress for the Filipino woman in Philippines and its connected to Maria Clara’s character as delicate, feminine, self-assured, and with a sense of identity.

Song of Maria Clara

Sweet the hours in the native country,

where friendly shines the sun above!

Life is the breeze that sweeps the meadows;

tranquil is death; most tender, love.

Warm kisses on the lips are playing

as we awake to mother's face:

the arms are seeking to embrace her,

the eyes are smiling as they gaze.

How sweet to die for the native country,

where friendly shines the sun above!

Death is the breeze for him who has

no country, no mother, and no love!

Presentation of Filipinos in San Diego by Judy Patacsil

On Tuesday October 4^th my English class went to the San Diego City College. There was a presentation of the book Filipinos in San Diego written by Judy Patacsil. The presentation explained how the 1^st Filipino people came to the United States who was “Pensionados” (Filipino people recruited to study in the United Sates) and the different generations of Filipino people experiences and activities. Mr. Aronson, my English 114 professor also had an opportunity to give a speech in the book fair.
 

 

 



The most interesting part of her presentation was when she explained each photograph that she collected or that people donated to her. I had learned a lot in her experience and it was really informative and really detailed. I did not know that majority of Filipino male were serving Navy, Marine and Army. It was impressive how Filipino farmworkers were working and joining force with the Mexican farmworkers. Filipinos maintained their cultural values by practicing them like the beauty contest, Independence Day, and dressing Maria Clara’s gown in special events. In the picture showed me how Filipino people were really compact by helping each other. The was a considerably part of Filipino who were activists fighting for their rights and that made easier for the next Filipino generation to have a better life in United States. I really appreciate for all those Filipino who fought because now we have the privileges that we should not have because of our brothers and sisters.

An anecdote for my part is that I had decided to leave 30 minutes earlier, but the fact that her presentation and speech was really interesting and engaging that made me stay since the presentation was finished. I think that I worth it by knowing more about her experience and having a good time.

SHAME

In the poem Shame I noticed one of the major Filipino cultural values defined as “Hiya” which means shame. “Hiya” in the Filipino cultural value is the goal to represent oneself or one’s family in the most honorably way where the individual wants to avoid shame by acting respectably. In the 2^nd verse until the 4^th says that “You’re an embarrassment when you show up here dressed in those torn up and faded shorts….” Her look for the Filipino people around her is not respectably as she saw herself. She may not recognize her look from the Filipino who are belong to the 1^st generation that have values more remarked on their identity. The co-workers of her mother usually ask “Who’s that?” “Who, that? That’s my daughter.” (9). In this quote she is manifested as the daughter and this shows that she belong to the Filipino 2^nd generation (Filipino people who were born in the U.S).

This might be the reason why her values were not developed as the 1^st generation. Growing up in the U.S may decrease her sense of how important is the Filipino values. American culture had shaped on how she was dressed and not giving to much importance on the Filipino value of “Hiya”. Filipino people who are in the 1^st generation have the Filipino values more strict in their identities because since they were a child they have developed this sense in their identities. Filipino Americans who are belong to the 2^nd generation don’t have this values well shaped in their identities because they practice both cultures and that’s why they don’t Filipino values well developed. Filipino 1^st generation have Filipino cultural values more strict than the Filipino American who belong to the 2^nd generation.

You, Tu, Sie, Vous, Jums, 君...

In the English class lecture I read a poem written by Kevin Nadal called Ikaw. This poem was focused on Filipino history and experiences when they were colonized by Spain, United States of America and when Filipino came to the U.S looking for a better life. “You called me a negrito when you invaded my country”. In this quote it shows how Filipino people were beaten and mistreated even they were in their proper land. Only unmoral people can prey on the weak. It shows how Filipinos who fought in the World War II weren’t recognized by their efforts such as Philip Vera Cruz and Joseph Ileto. “Life is all right in American, if you’re a White in America”, even though 2.4 million pinoys and pinays died and fought for that country, they were excluded to live as Whites in that dream. It really shows the oppression that the first Filipino immigrants came to the U.S.

Basically the author wanted to transmit his emotions for those Americans who mistreated Filipinos in the Philippines and Filipino who went in the U.S. He expressed all those unfair treatments that they did to the Filipino community. He extracted all those negative emotions where he felt really sad and bad. I felt the madness and sadness in his writing. By reading I could feel if I were a Filipino in that moment. I learned about Filipino role with the U.S and how they were treated. I always thought that the U.S people really helped Philippines, but in the other side there was a darkness that I never knew since I read this.

This poem was really interesting because the author really transmitted his emotions and I felt identified to it because of being Filipino. Even the message of his madness and sadness was not for me I encouraged to treat the people around me with kindness and showing respect to them. 

MABUHAY PILIPINAS!

My first Blog

My name is Edel Patrick Cabradilla and this is my first blog that I am going to write about my instance in my community Bayan. In the beginning of the semester we talked about identity by reading Latterel's 3 assumptions and Tatum's essay. I learned more about my own identity, but still don't know myself deeply. My English and Personal Development classes are really interesting because we interact and help to each other while learning new stuffs. I am meeting more friends and they are really kind. I noticed that in my Bayan community classes, both classes finished faster than i had expected. That's a good sign that I am really enjoying and that I am interested in both classes. In my second semester as a senior in High School, I usually get bored in my classes because of the teacher's lecture was really bad and boring. Reading about Filipino American psychology really helps me to know about them even I am Filipino of 1.5 generation.

Presenting myself, I was raised and grew up in Philippines. My family moved to Spain when I was 8 years old. There is a lot of Filipinos in Barcelona. In 2003 a close friend introduced me to play basketball in a club and I played basketball for more than 6 years. I studied and worked hard to learn Spanish and catalan as soon as possible. I noticed that my writing were not good so I focused in my Math classes and I considered that I can do it. I spent approximately 9 years in Barcelona and I feel it as at home. In October 26th I arrived in San Diego. It was really different from Spain. Sincerely I prefer Barcelona than San Diego, but my parents decided to live here. The one thing that I can do is to acculturate and to work hard. In that ways I can learn and improve my oral and writing skills in English.

I hope that who visited my blog had enjoyed reading "my first blog" and  I am inviting you for my next blog that I will post.