Embracing My Roots: Discovering My Identity as a Filipino

Answering “Where are you from?” I cannot reply with ‘I’m from the UK’ or that ‘I’m British’ despites being born and raised here, because even if I have the British passport or the British accent I don’t look British. I have black hair, dark brown eyes and what people would consider I’m ‘yellow’ but having to identify myself as Filipino is a struggle too, when I go back to the Philippines they don’t see me as Filipino, when I’m their I don’t feel like on either, I’m like a foreigner. This is my identity as a Filipino essay where I will share my story.

I try to strongly identify myself as Filipino in events where Philippines are being represented such as recently in Miss Universe 2018, Catriona Gray or when Manny Pacquiao has a fight. In school, I surrounded myself in a friendship group with Filipinos or other South East Asians. Most of my Filipino friends moved when they were young to the UK so they strongly identify themselves as a ‘Proud Pinoy’. When they make a visit back which is quite regular they refer to it as home, “I’m going back home” My identity as a Filipino growing up in the UK has been strongly influenced by the growing community I’m surrounded in, special masses and community group events me and my family regular are involved in. It’s my duty to hold my Filipino routes while I grow here in a country unfamiliar of such culture and traditions because I don’t speak the language, I have the urge to at least is to hold the values and ideas of a Filipino despites the struggles in the modern western world for my parents as I live here in the UK.

The sociocultural approach views the family in helping to socially construct the individual child’s culture and identity, myself had to be socialised in to the Filipino culture while living in a western society which required to be socialised in their culture such as in the school setting to be accepted in the society I live in which is more modernised than the Filipino values. At the same time preserving some of the traditional Filipino culture in a new country was seen of importance to my parents as first-generation immigrants, it’s their duty to carry on culture in a foreign country, which would’ve been a struggle as they would be the first in the family and alone to do so. Thorough experience in the community a child can learn become skilled practitioners in their specific cognitive activities in their communities. Children learn about culture through participating as members of “communities of practice” this involved socializing with a community of Filipinos with many live in the UK, in which created many connections additionally regular events to bring together a community such as the annual Bario Fiesta during summer filled with traditional dishes, deserts, acts etc. 

Nicknamed the ‘Filipino Coachella’ they’re many incidents where if you see a Filipino it’s common to give a smile or a greeting, even if you don’t know them! Identity of a Filipino you immediately are socialized as you have the sense of relatedness almost as you create your own family here in the UK. Learning the formal greetings and conversations etc. It's essential to be socialized in a Filipino community and identify all those older ‘tita’ or ‘tito’ which translate to auntie and uncle despite’s the person having no blood relation. Personal life perspective, modern view point of the family that Filipinos tend of adapted now having moved in to a new country however being seen very traditional. One case a close family friend of my parents living here I called them as ‘lola’ and ‘lolo’ which translates to ‘grandma’ and ‘grandpa’ which I believed they were as I never met or socialised with my real ones, showing the construction of family as Filipinos in the UK, additionally not only in the UK but in Philippines, when visiting the province, the communities come together in which again creating their own families. In which caused a cultural clash, where the construction of family is different between the two countries, the beliefs and the values of how a family is perceived to be, seeing everyone as family caused distress during one activity in school where I needed to create a family tree in which I got home confused and annoyed not knowing my family and not having a connection with them unlike people in the UK with a simple family tree and knowing their family who live in the same county.

So rather than relying on other people’s perceptions and knowledge on defining my identity, my experiences throughout life is what I should use to identify myself as Filipino. The Other Asian born in the UK 88.3% identified with a British identity, but I’m a proud Filipino who identifies as that despite the little understanding in language and the complex identity of both British and Filipino cultural values.

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