Here are some tips & advice from individuals abroad on maintaining their nationalism despite being away from the Philippines.
Respondents names are kept confidential
“Basically I maintain my nationalism for the country, by remembering that it was the place where I was born and studied, where I lived for the most part of my life, where my parents and most of my family currently lives. I keep in touch with my nationalism by talking/ messaging/ video calling my parents family at least once a week, by coming back to the Philippines every year for Christmas and New Years, by eating at the filipino type restaurants in Taiwan if the opportunity presents itself, usually I just cook it myself.” (Taiwan)
“Jose Rizal's quote "He who does not know how to look back at where he came from will never get to his destination” is one of my favorites and it is about knowing your history. Being a Filipina-American is something to be proud of and it is important to know our history because without it we do not know where we are going and we will not get there.” (USA)
"Although I have been working in the United Kingdom for almost 2 decades, I would never forget the memories, loved ones and the foods I love in my home country. I would never be ashamed of my roots even if some of my co-workers and neighbors are discriminatory towards me because being a Filipino made me become the person I am today which is strong, resilient and loving towards family." (UK)
“For me it's with the small things, the first time we arrived here in the USA we already brought the Filipino values and beliefs that have been instilled in us. Like the Mano po, po and opo, etc. Another example is the use of the words Ate, Kuya, Manang, etc. It is actually funny that sometimes once you see a kababayan during work, the first thing you ask is "Filipino Po?/Kabayan!!!. And as time passes, we crave Filipino Foods (Adobo, sinigang, etc). Just like our Pinoy foods we miss the Philippines very much and do not feel that we are far from home we always watch the Pinoy news. Of course we would always want to watch historical movies like General Luna and Goyo and movies about our heroes.These movies lightens our patriotism more and to remind us where we came from. Pinoys here would also organize groups like Lubaonians in CA . They set up activities like fiesta and have fundraising and the funds they raise would go to our Kababayans in the Philippines." (USA)
"I used to really despise the Philippines so much I was happy that I got to work in Canada. But as time goes by, I was starting to regret eagerly leaving the Philippines. I started to miss my family, my neighborhood, the food and overall the culture and the vibe. Here in Canada, it just doesn't feel right at home and there are times where I would be sad because I long to be back home. So for the Filipinos who are currently living in the Philippines, enjoy it, appreciate it, love everything that you see because a lot of us OFWs here in Canada have been itching to go back more than ever once the pandemic struck." (Canada)
“Here in the ship we’re mostly Filipinos that’s why we still have our nationalistic side present even though we’re not in the Philippines [before the pandemic]. Most of our meals would be Filipino cuisine because it makes us feel like we’re at home with our families. One of my men [lower position in the ship] would comfort us sometimes by telling us that like Rizal who stayed close with his fellow Ilustrados, we do the same by staying close with our fellow Filipinos. I think that’s beautiful and comforting at the same time because he is our national hero so it gives us more hold on being ‘modern bayanis’. Even though we’re surrounded by foreigners, their culture doesn’t affect our sense of being a Filipino.” (Europe & USA)
“When I was alone in Singapore [before the pandemic], it got really lonely because my apartment neighbors were from different nations. It wasn’t as noisy and happy as living in the condominiums in Manila. What makes me grounded as a Filipino was the Filipino channels in TV whenever I ate meals by myself. Since I want to save money, I cook for myself. My mom taught me how to cook before I went to Singapore and of course, as you’d expect it would be mainly Filipino food so that I wouldn’t feel as homesick as the other stories she heard of her friends going abroad. I also listen to the new music from Filipino writers.” (Singapore)
“As a mother and former teacher, I make sure my children will stick to their Filipino roots even though we’re not living in the Philippines anymore. [I’m sure you remember as your previous tutor] I read Filipino books to my children before they go to sleep and I teach them about our National Heroes so that they are still aware of their homeland’s history in hopes that, one day, when we come back at least they know about the important things. It’s difficult to make sure they have a sense of nationalism which is why my husband and I make sure to raise them in a Filipino-centered household. Every weekend we have a day where we watch movies in the living room as our weekly bonding and we would always choose Filipino movies because my children always watch Foreign Films so we balance out their choices as much as possible. When they reach the 7th grade, I also want to teach them about Rizal’s work just like how we did when we were in high school back home”. (USA)
“It's difficult here in the hospital because in our department, it’s only me and my friend who are Filipinos. The food here is also mostly Halal which is good because we are Muslims but they’re not cooked in the Filipino way that we’re used to. I miss being able to smell the food there in the Philippines. Being homesick is the worst, but I remind myself that this is my dream job and I made it, Alhamdulillah, and this is for my family. On my [rare] days off, I make sure to have a video call planned with my family and friends there in Cotabato (Mindanao). I’ve been here for almost 2 years now, but I’m still thankful that I have my Filipino values instilled in me so I don’t forget where I came from”. (Saudi Arabia) (*Alhamdulillah means “Thank Allah (God)” in Arabic :>)
“I don’t know if you’ve seen it, but there’s a post that went viral a few years back. So, basically, there was a Filipino-American that wore a Filipiniana gown to prom. I even thought of wearing the same thing. I found that really inspiring, since there are actually not a lot of people who are proud of their heritage. Personally, I witness a lot of Filipinos here in my community who are a tad too obsessed with trying to be white, as if acting like a Filipino is a bad thing. I'm from Chicago and we have a smaller population of Filipinos compared to New Jersey or California. But, I do encounter false Filipino pride most especially when Pacquiao is up to fight someone. His matches become some sort of a “Filipino Day”. Those who are most vaguely descended from Filipino heritage cheer for him as if Pacquiao were fighting for the freedom of the Philippines. It’s just that I think that their nationalism is misplaced and superficial, like they are only interested in the shallow facets of Filipino culture, and do not really care for anything that is substantial. For my end, as a second-generation immigrant, my parents instilled Filipino values within me, from the get go, and raised me with the same language and the culture that defines me. I guess I can say that the values and principles in life that I hold are very much Filipino. Upbringing is the biggest part to blame when it comes to failing to preserve nationalism, I believe.” (USA)
“As someone born and raised in California, to be honest, I’ve never felt out of touch with my heritage. California has one of the highest concentrations of Filipino-Americans in the States; it really isn’t difficult for me to connect with my roots, and the Filpino-American community in my hometown is pretty tight. Most of my friends are second-generation Filipinos as well, and we’ve all gone through similar experiences growing up, from having grand debuts, large family gatherings with lechon to hanging out with our cousins. Right now, I'm trying to learn and digest as much Filipino culture as I can. So far, it's mostly been the cuisine, I’ve learned how to cook Adobo and Sinigang. I'm also learning Filipino, since it has always been a dream of mine to have a conversation with my parents in our native tongue. What I'm getting at is that the Filipino community is no longer just limited to the Philippines. We, Filipinos, have planted our seeds all over the world. As long as we keep the roots strong, we, Filipinos, as a community, will continue to flourish.” (USA)
“When I was new here, they have a Filipino Center. Of course, the attitude and culture here is different from the Philippines. With the way they speak and the words you don't know, they will teach it to you. You'll be attending English classes while learning about life in the UK. That is free from the Filipino community. Before. But now, I think they teach the Philippine language for those who are here, for the kids who are here to communicate effectively especially so that they'll know how to speak when they return to the Philippines. For my children, I trained them to speak Tagalog, even my youngest could, although he doesn't speak so much, yet he understands. And he also watches Filipino movies. Now, they are establishing a school [I think] in the embassy for those who go there to study Filipino.” (UK)
"We're still looking forward to stay in the Philippines for more than a month. Just like my husband who wanted a career break for one year or six months to stay in the Philippines as a way to reminisce your youth, the life you want to live, the relax lifestyle without having to think. You won't pay bills. It would be a life where you won't have to think because everything is there. You can do whatever you want. You look forward to that life. That's what we want. You can't just sit down here [in the UK] because you'll have to think of your job, of what you can do to earn money. You can't party or talk to people too long because you're thinking of your job. So we're still hoping to go home there.” (UK)
"I have a family now, my kids, as much as possible, I want them to have our values. They now know how to say 'po' and 'opo' , 'Salamat po' or they know how to say 'Kuya' or 'Tita'. That's what I love about our culture, the respect for the elders. " (AUS)
"My children are involved in Filipino culture because we raised them that way. They have many Filipino friends. We watch Filipino films and they got that because I watched Filipino telenovela. They go to Simbang Gabi when it's Christmas. They know how to use 'Po' and 'Opo', to treat the elderly with respect. They're very involved with Filipino organizations in school." (US)
"Here, you have to work. You kinda wish [to be there] in the Philippines because it's the place where you were born. There's a lot of countries you can go to for you to relax. But your country is different because you're comfortable there. You know the people and you have your peace of mind." (UK)
"As much as possible, even if my parents passed on, I want to spend the holidays [in the Philippines] like we went home in July, the kids really enjoyed it. I want them to be close to the cousins and to know my side of the family and they really enjoyed it. Actually, I told my husband, even when I pass on, I want to be buried in the Philippines so the kids will have a reason to go back. I want them to see the difference between the Australian and Filipino culture" (AUS).
"What we couldn't do was to go home. I really hope we'd get to go home and show them [the children] more about the Philippines for them to appreciate that they have a second home. I used to always tell them 'I wanna go home', but they can't understand that when they were young. They'd ask ,'Why are you calling it home?'. It wasn't until we took them home frequently and when they were older that they understood why we call it home. I told them that my home was in the Philippines. I want them to visit more and see more places." (US)
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