The Power of Your Culture
College was a time when I discovered a lot more about myself. I learned academically how far I could push myself. I learned about different kinds of people and even learned about some new sports I had never heard of (lacrosse is almost non-existent in South Texas). But by far the biggest thing I really learned about myself is the culture I represented. I did this through many different clubs on campus. It defined who I was on campus and what I did in my time outside of academics.
When I first went to college I will admit that I didn’t know very much about being Filipino. Being from Corpus Christi, TX, the distribution of the population consisted of (at least how I perceived it), 80% hispanic, 20% everyone else. That being said, I entered college almost solely focused on academics.
It was interesting how I got involved in the Asian community. I remember in my freshman year, I was invited to an Asian American Association freshman retreat (AAA). It was something that I found interesting and felt I should do to at least find some people to hang out with. Little did I know that this was the first step in what really became something that really defined me through college. Branching out to the Asian community gave me a sense of belonging and helped me transition into college really easily. I still remember that group of AAA officers that welcomed us freshmen into ND. Paul, Vince, Paula, Greg.. everyone played a part in making us feel comfortable and build a great community.
I started out as just a member and the first year i stumbled upon a show that AAA did called Asian Allure. It’s a night where many of the cultural clubs on campus join with AAA to create a cultural show that demonstrated both traditional and modern dances. I was amazed that first year at what they were doing. Every year after that, I was a part of Asian Allure. I started by being a part of a couple of dances. I then shared responsibilities of marketing with Steph (I’ll always remember the color programs we made and all that craziness) and did more dances. Then I did stage manager duties and balanced everything that went on backstage along with doing dances as well (that one I wouldn’t recommend doing, puts a lot of stress on you). Those were great times and I had some great experiences leading events for AAA.
Through AAA, I also realized that I didn’t really have any background on the Filipino culture. Sure, my mom is Filipina but I wasn’t raised in that culture since my dad was always the dominant one of the family. Once I saw the Filipino group go and do modern tinikling during Asian Allure (Tinikling is the traditional dance of the Philippines), I got hooked and I wanted to learn more.
I joined FASO (Filipino American Student Organization) and quickly learned that there was a great family there at ND that was more than happy to share its culture with me. I learned a lot through my four years at ND, through cultural events, through random conversations at 3am, and through the bonding that happened in these clubs what it really meant to be Filipino. One of the big events that we had in FASO was a show called Fiestang. It’s similar in structure to Asian Allure but featured a Filipino storyline and many Filipino dances. Through Fiestang, I learned so much about the culture and so much about what it meant to be Filipino.
Never before did I know that there were so many dances and traditions that made up our culture. Having practically no exposure while growing up in Texas, I was truly amazed and tried to soak in as much as I could. I participated in many dances, Singkil, Traditional Tinikling, Modern Tinikling and learned how much I loved doing the dances. I started out by just being a simple pounder for most of the dances but I quickly tried being part of the actual dances and then I finally helped choreograph songs. The whole experience to me, defined what college was about, finding yourself, finding out about your culture and doing what makes you happy. These elements all combined and made participation in these clubs invaluable to me. As a bonus to all my readers out there, here’s a video where I did modern tinikling and co-choreographed the dances:
Out of college for two years, I now am in a world where I don’t have that camaraderie and the cultural influence around me. I truly miss dancing and being part of the cultural events. Yes, there are events at work that are culturally focused, but many don’t have the level that college provided. This is something I want to correct. I want to continually learn more and participate in some way to continue fostering the Filipino culture.
In February, I was lucky enough to go back and watch Fiestang at ND. It was the first time ever that I was actually in the audience and not on stage or helping to run the tech booth. It was a different experience but it showed me just how important Fiestang is to everyone in the club. The event is something that brings together the whole community and gives them something to rally around and be proud of their culture. It’s also an opportunity for members of the South Bend community to come out and watch the show. I saw countless community members and it really made me proud that we’re still reaching out to them. Fiestang this year was awesome! It had some new dances that I really liked and had a lot more participation from some of the local elementary schools. All in all, the show really reminded me of the good memories and how great it was to be a part of this experience in college. A lot of the Alumni also came back and showed support for a great show
The reason I write this post is to share with everyone my experiences in finding myself. You can go through life looking through a single lens and thinking that’s enough. But there’s a lot more to life that makes you who you are. There’s your family, your friends, your significant others. Something that I think might get lost in our day to day lives is our culture. It’s easy to get so wrapped up in priorities that it gets lost in the real world. Take some time today to explore your culture. Share a dish with your family. Go out to eat at an authentic restaurant. Attend a film festival. Most importantly, remember your culture and how it is a part of you.
~The Lermz
