FilAm Means Home
by Mya Santos

One day during after-school care when I was in the first grade, a little boy walked up to me and mocked me for being different. He tightened his eyes and started saying “Ching Chong Ching.” Infuriated and confused, I didn’t know why I was being ridiculed for mere physical attributes and for my cultural background, which he assumed wrong anyway. This is the moment in time in which I realized I was different from everyone else at that small private school in East Memphis. I felt unusual and awkward. The Filipino-American Association taught me to appreciate my Filipino roots and my American citizenship at the same time. It nurtured my love and dignity for myself as an individual and gave me a sense of fellowship and attachment to my great culture.

Also, the Fil-Am has been a second family to me. I love the feeling of comfort and closeness all the members have with each other. I love calling every single adult “auntie” or “uncle.” I love the get-together’s the organization throws and the accountability that I will never die of starvation because my “aunties” and “uncles” will always provide food. I love that if I ever had a problem there is a whole community willing to help, and if I want to accomplish something great in life there is a whole community willing to support me.

What does Fil-Am mean to me? In a way, I’ve grown up in this cultural group sharing my entire life with the community. I’ve been with Fil-Am since the numerous programs at DeNuville Church, the Christmas caroling, the volunteering at Casa Maria and Missionaries of Charity, the formal parties, the folk dances since I was six years old, the Santa Cruzans, the medical missions, and the fight for the new cultural center in Bartlett. This group is a huge portion of my life. It involves family, friends, charity and extracurricular activities. To me, Fil-Am means home

FILAMemphis molded me to be proud of my heritage

FILAMemphis means bringing the Filipino culture to America, remembering your Filipino heritage, and being proud to be a Filipino.

Being a Filipino-American, we can use the  coconut  as a perfect analogy— brown on the outside…white on the inside. I may come of as such, but I don’t really see myself as too Americanized.

Even though I may have been born and raised in the United States, I still managed to recognize my Filipino background… and I believe FILAMemphis has helped me with that. Being a part of FILAMemphis has taught me a lot about my heritage. Even just by little cultural experiences, such as the folk dances that I have participated in, helped me to learn about it. I am very proud to be a Filipino and I think FILAMemphis has sort of molded me to be that way.
By bringing the Filipino culture to America and keeping it alive by the FILAM organization, our generation still have a chance to learn about our background. Whether it may be the Filipino church services or social gatherings, FILAMemphis does whatever it can to stay strong. The more FILAM grows, the stronger it gets. The people are what make FILAMemphis strong. It has formed close friendships and brought people closer together including so many unforgettable memories.

If I have to describe FILAMemphis in a short term, I would have to say it is our “home away from home.” Even though we may not be in the motherland, we come together as a small community sharing a similar characteristic…our Filipino heritage.

FILAMemphis will keep the Filipino culture alive

Born and raised in the United States, FILAMemphis is a very important part of my heritage. When my mother, a Filipina, came to this country, she didn’t have any friends or money. FilAm members helped her find a job, and even introduced her to my father. The Moragas, Morales, Joes, Agcanas, and the Laureagas alternately took care of me when I was a baby. Without the Filipino community,  I wouldn’t have been able to know and experience the culture  and heritage.

The culture is so unique and interesting. I learned to speak a little of the language, participated in the Santacruzan, learned some folk dances when I was younger and met a lot of Filipinos my age. To top it all, I ate delicious food, pastries and dessert.

Being part of the FILAMemphis enabled me to be open-minded in learning and experiencing different cultures such as understanding the different pastimes. Over the years, I have enjoyed being part of the organization, because of its family type atmosphere. It is great to be a part of a community where everyone cares for each other.

I am proud to be part of this community and could only hope that when I have my own children, they, too would be able to experience all of the things I have been introduced to as a growing child. I know that FILAMemphis will keep the Filipino culture alive for future generations to come.

I hope some day I will have the chance to volunteer at a medical mission while visiting the Philippines. I’m eager to see my mother’s hometown and meet my relatives.

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