Albularyo Advice

The worst of flu season may soon be over, but it’s always good to keep some natural remedies in mind year round. When western medicine will only do so much, I like like to think of the albularyo remedies I've been taught through the years. The Tagalog word “albularyo” is used to describe pre-colonial medicine men and women of the Philippines. The word may be derived from the Spanish word for herbalist. The Albularyo would combine spiritual practices with natural concoctions to heal people in need. When it comes to keeping my health in check, I like to think like an Albularyo and return to the fruits of the earth for medicine. One potent wellness ingredient that is found in a lot of Filipino dishes is fresh ginger. This warming root can be boiled raw, and the resulting "tea" can be consumed for a natural digestive aid that also acts as an anti-inflammatory medicine. It actually helps to ease muscle aches from the flu and even arthritis. It is also a great natural immune-system booster. One dish that is heavy on ginger is arrozcaldo - that can explain why this simple and yummy comfort food always seems to work miracles when you've got a bug!

Another common and powerful herb commonly used in Filipino dishes is garlic. It is a powerful anti-inflammatory and a natural antibiotic. One treatment of the common cold is to eat a clove of garlic raw. If that’s something you’d rather not endure, you can boil 2 cloves of chopped fresh garlic together with one lemon and a dash of cayenne pepper. Strain the water after boiling and add honey to taste. It’s a bit of an acquired flavor, but the garlic, together with the vitamin C from the lemon, the congestion-busting heat of the cayenne pepper and the natural antibiotic and throat-soothing properties of honey make this a formidable treatment against the common cold.

For daily wellness, I like to start my day with a green smoothie. There are many recipes out there - all you need is a powerful blender. A dose of fresh greens and sweet fruits a day blended in a tasty drink will provide you with tons of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to keep you energized and well. For the cold days, I like to blend together spinach, fresh pear, a banana, a dash of cinnamon and vanilla soy milk. Heat it up in the microwave for a nice, warm, creamy drink. Don’t knock it ‘til you try it!

Shame and Struggle: My Journey to Learn Tagalog

Utak muna ang gamitin mo, bago ang puso mo. (Use your head before your heart.) Lalabas na ang tunay na kulay mo! (Your true colors are beginning to show!)

Hayop ka! (You’re an animal!)

The expressions above (picked up from forays into the living room as my parents watch their teleseryes), random insults, the lyrics to this ‘70s gem, and phrases from daily conversation - these constitute my pathetic, hacked-up version of Tagalog.

Rachelle Ocampo, our UniPro President, says, “Every time I meet new Pilipinos and they ask if I understand Tagalog, I greet them with ‘Hindi ako marunong magsalita ng Tagalog pero nakakaintindi ako.’ They are immediately impressed, and encourage me that it is not too late to learn. My goal for this year is to take a Tagalog course and push myself to learn more phrases.”

Like Rachelle, I can’t speak Tagalog, but I can understand it. It’s a result of growing up in a household where my parents spoke enough Tagalog that my brother Marc and I knew when it was time to eat dinner and when we were in trouble, but enough English that it was still our first language. As a proud Filipina-American and cultural enthusiast of my roots, my inability to speak the native tongue of my ancestors is my scarlet letter, a shameful burden, an embarrassing thorn in my side that tears at my flesh each time my family speaks to me in Tagalog and I am forced to respond in English. As Marc puts it, “Identifying so closely with a certain culture and not speaking the language is like being that kid who wore vans but never skateboarded. At least that’s what I feel like: A big. fat. poser.”

"...my inability to speak the native tongue of my ancestors is my scarlet letter, a shameful burden, an embarrassing thorn in my side that tears at my flesh each time my family speaks to me in Tagalog and I am forced to respond in English. "

My ability to understand prompts many people to declare, “Well if you can understand Tagalog, then you speak it.” To which I respond emphatically, “It’s not that easy!” When I hear Tagalog, there’s no internal attempt to translate it. I just know what it means, even if it’s difficult to explain it in English. ("Ang kapal ng mukha" comes to mind.) But when I try to speak Tagalog - that’s another story. With no knowledge of any grammar rules, including tenses and pronoun usage, I grasp desperately at the few words in my vocabulary bank, taking ages to sputter out a few broken and laughable sentences. Unfortunately, “Lalabas na ang tunay na kulay mo!” is not an appropriate response in every conversation.

Some immigrant parents purposely don’t teach their children their native language so they’ll grow up Americanized, sparing them from the difficulties of learning English as a second language and having an accent. The thought process behind my parents’ decision to refrain from teaching me Tagalog didn’t go that far. In fact, there didn’t seem to be a decision at all. It simply didn’t happen. This has spawned eternal resentment from my end and the occasional tirade to my parents (“I could’ve been bilingual. Instead, I’m paying to learn a language I should already know!”), who respond to my tired complaints by rolling their eyes.

My best friend for the next few weeks.

"Language is the unique expression of a culture through sounds, words and the strange idioms and melodic inflections those sounds and words compose."

I can keep griping or I can do something to fill this linguistic void, which is why I’m currently taking a Tagalog class. Thanks to The Filipino School of NY & NJ, I’m enrolled in a five-week conversational course. It’s unrealistic to think I’ll be a pro in five weeks, but it’s a solid start. Again, like Rachelle, one of my life goals is to learn Tagalog, to converse fluently with my relatives, to speak confidently to strangers while getting around in the Philippines and to feel closer to my culture. Language is the unique expression of a culture through sounds, words, and the strange idioms and melodic inflections those sounds and words compose. To know another language is to have a gift, a skill, a key to another way of life through its lovely and complex verbal structures. In other words, it automatically makes you cooler.

It will take a lot of work, but I will learn Tagalog, despite the shame and struggle. Now excuse me while I do my homework and practice that simultaneously wretched and awesome “nga” sound.

The Words That Bind Us

I sometimes wonder about the words that come into people’s minds when they look in the mirror. As a former student of literature and journalism, words affect me deeply - words are never just words to me. They create boundaries and definitions. Words are capable of shattering and undoing, but also of rebuilding and morphing. And perhaps it’s this preoccupation with semantics that troubles me when it comes to selecting the words I use to define me. When I look into the mirror, I don’t see an Asian, and never have, despite the fact that this is might be the first thing most people first see about me. I feel uncomfortable marking in Asian for anything that asks for my race. To me, Asian is just as loaded a label as “Oriental.” “Asian Pride” is something I’ve never felt close to. I don’t know how many times I’ve been told things like “You’re Asian, right? So you must be good at math.” Or, “So you’re studying to be a nurse?” a question that has long irritated me with its double assumptions: Asian girls study nursing, Asian boys study engineering. All of these absurd presumptions that I couldn’t relate to have made me resistant to adopting the word “Asian” as part of my identity.

What baffles me the most is when these presumptions come from the Asian community. If I announce that I don’t identify as an Asian, it has sometimes been taken as derogatory or offensive. I understand the lens by which I view the term has been shaped by stereotypes imposed by society, and that doesn’t necessarily make it the correct definition of the word. But that raises the question of whether or not labels HAVE to be defined by stereotypes in order to relate to them.

I am more intrigued than I am disturbed that I don’t see an Asian in the mirror. I would rather be confused by the name, space and place that I take up in the world, than be bound to the limits of race and origin that others may impose on me. I write this with absolutely no answers, only questions. I’m not trying to say anyone who does identify with the term "Asian" is wrong or fitting of any stereotypes by virtue of simply using a word to define themselves. The problems of defining oneself are ongoing, fluid and changeable, and highly unique to an individual.

I am always curious to know what others identify with, or reject. I’m beginning to understand the value of questions, because that opens up a dialogue. So, I ask: will we ever be able to disassociate words with their stereotypes? Can the label "Asian" ever hold within it, the complex identities of all the individuals it qualifies?

UniPro's People Power Anniversary Panel 2013

The People Power Revolution (sometimes referred to as the EDSA Revolution) is considered one of the most pivotal events in Pilipino history, marking the end of Ferdinand Marcos’ 20-year authoritarian reign and the return of democracy to the country. The movement was sparked in 1983 by the assassination of Ninoy Aquino, a senator and leader in opposition of Marcos’ governance. A campaign of nonviolent protests and demonstrations continued over the course of three years, culminating in February of 1986 with a demonstration of over 2 million participants, including civilians, military and religious groups, notably led by the Archibishop of Manila, Cardinal Sin.As part of the State of Pilipino American Advocacy Series (SoPAAS), UniPro will be hosting a panel to commemorate the 27th anniversary of the People Power Revolution on February 19th, 2013. The panelists will speak on the history of Pilipino and Pilipino-American advocacy work through the story of the 1986 Revolution. They will discuss the importance of the revolution in Philippine and world history, and its relevance to today. The event will take place at the Philippine Consulate (556 Fifth Ave.) from 6:30 to 9:00 PM, with a suggested donation of $5 for entrance (donations to UniPro are tax deductible). It will be a great opportunity to learn and engage in discussion about this pivotal and historic event that has shaped the Philippines. Here is a little bit about our panelists:

Luis H. Francia is an award-winning author and poet, who also teaches Philippine-American literature at Hunter College, and Philippine language at New York University. His books include A History of the Philippines: From Indios Bravos to Filipinos, and his memoir Eye of the Fish: A Personal Archipelago, which won both the PEN Open Book Award and the Asian American Writers award.

Isabelita Sombillo was the Secretary General of SELDA, an association of former political prisoners in the Philippines. She studied at the University of Philippines, Los Banos and worked in the progressive movement against Marcos’ governance in the years before the revolution began. She was held as a political prisoner from 1983-1986 by the Marcos regime. She has been a 1199SEIU Union organizer since 2000.

Baltazar 'Bal' Pinguel is the former national director of Peacebuilding and Prevention of Conflict Program for the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). For his activism, Bal was detained twice, tortured and involuntarily 'disappeared' by the Marcos Dictatorship. Upon his release from his second detention in 1985, Bal became a founding member and officer of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan or BAYAN, the largest anti-dictatorship grassroots coalition in the Philippines. Aside from serving as BAYAN's Deputy Secretary General, Bal was also the Director of the Popular of Struggle Commission of BAYAN. It was BAYAN's Popular Struggle Commission that developed the strategy of 'welgang bayan' or people's strike which was ultimately embraced by the Filipino people in the non-violent overthrow of Philippine dictator, Ferdinand Marcos, in 1986.

My Fil-Am Identity Abroad: "You Look Like Thai People"

When I introduce myself to my students, teachers, administrators and important guests here at the school where I'm teaching in Thailand, the conversation, without fail, proceeds in the following manner:

“Chan chuu Ryann. Pen khon American,” I say. Translation: My name is Ryann. I’m American.

I am usually faced by blank stares of confusion.

“Meh ka Paw maa jaak prathet Philippine, ” I add, just to clarify why I have black hair and dark skin. Translation: My mother and father come from the Philippines.

“You look like Thai people,” they offer.

I have mixed feelings when I hear this response. I am flattered to know that I have been able to blend into the northwest Thai/hill tribe culture I’ve been thrust into. However, I am certainly not “Thai people.” I’m Pilipino American. Thus, I am also internally disappointed that my heritage and nationality aren’t as obvious to those around me.

As Fil-Ams, we are at an interesting identity crossroads. We are too American to be Pilipino. We are too Pilipino to be American. We moved from the Philippines. We grew up in the States. Or, we were born in the States, and have yet to dig our feet into Philippine soil.

What does it even mean to be “Pilipino”? How can we understand our Fil-Am identity, especially while abroad? Sometimes, I despise this question. I hate the cliché answers that I come up with. Yes, I do love pan de sal, Kodakan, and a victorious round of mahjong. But there are other facts surrounding my identity that percolate in my mind. I am guilty that I never learned to speak Tagalog. I am ashamed that I’ve only been to the Philippines on two occasions, both of which were not long enough to feel like I belonged there. Am I truly Pilipino?

On some occasions, I’ve even found myself too afraid to introduce myself as an American. Overseas, Americans are perceived as ignorant, lazy and obnoxious individuals. And being in Northwest Thailand over the past six months, I’ve been criticized simply based on the fact that I’m American. I’ve heard the excuse that I don’t understand Thai culture enough to appreciate and value it, as I come from the States. I’m offended by this assumption, because I come from a Pilipino household and culture that certainly values family and religious faith, just like here in Thailand. I’ve been told that my reactions and comments are attributed to me being from the Land of the Free; the fact that I’m a college graduate with an array of experience under my belt is not even considered. All of these insensitive assumptions are unfair, but to take another persons’ criticism to heart would only prove that I’m accepting their claims.

Whether or not this is an identity crisis, I know one thing to be certain: I am a resilient and driven Fil-Am in the global society. Fil-Ams are unique, and crucial, to the larger Pilipino community. We should embrace the various facets that make up who we are, not fear them.