Feature
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How to Joke Like a Filipino
As a Filipina raised by both sets of grandparents, I learned the ways in which my family interacted with each other. Of course the gossiping was always a given, but jokes, especially told in Tagalog, were much more entertaining to us. I’m not bilingual by all means, but I do, however, understand the hilarious conversation amongst them. Learning cultural humor is something that I’ve been trying to immerse myself in more, so impressing others with these skills in their native language is an opportunity to grow closer with others and share in the laughter together.
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Growing Up as the Youngest Child From an Immigrant Family
Being the youngest child, I have heard quite a few many stereotypes. We are known to be spoiled, attention-seeking, and even manipulative. Although I can’t confirm if I fit into these stereotypes myself, I do know that I would rather be the youngest child than the oldest, and that’s because of my brother.
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Things I Got Scolded For As A Kid
Submitted by Michelle Ewton Playing With My Chopsticks In my defense, they look like drumsticks. How will I ever live out my dream of becoming a rockstar if I don’t practice my drum solo? My parents never saw the vision, saying that the only right career paths were doctor, lawyer, or pharmacist. So what if I have no rhythm, as long as you have passion and are confident that’s all you need right? Apparently though, playing with chopsticks is considered bad manners. Something about how it’s rude and people don’t try to drum with a spoon and fork. Perhaps the real solution is that we should just use all cutlery…
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Superstitions My Asian Parents Told Me
Growing up in both South Korea and the United States, I have heard a fair share of superstitions from both countries, some even overlapping due to similarities. For as long as I remember, I avoided stepping on cracks, held my breath as I drove past graveyards, and never opened an umbrella indoors. People may not notice, but popular, silly superstitions such as these control our basic lives. Whether you believe in superstitions or not, you often think about them as you approach a sidewalk crack or a black cat in an alleyway. I grew up hearing about many superstitions from my parents, and oftentimes they would try to pass it…
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Unlearning Colorism
I think every Filipino girl has their fair share of horror stories about Titas who were much too grown and much too busy to have the time to be commenting on the appearance of girls who aren’t even theirs. To no fault but their own toxic upbringing, they judged anything and everything that caught their attention. Weight gain, weight loss, academics—the list goes on and on. However, there was one thing in particular that they would point out about without fail. Even more outside of my control than my fluctuating weight and static height—it was my skin color. Brown and so unlike the porcelain white skin that they believed to…
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Am I Becoming a Karen Like My Asian Parents?
Growing up in a strict Asian family, I always told myself that I wanted to be different from my parents. When they said to do chores everyday or week, I wanted to do them whenever I saw fit. When they said to do what you need to right away, I wanted to do it later. When they said to get what you paid for, no matter the price, I wanted to not care. When they said bad dad jokes, I didn’t want to be near to hear them. When they asked me if I ate yet or if I wanted to eat more, I wanted them to stop asking...
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A Mother-Daughter’s Unbreakable Bond
For many, a mother is a role model, best friend, and pillar of strength for her daughter. A mother comforts her daughter during moments of weakness. A mother gives advice to her daughter on how to dress. A mother warns her daughter about boys. A mother, most importantly, loves her daughter unconditionally, as they emotionally understand their daughter the best. It is widely believed that the relationship between mothers and daughters is the strongest of all parent-child bonds, and although I disagreed with this belief for a long time, I now understand the truth.
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Stan Culture and Why I Joined In
If you’ve ever been on Twitter, then most likely you’ve seen a fancam or two—videos of idols singing and/or dancing. Most likely you know BTS and their fandom, ARMY. At first, you might not understand why people are so in love with them. Like why are these random people replying to tweets with just a video of someone dancing? This has triggered a lot of hate towards fandoms and in turn the artist themselves, particularly for K-pop artists.
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Breaking the Pattern: Intergenerational Trauma
In many Asian cultures, mental health is swept under the rug. It is not an excuse to not be okay as it is seen as a sign of weakness. Those who are similar in age to my parents strongly believe this as they were taught to do so by their mothers and fathers. Unfortunately, this is a dilemma that many younger generations and first generation kids continue to experience.
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A Moment Captured
A heart-warming and inspiring story by Julia Lanzona about her father immigrating to the States.
