My father left for the US two days ago to attend my cousin’s wedding. My cousin Felix will wed his girlfriend (whose parents are both Filipino) two Saturdays from now, and they’ve decided to have the wedding in formal Filipino garb.
Days before my dad’s departure he was frantically arranging for a barong to be made for my uncle (6 foot plus white guy in the upper half of 200 lbs). While the tailor was able to pull off a quickie, since the only basis for the measurements of the barong was a shirt my uncle left from a recent trip — short sleeved at that, I still wonder if the barong fits. We will know in a few days I’m sure.
It amuses and delights me at how Filipino traditions are still somehow maintained and observed in foreign countries. This is especially true in the United States, where the melting pot nature of the country, with numerous migrants and communities, raises the need and want to connect with people from your own nation and culture. While there may be large Filipino communities in, say, California, however, Filipinos elsewhere might be hard-pressed to find their kababayans easily.
One way Filipinos cope with the situation is to look for community events that are either near them or can at least be accessible in terms of schedule. This is where Filipino community sites like FilipinoVillage helps. It’s a site where you can add your Filipino events, no matter where it is held.
Connect with Pinoys at FilipinoVillage.com now!
2 responses so far ↓
1 Prudence // Jun 20, 2008 at 10:58 pm
I remember the son of my mom’s friend who visited here recently. He asked me where he could buy a Philippine flag which he’d display in his college dorm room. Now that’s admirable. Just how many of the Fil-ams here or in the U.S. would do that? He’s proud to be Filipino
2 Jon Limjap // Jun 21, 2008 at 8:47 am
The irony is most often than not it’s the parents who left the Philippines who are un-proud of the Philippines, while their children (2nd gen) or more often than not their grandchildren (3rd gen) will be more curious of the identity since they will inevitably question their origins.
They will seek to know what sets them apart from their peers who are either white or black or latino. I do have cousins who have some sort of Philippine flag on their bedrooms. So it’s not all that unusual
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