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Hot Take: I’m Fine With Not Dating Before Marriage
“No dating before marriage” is a statement many Indian parents have told their children. I was raised with these values, but I’ve never disagreed with them. Don’t get me wrong—I have had crushes and romantic interests—but the values I have inherited from my parents have just been stronger. When I was younger I adopted this value without questioning it, but as I grew older my reasons behind these values grew stronger.
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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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Exploring Myself: Culture and Gender
Poem by Eric Aquino.
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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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A Piece of Self-Discovery in Spain
Understanding your true self takes time; for me, it took years. It was the vagueness of it all that sparked my anxiety: having no direction in life and feeling lost within the constraints of my own mind. You would think that even with large academic and long-term goals, I would feel more satisfied in fulfilling them with “ease,” but I continued to struggle with the idea of commitment and the thought that my dreams would somehow turn into reality.
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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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Comfort
Submitted by Julia Lanzona Comfort wraps its scarf around me in infinite circles of wool Gifted by Autumn and treasured by winter Folded neatly by the hands of spring and tucked away by summer Comfort finds its way back to me Comfort lifts the bed sheets and crawls in to share its pillowy warmth While singing into my ear to a harmonious hum that cradles the spirit and soul It laughs contagiously with infectious humor And weeps alongside me before dabbing my eyes saltless Comfort is the gentle ebb and flow after overwhelming waves of high tide And it’s the torch that wards away will-o’-the-wisps and ghosted memories …
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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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Childhood Stories
On this episode of AAPC’s podcast, Co-Presidents Anh Ho and Julia Sayco are joined by their fellow executive board members, Hera Lee and Stephen Li, to talk about this month’s theme: Childhood Stories and Nostalgia! Tune in as they share childhood stories, fond memories, and the lessons they learned.
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An Ate/Kuya Ading Reflection: Meet Two of UDFSA’s Newest Pairings!
Every year, the University of Delaware’s Filipino Student Association hosts an annual big/little event known as the Ate/Kuya Ading program. Ate is Tagalog for big sister and kuya translates to big brother, while an ading is a little sibling. This program serves to promote fellowship in the FSA community and give new members mentor figures to guide them through the new school year with advice, hangouts, etc. Come hear from two of our brand new pairings, featuring UDFSA’s Event Coordinator, Herissa Monsalud, and Philanthropy Chair, Matthew Ebron!
