Thirteen years have passed since I last visited the Philippines, my country of origin. Since I was so young, I barely remember anything from my visit there. This is one of the many reasons why I sometimes feel disconnected from my culture. I think that my parents can explain a lot about my culture to me, but there are so many aspects of it that can only be experienced by going to the country itself. In addition, there has been a rise in anti-Asian sentiment and hate crimes recently due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which makes me afraid to learn about and openly display my culture. Despite all these discouraging events, I have recently been more open to exploring my Filipino background in anticipation of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, which is celebrated throughout the month of May. For me, connecting with family has been a crucial step on this journey. Being able to converse with others who share my culture and family experiences has helped me embrace and become prouder of my Filipino heritage.
My Filipino family members are spread out across the United States and the world; I have relatives in four U.S. states and four countries, including Hong Kong and Australia. Even with the massive geographical distance between us, we manage to stay connected to each other. For example, I had Zoom calls with my Dad’s side and my Mom’s side of the family during Christmas last year. During these calls, we did normal family things such as catching up with each other in addition to some activities like karaoke, which is something that we, as Filipinos, love to do. We either sang a traditional Filipino song or an American pop song that was popular in the Philippines. This activity made me feel more in touch with my heritage because it allowed me to spend quality time with my family while also learning about the music that they grew up listening to.
During these family Zoom calls, we also discussed how we celebrated recent holidays. My family members always go into detailed explanations of how they celebrate recent Filipino holidays such as Easter or Christmas. As they shared their celebrations, I enjoyed listening and figuring out how their celebrations compare to mine. It is intriguing to see how all of our celebrations are based on the same aspects of Filipino culture, but have slight variations and unique differences based on our geographical location. For example, I notice that my family in Australia has a barbecue for Christmas lunch, while most of my relatives in the United States have roast beef or prime rib. Another important way my family stays connected is through social media. Many members of my family use their Facebook accounts to share photos of important events that have happened recently. They often share photos of birthdays, graduations, or holidays. Browsing through these photos is gratifying for me because it allows me to learn more about Filipino customs and traditions by allowing me to observe how my other family members are celebrating them.
Keeping in touch with my family around the world makes me realize that there are many ways for me to celebrate my Filipino heritage. All of my family members come from the Philippines, but we all have our own unique ways of celebrating and observing Filipino customs and traditions. Learning about these different variations across our different households in addition to the traditional Filipino culture also makes me wonder how I will pass on this heritage and culture to my future family. With Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month being celebrated this May, I am excited to learn more about my Filipino background. Learning about my culture makes me more proud of who I am and allows me to learn more about the heritage that has been a part of my family for many generations and played a crucial role in forming the person I am today.