educate my soul

Pinay

priskieluh — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 03:30:04 +0000

My Big Sis once asked me if I’ve ever googled the word “Pinay.” I told her I haven’t and so she told me that whenever I have time google “Pinay” and see what comes up. So I did and I wasn’t surprised to see what I saw. Hyper-sexualized women. That’s what the modern day Pinay looks or at least according to the mass media. It’s sad to see that Filipinas are depicted by this false representation. All people see is just a body… the physical appearance that most often doesn’t even reflect what’s going on in the inside. And that’s not common just among Filipinas but all women for that matter. All women are obligated to beat the stereotypes that are placed upon them and women of color must always face the double edged sword…..being female of color.

So if society wants to continue to portray Pinays with just an image of a pretty face and a body barely clothed, they really gotta rethink what they’re doing. If we, as a society, continue to let things gone on like THIS then we’re justifying how it’s okay for the bodies of women AND children to continue to be sold. That is NOT okay.

I’m really fortunate to have the kind of resources that I have available to me. However, there are others who are not so fortunate. That is why it’s so important for each of us to just stop and take a look at what’s going on around us, even if it means devoting quality time to educating ourselves on current world issues. Who knows, you might just actually learn something new.

Out of sight, out of mind

priskieluh — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 02:22:10 +0000

It’s a constant debate whether Filipino Americans are classified as Asian America of Pacific Islanders. But I realized, for me personally, in order for my struggles as well as the struggles of my community to be fully identified there is only one word that can define who we are and what we’ve all experienced and that is “Pilipino.” I know all Pilipinos do not have the exact same struggles but because of our culture, it allows each of us to identify with one another in similar ways. Especially being among Pilipino Americans of my generation I’m beginning to recognize how in even the slightest way we can relate. However, it wasn’t until going out into the so called “real world” did I start to understand how the uniqueness of the Pilipino American identity has and still continues to be lost…. lost because “others” persistently shove Pilipinos in one of two categories (Asian or Pacific Islander) by having us check a box, as if THAT can put a face on people who’s motherland underwent centuries worth of colonialism and imperialism.

I think if more and more people understood the Pilipino culture and history then more people would be able to comprehend what makes the Pilipino/Pilipino American experience so different from others. But I guess our world is far from understanding anything and everything about US considering how we are still an underrepresented, minority group lost among the model minority group known as Asian Americans. That’s only one of the many things that makes the Pilipino American experience unique in is own way.

Our culture is only as visible as we let it be and our history is only known to those whom we share it with. In the past, the Philippines has been portrayed as a domestic nation, a site for cheap labor and getaway of “rest and recreation” for the American military. Today, a similar, yet worse image lingers because a corrupt and money-driven administration allows it. Knowing about the past Pilipino struggles is only half the battle in order for people to comprehend how current issues and problems like human trafficking evolved into the Pilipino struggles of the present day. So until WE as a whole decide to let these issues become known, they will remain invisible to the average American eye.

Fiction

priskieluh — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 01:55:09 +0000

Nowadays, a good novel or quick page-turner may seem difficult to come by. But after reading Jessica Hagedorn’s Dogeaters for one of my classes this past quarter I knew I found something really worth reading. That’s why when I began reading an excerpt from Dream Jungle for my internship I knew that not only the language and writing seemed familiar but the story being told was familiar as well. That’s because Hagedorn also wrote Dream Jungle.

For me, reading Hagedorn for the first time I tended to forget that the illustrative descriptions she expressed really do characterize the modern day Philippines. And because it’s “fiction” I was ignoring the fact that some of the things she was describing in Dream Jungle, sadly, happen in real life. It’s not until we read the newspaper or hear it on the news of how older men are stopped and arrested in airports around the world, charged for engaging in illegal sexual activity with children, do we realize (as disturbing as it is) that THIS….child sex tourism is really going on in real life.

It’s emotionally difficult to have to read about the multiple accounts in which such cases are occurring. It’s not just in the Philippines, not just in the Southeast Asia but globally! Globally, children are put in these terrible situations and it’s mainly due to poverty or lack of alternative sources of income. Children as young as 2 years old, who aren’t even children but infants are being exploited for a price…. $2,000-$3,000 which to the average broker is nothing. Surprising, yet depressing. However, regardless of how difficult it is to face reality, we must face the facts because all of this is not fiction. And we must help others become more aware.

Hello World!

priskieluh — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 18:59:22 +0000

I find it ironic how after creating a new blog wordpress automatically titles your first post “Hello World!” Hello world…it’s as if it’s a statement of joy, greeting the world for the first time by sharing my words with others. But the more I think about it, the more I realize not everything in this world, our world, is happy-go-lucky. Reality proves to me that a lot is going on in this world and that it definitely need a lot of work.

My name is Priscilla Farinas. I’m originally from San Diego but currently reside in the City of Angels (often know as L.A.). I’m quickly approaching my third year at UCLA and like many others, still figuring out what I want to do with my life. But I guess since the last 2 years, I’ve been making some progress in finding that direction. I was recently fortunate enough to be selected as a summer intern for GABRIELA Network. And although this process has just begun I’m understanding more and more why I decided to be a part of it.

I think if there’s one reoccurring lesson that I’ve learned while being here in L.A. it’s remembering to always find and utilize the inner voice that lies within each of us. It’s this voice that allows us to find the strength so we can be true to ourselves and what we believe in. The past year I was lucky enough to work with the amazing and strong-willed group of women of Kappa Psi Epsilon who not only expressed to me what it means to find my own inner strength but also, taught me that by finding my own voice I can help others in their own struggles. That is one of reasons why I wanted to be an intern. I want to work with strong and courageous women who share my passion for helpings others; to help other women by speak up for them because sometimes, unlike us, they don’t have the ability to utilize their own voices.

That’s the type of world we live….that’s the kind of world I’m saying “Hello” to. A world where even as I continue to type women and children continue to be immersed into the globalized sex trade. Human rights become violated as more people are trafficked. And you might be sitting there wondering how and why this affects you. It’s an unseen, shared struggle meaning just as much as it affects every child and women, it affects all HUMANS…. What I aim to get out of this internship process is the ability to educate myself with every experience so that hopefully, I can educate others. I want to continue growing into the strong women and empowered individual that I want to be because I want to show others that positive change can happen in our crazy world just as long as you let positive change happen to you first.