A poem and a little bit of my Life

As of right now I am extremely tired. I have a math quiz tomorrow, and I have been working at Starbucks everyday since last Wednesday. However, back on topic, last week in my English class we discussed about various poems, each having to do with identity. The poem I have chosen to describe is about Filipino identity, though I am not Filipino. This is the Poem:

he asked me what
i
was

are you indonesian
spanish
         chinese
indian
         hawiian
i'm a filipino
         i said
and the words
dissolved
into
our recognition
of one another

 I am a Hispanic with a mix of Ukrainian blood from my mothers side. I am proud of my mixed heritage, and share a Hispanic, Ukrainian, and other culture influences. Though Hispanics are typically a subordinate group, I do not have brown skin and black eyes. Thus, I do not feature the subordinate appearance based in our society. Filipinos, as I have learned through the readings of our Filipino psychology book, are a subordinate group because of their dark skin and "different" cultural norms. For this reason, Filipinos prefer to connect with other Filipinos. Most Filipinos share a common background, and so can relate with each other when under oppression. This easy connection is shown in the poem which deals with a Filipino encountering another Filipino, "he asked me what i was [...] i'm filipino, and the words dissolved into our recognition of one another." Thus, because the man was Filipino, automatically the two men felt and understanding of each other. The author in the poem also refuses to capitalize any of the I's, showing that perhaps the two Filipino men were not the proudest of their ethnicity. Also, when the man asked him what he was and attempts to guess, he does not guess Filipino. Clearly showing that Filipino is a subordinate class due to society as the man does not even see it as important enough to guess Filipino. This also applies to me.

As a Mexican/ Ukranian mix, I also appeal to other Hispanic people. Though I have acculturated myself into society,  like Filipinos, I am also typically able to form a bond with other Hispanics quite easily. However, this does not mean I do not associate with other Ethnicity's. I am open to all people, and enjoy the multicultural influences I receive from all kinds of people.


Overall, the poem reveals identity through the eyes of two Filipino men, showing how a connection between two Filipinos can be simply based on race, and not only applies to Filipinos, but to Hispanics as well.

The English Class Beyond Just Books

Welcome to the beginning of something new, a Bayan. This is a community which uncovers a new concept of learning. This concept is a blend of a family and a class room, known as a Bayan. The ingenuity behind this idea is that a professor functions as a father, while all of the students are children, and thus brothers and sisters. Everyone is connected and eager to help one another pass the class and understand the information. This creates a friendly and motivating environment because we are all sharing a common goal, to pass the class with an A. We study Filipino works in order to get a basic understanding of the Filipino culture. But because this is an English class, Filipino study is not the main area of subject. We only use Filipino novels as a framework for our study, because how we analyze the novels is the real objective. In my Bayan community I have learned many new things in a very short time.

Within only a couple of week of having been in my English and Personal Development class I learned and developed how to easily identify what an author is trying to say in a writing. My writing skills have improved greatly, and I feel that I am clearer and getting my point across now. I learned about myself, and how to self motivate in order to keep my goals in priority. I discovered that my preferred learning style is that of a tactile/ kinesthetic learner. I also discovered my preferred professors method of teaching, which is to keep his students active, as is done in the Bayan class through interaction with our peers. Through this I have become acquainted and comfortable with my peers and the people in my Bayan group. Every week I continue to grow by gaining new knowledge about myself and my studies. I am fortunate to be a member of the Bayan community, and am extreemly appreciative of this honor.